Six new Mexican species of Bernardia (Euphorbiaceae)

Six new species of Bernardia from Mexico are described and illustrated. Species are distinguished by a combination of characters such as habit, leaf shape and size, indumentum, venation pattern, gland position, length of staminate inflorescence, number of bracts, number of flowers per bract, size of bracts and tepals, number of stamens, style type, fruit dehiscence, size, pubescence, trichome type, endocarp texture, seed shape, size and ornamentation, raphe length and micropyle position. Bernardia macrocarpa belongs to section Alevia; B. chinantlensis to section Polyboea, which is recorded for the first time in Mexico; B. chiangii, B. mcvaughii, B. rzedowskii and B. valdesii belong to section Tyria, which is the most diverse section in Mexico. With the recognition of these six new species, Mexico becomes the area with the highest diversity for Bernardia. (c) 2005 The Linnean Society of London.