Wittia
K.Schum., nom. illeg. (1903)
Etymology
| šµ Author(s) | Karl Schumann |
| šµ Type | Wittia amazonica |
| šµ Replacement of | Wittiocactus |
Witt + Latin -Äa, the recommended suffix to form plant genus names from personal names that end with a consonant (Rec. 60B.1(b), International Code of Nomenclature). Named for Schumann’s “honored friend Herr Kaufmann N. Witt in Manaos, Brazil”, a German merchant who supported the rubber expedition in the Amazon rainforest during which the type species was discovered.
This is a younger homonym of the algal genus Wittia Pant. (1889). In 1982 the replacement name Wittiocactus was published.
Maarten H.J. van der Meer (2023 Jul 16). Wittia. Dictionary of Cactus Names. Retrieved from https://www.cactusnames.org/Wittia