Biscutella choulettei

Vicente, Alicia, Alonso, Ángeles, Thiébaut, Mélanie & Crespo, Manuel B., 2015, Lectotype designation for three North African names of Biscutella (Brassicaceae) published by Claude Thomas Alexis Jordan, Phytotaxa 212 (3), pp. 236-242 : 238-239

Biscutella choulettei Jordan (1864: 316), “ chouletti ”

Lectotype (designated here):— ALGERIA. “ Fragmenta Florae Algeriensis exsiccata. 9. BISCUTELLA APULA . Lin. Desf. 2, p. 75; DC. 1, p. 182. 15 mai 1853. Route de Stora à Philippeville; pentes scutagineuses du Mansourah à Constantine. Rec. par S. Choulette ” (typed). “B. choulletti Jord” [sic] (handwriting) (LY-0003809!). Fig. 1 .

In the protologue, Jordan (1864) referred this new species as “espèce publiée sous le nom de B. apula L., au nº 9 des Frag. flor. algeriensis exsicc. de M. Choulette, et récoltée aux environs de Constantine”, though no concrete specimen was mentioned. Herbarium material belonging to this exiccatum has been found at MPU, K, LY, P and W, they all being syntypes (Art. 9.5 Ex 3, ICN) because none is clearly marked as holotype nor bears the indication “sp. nov.” or equivalent.

The specimen LY-0003809! ( Fig. 1 ) is the only extant in Jordan’s personal herbarium. It bears the original label of Choulette’s exsiccatum (see above), and a small piece of paper showing “B. choulletti Jord” [sic] in Jordan’s handwriting. However, no certainty exists to consider that this specimen was the only material he studied prior to publication of the new species. Therefore, as the single fragment on that sheet matches perfectly Jordan’s description, according to suggestions by McNeill (2014) it is selected here as lectotype of B. choulettei . All other vouchers belonging to this exiccatum number (K!, LY-0004206 [digital photo!], LY-0004216 [digital photo!], MPU-008638 [digital photo!], MPU-008639 [digital photo!], MPU-008640 [digital photo!], MPU-008641 [digital photo!], MPU-008642 [digital photo!], P-04631632!, P-04632009!, P-05438288!, P-05438293!, P-05438737!, P-05438858!, W-0056839! and W-0056840!) must be considered isolectotypes.

After Jordan’s publication, B. choulettei has usually been considered as synonym of B. didyma L. subsp. apula Nyman (1878: 59) (cfr. Greuter et al. 1986, Marhold 2011, The Plant List 2013), or at varietal rank in B. didyma subsp. apula (cfr. Maire 1967) or B. didyma subsp. lyrata (L.) Nyman (cfr. Battandier & Trabut 1888, Jahandiez & Maire 1934). As in the previous case, it was also included in synonymy of B. didyma var. raphanifolia Coss. (non B. raphanifolia Poir. , et incl. B. lyrata ) (cfr. Cosson 1887).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lectotype of Biscutella choulettei Jordan (LY-0003809). Reproduced with permission.