Humboldt and Bonpland made one of the most important early expeditions yielding plant collections from Latin America. Carl Sigismund Kunth prepared the Nova genera et species plantarum for their magnificent Voyage aux régions équinoctiales du Nouveau Continent, fait en 1799–1804. At almost the same time, Roemer and Schultes were publishing the 16th edition of Linnaeus's Systema vegetabilium. Many Latin American species were treated in both publications under different names. In most cases, Kunth's names have priority over those published in Roemer and Schultes, but there are exceptions. Six rubiaceous names of Kunth are illegitimate because he cited prior valid names as synonyms: Declieuxia chiococcoides, Hedyotis cervantesii, Hedyotis hypnoides, Spermacoce distans, Spermacoce diversifolia (≡ Crusea simplex, comb. nov.), and Spermacoce tenella, and one, Macrocnemum tinctorium, because it is a later homonym. Many botanists have treated these names as available or improperly typified them; all are illegitimate and not to be used, and their typification is resolved.
