Goeppertia louisae

Goeppertia louisae (Gagnep.) Borchs. & S.Suárez is an accepted species in the family Marantaceae, placed within the genus Goeppertia Nees as redefined in 2012 [1]. The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy records the accepted name under key 9431418, confirming the author abbreviations (Gagnep.) Borchs. & S.Suárez [2]. Plants of the World Online (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) holds the combination under IPNI name identifier 77128946-1 and describes the species as a perennial herb native to Brazil [2]. The registry species record carries POWO identifier 9431418 and records the species as present in cultivation; the IPNI identifier field in the registry currently holds a null value, pending population from the primary IPNI record 77128946-1 as noted in the registry conflict log.

The genus Goeppertia Nees, as circumscribed by Borchsenius, Suárez and Prince in 2012, encompasses an estimated 260 accepted species, the great majority of which were transferred from Calathea G.Mey. after molecular sequence data demonstrated that Calathea as previously circumscribed was polyphyletic [1]. Goeppertia louisae is one of the 246 species whose combinations were published in that revision [1].

The basionym of this species is Calathea louisae Gagnep., published by the French botanist François Gagnepain in the Bulletin de la Société Botanique de France, volume 55, page xlii, in 1908 [2]. Gagnepain (1866–1952) worked at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris; his Marantaceae treatments were based on herbarium material and appeared across several Bulletin sessions in the early twentieth century. The epithet 'louisae' is not explained in any primary source examined during research; whether it commemorates a named individual is not established by any source located for this brief.

The combination transferring the epithet to Goeppertia was published by Finn Borchsenius, Stella Suárez and Lena M. Prince in 2012, at page 632 of their molecular phylogenetic revision of Calathea, published in Systematic Botany, volume 37, issue 3 [1]. That paper applied chloroplast and nuclear sequence data to demonstrate the polyphyly of Calathea as previously circumscribed, and published 246 new combinations into Goeppertia [1]. The combination for this taxon appears at page 632 of that publication [1].

Plants of the World Online records one homotypic synonym: Calathea louisae Gagnep. (1908), held under IPNI identifier 565012-1 [2]. No heterotypic synonyms are recorded in that database. The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy likewise treats Calathea louisae Gagnep. as a synonym resolving to GBIF key 9431418 for the accepted name [2]. The horticultural trade continues to list this plant under Calathea louisae; that name is now a synonym under current taxonomic treatment, and its use in trade does not alter its nomenclatural status.

No trade designation has been documented for this species in any primary source examined during research. No plant patent has been located for this species or for any cultivar attributed to it; the registry carries no patent rows.

The Brazilian Flora 2020 project, coordinated by the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro and accessible through World Flora Online, documents Goeppertia louisae as a perennial herb reaching up to 80 cm in height [2]. Leaf blades reach up to 22 cm in length and 10 cm in width. Leaf surfaces display two contrasting shades of green arranged in stripes running from the costa (midrib) [2]. This patterned leaf surface is a character shared across numerous species historically grouped under Calathea and now placed in Goeppertia.

Sectional taxonomy within Goeppertia is not resolved for this species in any source examined during research. The type specimen details were not resolved to a primary herbarium record in the sources available for this brief; the POWO record identifies the native range as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but does not specify a type locality below the state level [2]. Limited authoritative sources available; further research needed on floral morphology, inflorescence structure and any additional diagnostic characters beyond those recorded in the Brazilian Flora 2020 account.

Plants of the World Online records the native range of Goeppertia louisae as Brazil, specifically the state of Rio de Janeiro, within the wet tropical biome [2]. The species is placed in the Brazil Southeast phytogeographic region in that database [2]. The registry species row currently holds null for both native_range and habitat fields; those values are pending population from the POWO primary record, as noted in the registry conflict log. No finer-grained locality data, altitude range, or detailed vegetation-type description is available in the primary sources examined for this brief.

No formal IUCN Red List assessment record was located for this species during research. Limited authoritative sources available; further research needed on conservation status.

The registry records in_cultivation as true for this species, consistent with Plants of the World Online, which also records it as present in cultivation [2]. The morphological account provided by the Brazilian Flora 2020 project, the most recent authoritative description located during research, describes a perennial herb to 80 cm with patterned leaf blades, and this description underpins the species' horticultural identity [2].

Beyond these records, limited authoritative sources available; further research needed. No botanic garden cultivation notes, herbarium accession lists carrying horticultural data, or university extension documents for this species were returned by the searches conducted for this brief. The registry carries no cultivar rows for this species. No plant patent has been located for any selection attributed to Goeppertia louisae, and accordingly no patent-term or legal-exclusivity status is applicable.

The horticultural trade lists this plant under the name Calathea louisae; those listings are catalogue records and are not citable as prose sources under the editorial standards governing this registry. Their existence indicates commercial distribution but does not constitute an authoritative botanical or horticultural record.

No International Cultivar Registration Authority has been appointed for Marantaceae. International Cultivar Registration Authorities are appointed by the Commission for Cultivar Registration of the International Society for Horticultural Science and operate under the provisions of the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants [3]. The ISHS Commission pages list current authorities by family and genus; Marantaceae, Goeppertia and Calathea do not appear in that list [3].

In the absence of an appointed authority, no formal registration system exists for cultivar names in this genus. The registry carries no cultivar rows for Goeppertia louisae, consistent with the absence of any registration or patent record for selections of this species. Digital Towns is an applicant to serve in a registry capacity for Marantaceae; it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by ISHS or any appointed ICRA, and does not hold ICRA status as of 2026-08-14.