Citations for every formally treated taxon (family, subfamily, tribe, genus, section, species, etc.) are accompanied by authority, place and date of publication, bibliographic citations, and type. Carefully check Example 1 and Example 2 for style and punctuation. A list of appropriate references may be given after the family name is introduced, but these should not all be repeated after generic or specific entries.
The instructions given below will enable the author to produce a manuscript that will facilitate the editing and copy marking processes. Certain instructions will result in text that will appear different when printed. Underlining in the manuscript, for example, will become italics in print. In the case of italics, if the author is consistent throughout the manuscript, italics may be used whenever these instructions call for underlining.
Names of authors of treated taxa and synonyms should be abbreviated according to Authors of Plant Names (Brummitt & Powell, 1992). If an author feels strongly about spelling out the names, he or she may do so, but spelling out or abbreviating must be done consistently throughout the entire manuscript. Spacing should conform to the instructions under Text, no. 4.
Place a colon between the serial's volume number and page, and a period between the page number and year. Omit colon when there is no volume number (e.g., for books). Separate different references by semicolon.
Journals and other serial literature are abbreviated according to Botanico-Periodicum- Huntianum (B-P-H: Lawrence et al., 1968; B-P-H Supplement: Bridson, 1991). If the serial is not in B-P-H, spell out the full title.
Books and other non-serial literature are abbreviated without exception according to Taxonomic Literature (Stafleu & Cowan 1976-1988) and TL-II Supplements.
It is recommended that Taxonomic Literature also be consulted for accuracy of dates of publication of literature.
Bibliographic citations after taxa above the level of species must be limited to the protologue and kept to a minimum, especially if the cited work is a common reference or was mentioned earlier in the manuscript. Those after species should be limited to the most important (historical) references, to treatments in which the species concepts differ from those of the present one, or to references in which the species is illustrated.
Keys must always be dichotomous (never trichotomous), progressively indented, and numbered (see Example 1 and recent issues of Flora Neotropica). Close each statement in the key with a period. Names of taxa should be flush right.
Leads should be as brief as possible and not diagnoses. Supplementary keys for vegetative material, fruiting material, etc. may be provided.
Family Treatment (or highest taxon in the category treated) - Example 1
1. Scientific name with authority (abbreviated) and reference; bibliographic citation(s) if any; homotypic synonym(s) with authority and reference. Type genus. Derivation of name. Underline names of synonyms but boldface the accepted scientific name. For abbreviation of literature, see "Literature Citation".
2. Heterotypic synonyms (if any). Citation as under 1.
3. Technical description. Give a general characterization and do not restrict description to the neotropical element when the family has a wider distribution.
4. Distribution and ecology.
5. General remarks (if any). Nomenclature, morphology, uses, etc.
6. Key to the next subordinate taxa; in less complex families to genera.
Generic Treatment (or monogeneric family treatment)
1. Number the genera consecutively with arabic numerals.
2. Scientific name and synonyms (see "Family Treatment" above). Type species. Derivation of name.
3. Technical description. Emphasize characteristics of the neotropical elements when the genus is not restricted to tropical America. Illustrate where necessary for comprehension. Do not repeat characters already used in the family description.
4. Distribution and ecology. Indicate frequency of occurrence.
5. General remarks (if any): nomenclature, morphology, uses, etc.
6. Key to the subgenera or other subdivisions, if any.
7. Key to the species. Include a brief statement on the geographical distribution of the species, if appropriate.
8. At least one illustration ( Example 3) should be provided for each genus or important subgenera, sections, etc.
Treatment of Species (or monotypic genus treatment) - Example 2
1. Number the species under each recognized genus consecutively with arabic numerals. Infraspecific taxa under each species are to be lettered consecutively with lowercase letters (a, b, c, . . .). If more than one infraspecific category is recognized under the same species, the lower ranking taxa should be designated by lowercase letters and arabic numerals (e.g., a-1).
2. Scientific name and synonyms. See "Family Treatment," above. Cite type specimen in full at the end of the paragraph, following the citation of basionym and other homotypic synonyms if any. Give derivation of epithet, if instructive.
3. Type citation. Citation of types should take the form used in "Specimens examined": Country. Next political division: exact locality (translated into the language of the manuscript), altitude (in meters), date, phenological state (when relevant), collector(s) and numbers (underlined), followed in parentheses by type status (holotype, isotype, lectotype, neotype, etc.) and herbarium acronym. Country and political subdivision are not capitalized in the citation of the type.
All specimens cited are presumed to have been seen and therefore exclamation points should not be used to indicate that they were seen. Instead, use the abbreviation "n.v." when the type has not been examined. Indicate new lectotypes or neotypes by "here designated," for example "(lectotype, NY, here designated; isolectotypes, K, MO, PMA)." It is also useful to indicate where a lectotype was designated if it has already been designated somewhere else, for example "(lectotype, BM, designated by Frahm, 1991; . . .)."
4. Heterotypic synonyms, relevant to the Neotropics, are to be arranged in chronological order of their publication. Each starts a new paragraph with the basionym at the beginning, followed by homotypic synonyms, if any, and the type citation.
5. Technical description, inclusive of pollen or spore description, chromosome number, chemical characteristics, etc. if known and appropriate here.
6. Distribution and ecology. Under this heading include information on the geographic distribution and the habitat of the species (altitudinal range, vegetation type, edaphic preferences, etc.) as well as frequency of occurrence and phenology when appropriate (brief).
To achieve uniformity and accuracy in the spelling of geographic place names, rivers, mountains etc. the Index of Maps of Hispanic America 1: 1,000,000 (American Geographical Society Publication 5, 1943) is recommended as a standard reference, supplemented by modern official governmental maps of countries concerned.
Distribution maps must be prepared for every taxon. A recommended Flora Neotropica Base Map, with a grid, for plotting distributions is available from the OFN Executive Director. For further instructions on maps, see "Preparation of Manuscripts" below.
7. Citation of specimens. Specimens are cited under the heading "Specimens examined" or "Selected specimens examined."
Cite only representative collections of widespread or commonly collected species (or infraspecific taxa) - i.e., cite no more than two collections per degree square for species represented by more than 100 collections. For citation purposes preference should be given to the following collections:
a. those conveying particularly well the author's concept of the taxon,
b. those documenting the full range of the taxon,
c. those represented in many, especially in Latin American, herbaria, and
d. those of historical significance.
In order to standardize the citation of specimens the following format should be used:
PANAMA. Coclé: El Valle de Antón, 7 Feb 1947 (fl), Allen 4206 (MO). Panamá : Trapiche, Perlas I., 4 Jul 1941 (fr), Allen 2610 (MO); near Río Tapia, Juan Diaz region, 1-3 Jun 1923 (fl), Maxon 6746a (US).
COLOMBIA. Antioquia: Near Antioquia, 8 Feb 1948 (fl), Barkley et al. 5 (US).
Countries names (Appendix I) should be spelled according to the language of the manuscript while geopolitical units within countries (i.e., states, provinces, etc.) should be spelled in the language of that country. Thus, in an english manuscript, the countries Mexico and Panama would include, respectively, the state of México and the province of Panamá. Make sure that all necessary diacritical marks have been added!
See Appendix I for the order of countries (by common practice from N to S and from W to E); political subdivisions below countries are listed in alphabetical order. Names of countries are written in capitals and followed by a period; each country should begin a new paragraph. Names of their subdivision are in small capitals and boldface and are followed by a colon; they may be typed in lowercase when small capitals cannot be provided.
Specific collection localities should be cited briefly unless it is necessary to shield the exact locality for protection of an endangered species. Language used on labels or in publication to describe the locality is to be translated into the language of the manuscript (e.g., "near Antioquia," not "los alrededores de Antioquia," if the monograph is in English) and current names for cities, political divisions, etc., are to be used (e.g., Manaus, not Barra; prov. Cotopaxi, not prov. Léon).
Citation of the date of collecting is recommended when information on the phenology of the taxon is provided or when collection number is lacking. Altitude data are generally given in the "Distribution and ecology" section.
The collector(s) and collection number, or "s.n." when a collection number is lacking, should both be underlined. Initials of collector's given names should normally be omitted unless there are two or more collectors with the same surname. If more than two collectors are indicated for a particular collection, only the first collector's name should be mentioned (e.g., Maas et al. 38490). When the author of the monograph is the second collector of a specimen with multiple collectors, his or her name may also be cited (e.g., Steyermark, Luteyn, et al. 107352).
8. Remarks on the species (problems, morphological variation, relationships, etc.) should be given after each species.
9. Local names and uses. Under this heading include pertinent information on local names and actual or potential uses of the species.
10. Conservation Status. Under this heading provide information, when relevant, on the endangerment of the species and the causes of the threats.
Treatment of Infraspecific Taxa
1. The species, when subdivided into infraspecific taxa, is fully described, with a statement of its distribution and ecology, followed by a key to the infraspecific taxa and brief descriptions of the infraspecific taxa. Descriptions of infraspecific taxa should not repeat information already given in higher-level descriptions.
2. All citations of types and specimens examined are given under the appropriate infraspecific taxon, including the "typical" one. The format of treatment of infraspecific taxa is similar to that of species.
Generic and specific names, with full author citation, should be numbered with arabic numerals corresponding to those used in the systematic treatment; infraspecific taxa should be denoted with lower case letters following the species number.
New names and combinations are in boldface and synonyms are in italics. Page numbers in boldface indicate primary page references. Page numbers with an asterisk (*) indicate pages with illustrations or maps.
1. Genera and species are indicated by arabic numerals in parentheses after the collector and collector's number. If consecutive numbers pertain to the same species, do not repeat the genus/species number each time, but group them. Examples:
Ellenberg, H., 865 (1-29); 993 (8-55); 998 (1-29).
Pires, J. M. et al., 502 (2-39); 507, 542, 587 (2-3a), 805, 830 (1-4b).
2. When an author made collections together with one co-collector, cite these co-collectors in full as follows:
Prance, G. T. & W. A. Rodrigues 3314, (1-4); 7890 (2-1).
If more than two collectors are indicated for a particular collection, only the first collector's name should be mentioned, followed by "et al." as follows:
Maas, P. J. M. et al., 6952 (15-1); 6970 (12-3)
An acceptable alternative method, if used consistently, is to cite all the collections of a collector together in numerical sequence regardless of the number of co-collectors. Be aware, however, that some older collectors (e.g., J. A. Steyermark and N. L. Britton) used separate numbering series when they collected jointly with different co-collectors. If using this method, cite specimens as follows:
Standley, P. C. (et al.), 60923 (11-1a); 60926 (18-37)
3. The list of exsiccatae is optional for non-vascular plant groups.
GUIDELINES
-- Introduction
-- General Principles
-- Systematic Treatment
-- Preparation of Manuscripts
-- Appendix I: Geographic Sequence
in the Citation of Herbarium Specimens
-- Appendix II: General Abbreviations
and Contractions
-- Appendix III: Reference Works