Overview
Goeppertia leucostachys (Hook.f.) Borchs. & S.Suárez is an accepted species of the family Marantaceae, order Zingiberales. The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy records it under key 9292054, with the combination authority given as Borchs. & S.Suárez [2]. The specific epithet leucostachys derives from Greek roots meaning white spike, a reference to the character of the inflorescence.
The species belongs to Goeppertia Nees, which Borchsenius, Suárez and Prince (2012) circumscribed as encompassing an estimated 260 species following the transfer of the great majority of taxa formerly placed in Calathea G.Mey. Their molecular phylogenetic analysis, published in Systematic Botany in 2012, demonstrated that Calathea as previously circumscribed was polyphyletic, and that Goeppertia Nees was the correct name for the resurrected lineage to which this species belongs [1]. The registry records in_cultivation: true for this species.
Nomenclature and synonymy
The basionym of Goeppertia leucostachys is Calathea leucostachys Hook.f., with authorship attributed to Joseph Dalton Hooker. The protologue was published by Hooker in 1875, as confirmed by primary systematic sources [1]. The combination transferring the species to Goeppertia Nees was made by Borchsenius, Suárez and Prince in their 2012 revision, in which they published 246 new combinations across the genus [1].
The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy treats Calathea leucostachys Hook.f. as a synonym of the accepted combination, and lists Goeppertia leucostachys (Hook.f.) Borchs. & S.Suárez as the accepted name [2]. The registry also records Calathea valeriana as a synonym associated with this species, with the Borchsenius, Suárez and Prince (2012) revision as the source of that synonymy [1].
In horticultural trade, this plant may continue to circulate under the name Calathea leucostachys. That name is treated as a synonym by both the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and the Plants of the World Online genus-level enumeration for Goeppertia [2]. The accepted combination with its full authority is Goeppertia leucostachys (Hook.f.) Borchs. & S.Suárez.
The genus epithet Goeppertia Nees pre-dates the 2012 revision. Borchsenius, Suárez and Prince demonstrated through molecular phylogenetic analysis that the lineage encompassing species formerly grouped in Calathea required a nomenclatural correction, and that Goeppertia Nees was the available and correct name for that lineage [1]. The 2012 paper, published in Systematic Botany 37(3): 620-635, is the primary publication record for the new combination.
Description
Diagnostic characters for Goeppertia leucostachys as stated in a taxonomic treatment have not been retrieved from a primary record accessible at the time this page was compiled. The Plants of the World Online species-level record for this taxon was not directly accessed, and no herbarium treatment or protologue description was located through the sources cleared for this brief.
Limited authoritative sources available; further research needed on diagnostic morphology and vegetative characters for this species.
Distribution and habitat
The registry records null values for native range and habitat for Goeppertia leucostachys. No species-level distribution record from Plants of the World Online or another authoritative taxonomic source was retrieved in the course of compiling this page. The genus Goeppertia as a whole is predominantly Neotropical, with the bulk of species occurring in South and Central America, as documented by Borchsenius, Suárez and Prince (2012) in their molecular phylogenetic revision [1]; however, attributing a specific native range to this species on the basis of genus-level data alone is not appropriate under the editorial standard applied here.
Limited authoritative sources available; further research needed on the native range and habitat of Goeppertia leucostachys.
In cultivation
The registry records in_cultivation: true for this species. No authoritative source, including botanical garden publications, herbarium accounts, or university extension documents, has been located that documents cultivation details, propagation conditions, or the documented horticultural history of Goeppertia leucostachys specifically. The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy confirms the species as an accepted taxon [2], but that source does not provide cultivation documentation.
No International Cultivar Registration Authority has been appointed for Marantaceae. International Cultivar Registration Authorities are appointed by the Commission on Cultivar Registration of the International Society for Horticultural Science [3]. As of the date of this page, no organisation holds an ICRA appointment covering Goeppertia or any other genus in Marantaceae. For comparison, the International Aroid Society is the appointed ICRA for Araceae; no equivalent body exists for Marantaceae [3]. The absence of a Marantaceae ICRA means that any cultivar names attributed to this species have no designated registration body against which to be checked for duplication or conformity with the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. The registry records no named cultivars attributed to Goeppertia leucostachys.
Limited authoritative sources available; further research needed on documented cultivation of this species.