Antonio A. de Porlier y Sopranis, 1st Marquis of Bajamar (1722 – 1813) and the genus Porlieria (Zygophyllaceae) — honouring his botany advocacy, and its nomenclature

Abstract

Porlieria honours Antonio A. de Porlier y Sopranis, 1st Marquis of Bajamar (1722 – 1813), a distinguished Spanish nobleman who served as a high-ranking administrator in the New World Spanish colonies and Spain between 1757 and 1812. Porlier was born in the Canary Islands and was a strong advocate for botanical initiatives in the Americas and in the Canaries. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Jardín de Aclimatación de La Orotava (Canary Islands) and for the development of the three major floristics surveys that Spain supported in the New World at that time. These floristic studies were led by well-known botanists such as Martín Sessé, Hipólito Ruiz, José A. Pavón and Celestino Mutis. Porlieria Ruiz & Pav. (Zygophyllaceae) is a South American genus with four species. The nomenclature of the seven names associated with this genus is reviewed, requiring lectotypification of the names Guaiacum angustifolium Engelm., P. arida Rusby, P. hygrometra Ruiz & Pav. and P. lorentzii Engl.