The identity of the long-overlooked Ronabea morindoides and Patabea tenuiflora, synonymous with a species of Appunia (Rubiaceae). Candollea 76: 83-92. In English, English abstract. The identity of Ronabea morindoides A. Rich. has long been unclear and is here investigated. Two sheets of original material corresponding to this name are deposited in the General Herbarium of the National Museum of Natural History of Paris (P), and represent a mixed collection; one part of this material corresponds better with the description of this taxon and is more unambiguously identifiable, and is here designated the lectotype. With this typification, Ronabea morindoides represents a species of Appunia Hook. f. The identity of Patabea tenuiflora DC. has also remained uncertain since its description and is here clarified by studying the holotype in the Candolle Herbarium (G-DC); this is an additional synonym of R. morindoides. Taxonomic review of this group in the Guianas also finds that Ronabea morindoides is an older name for Appunia brachycalyx (Bremek.) Steyerm. and Appunia surinamensis Bremek. (Morindeae). Therefore, the new combination Appunia morindoides (A. Rich.) Delprete, C.M. Taylor & T. McDowell is here published. Received: August 15, 2020; Accepted: December 1, 2020; First published online: February 1, 2021

Aim Morinda citrifolia L., commercially known as noni or the Indian mulberry plant, is morphologically variable and the only widely distributed member of the pantropical genus Morinda sensu stricto (Rubiaceae). This large distribution has been attributed partly to the ability of the seeds of the large-fruited M. citrifolia L. var. citrifolia L. to be transported by oceanic drifting. This form of M. citrifolia var. citrifolia has been predicted to be the progenitor colonizer of the island endemic Morinda species. Using a phylogenetic approach and large sampling of the widespread, large-fruited M. citrifolia var. citrifolia, we assessed the potential area of origin of M. citrifolia and tested the hypothesis that the large-fruited M. citrifolia var. citrifolia is an ancestral colonizer. Location Tropics. Methods We performed Bayesian analyses of 22 species of the tribe Morindeae (including 11 individuals of the three currently recognized varieties of M. citrifolia) based on combined nrETS, nrITS, rps16 and trnT-F sequence data. Geographic origins of the studied taxa were mapped onto the Bayesian majority rule consensus tree. Results Nine sequenced individuals of M. citrifolia from diverse geographic locations formed a highly supported clade, which was sister to the Australo-Micronesian clade that included M. bracteata var. celebica and M. latibracteata. These sister clades are part of the broader Asian, arborescent Morinda clade. We found no support for the current varietal classification of M. citrifolia. Main conclusions Our analyses suggest a Micronesian origin of M. citrifolia. This implies that the large-fruited M. citrifolia var. citrifolia might well have been present in the Pacific before the arrival of the Micronesian and Polynesian ancestors from Southeast Asia. The wide distribution of this form of M. citrifolia var. citrifolia is attributed partly to the trans-oceanic dispersal of its buoyant seeds, self-pollination and its ability to produce flowers and fruits year-round. The hypothesis that the widespread, large-fruited M. citrifolia var. citrifolia is the progenitor colonizer of the island endemic Morinda species is inconsistent with its derived position within the Asian, arborescent Morinda clade and with the fact that the nine sampled individuals of M. citrifolia form a clade.