Goeppertia lasiophylla

Goeppertia lasiophylla (H.Kenn.) Borchs. & S.Suárez is an accepted species of the family Marantaceae, placed within the genus Goeppertia Nees. Plants of the World Online (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew), in the World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026, lists the name among accepted species of Goeppertia [1]. The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (dataset d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c) records it at GBIF key 9501755 [2].

Goeppertia Nees is the accepted botanical name for the largest genus in Marantaceae, encompassing an estimated 260 accepted species following the molecular phylogenetic revision of 2012. Plants of the World Online describes the genus as having a native range spanning Mexico to Tropical America [1]. The species epithet lasiophylla derives from Greek roots conveying the sense of rough- or woolly-leaved, functioning as a morphological descriptor applied at the time of original description.

The registry records in_cultivation as true for this species. No cultivars derived from Goeppertia lasiophylla are recorded in the registry at this time.

The accepted name Goeppertia lasiophylla (H.Kenn.) Borchs. & S.Suárez was established by a new combination published by Finn Borchsenius, Selena Suárez and Lena Prince in September 2012 in Systematic Botany, volume 37, number 3, pages 620–635 (DOI 10.1600/036364412X648571) [3]. That publication presented 246 new combinations for species previously placed in Calathea G.Mey., following a molecular phylogenetic analysis demonstrating that Calathea as previously circumscribed was polyphyletic [3].

The basionym is Calathea lasiophylla H.Kenn., where the authority abbreviation H.Kenn. (recorded by GBIF as H.A.Kenn.) denotes Helen A. Kennedy, a botanist who specialised in the taxonomy of Marantaceae and described numerous Calathea species [2]. The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy records Calathea lasiophylla H.A.Kenn. as a synonym at GBIF key 118422754, with the accepted name resolved to Goeppertia lasiophylla (H.Kenn.) Borchs. & S.Suárez at GBIF key 9501755 [2]. No additional synonymy beyond this one name has been confirmed from available primary sources.

The journal, volume, page and year of Kennedy's original protologue for Calathea lasiophylla have not been confirmed against a primary record accessible to this research. Limited public data available; further research needed for that specific bibliographic detail.

The name Calathea lasiophylla remains in continued use in horticultural trade following the 2012 reclassification. Under current accepted taxonomy as reflected in Plants of the World Online and the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, it is a synonym [1][2]. This pattern of continued trade use of former Calathea names alongside accepted Goeppertia names is documented across the family as a consequence of the lag between nomenclatural revision and horticultural adoption [3].

No formal diagnostic description drawn from an authoritative primary source has been confirmed for Goeppertia lasiophylla in the course of this research. The Kennedy protologue, which would contain the formal diagnosis and type specimen data, has not been retrieved and verified against a primary record. Limited authoritative sources available; further research needed.

Goeppertia species more broadly are documented as perennial herbs found primarily in wet tropical biomes across the neotropical region, as consistent with the genus-level range stated by Plants of the World Online [1]. Individual species within the genus vary substantially in their morphological characters, and genus-level descriptions cannot be attributed to Goeppertia lasiophylla specifically without a species-level authoritative source.

The registry records native range and habitat as null for Goeppertia lasiophylla. No native range or habitat statement specific to this species has been confirmed from a primary taxonomic source in the course of this research.

Plants of the World Online states that the genus Goeppertia Nees has a native range spanning Mexico to Tropical America [1], but that is a genus-level statement and cannot be attributed to this species individually without a species-level record. Borchsenius, Suárez and Prince (2012) note that the genus encompasses an estimated 260 accepted species distributed across that broad neotropical range, and individual species vary substantially in their documented distributions [3].

Limited authoritative sources available; further research needed for the native range and habitat of Goeppertia lasiophylla specifically. Retrieval of the Kennedy protologue, which would contain collection locality data, is the necessary next step for establishing the type locality.

The registry records in_cultivation as true for Goeppertia lasiophylla. The name under which this species circulates in trade is Calathea lasiophylla, a synonym that remains in use following the 2012 reclassification documented by Borchsenius, Suárez and Prince [3]. The persistence of former Calathea names in horticultural contexts across the genus reflects a well-established lag between taxonomic revision and trade adoption [3].

No botanical garden publication, herbarium treatment, or university extension document specifically addressing the cultivation history, documented uses, or institutional accessions of Goeppertia lasiophylla has been located in the course of this research. Limited authoritative sources available; further research needed.

No International Cultivar Registration Authority has been appointed for Marantaceae. The International Society for Horticultural Science maintains a list of appointed authorities for cultivated plants by genus or family; Marantaceae does not appear on that list as of the date of this research [3]. This means no organisation currently holds the mandate to formally register cultivar names in Goeppertia or any other Marantaceae genus.

The registry entry for Goeppertia lasiophylla records no cultivars. The genus record confirms that no ICRA authority is assigned and that Digital Towns does not operate as an ICRA. Digital Towns functions as a documentation and aggregation resource; it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by the International Society for Horticultural Science or any appointed cultivar registration authority.

The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP) requires that a cultivar epithet be enclosed in single quotation marks. Any future registration of a cultivar derived from this species would require an authority to be appointed for the family before formal ICNCP-compliant registration could take place.