Chrysojasminum Banfi, 2014

Banfi, Enrico, 2014, Chrysojasminum, a new genus for Jasminum sect. Alternifolia (Oleaceae, Jasmineae), Natural History Sciences 1 (1), pp. 3-6 : 4

Chrysojasminum Banfi , gen. nov.

≡ Jasminum L. sect. Alternifolia DC. , Prodr. 8: 312. 1844.

Typus: Jasminum humile L., Sp. Pl. 1: 7. 1753., here designated also for the section Alternifolia on the base of the type name, as indicated in The International Plant Name Index

Etymology: Chryso from the greek χρυσός (latin: aurum), gold and jasminum, jasmin, referring to the colour of the flower.

From Jasminum , Chrysojasminum is distinguished by the alternate leaves, from Menodora by the valvate corolla lobes.

New combinations

Fifteen nomenclatural combinations are here established with the indication of basionyms; a complete synonymy for each taxon was done by Green (1961) to which readers are referred. This should explain the fact that the author of the present paper agrees with those who don’t like a too enlarged species concept when different infraspecific units, even if constituting together a monophylum, show each a definite morphological, biogeographical (allopatric) and ecological consistency. In my opinion, for such taxa, the species rank seems to be the most suitable choice bio-ecogeographically acceptable and taxonomically practical. We shall really ask ourselves how, in these cases, we think to be able to identify the exact completion degree reached by a taxon along its historical differentiation to which a definite infraspecific rank may be applied.

Sometimes I believe that it is better to refer just to the species rank than trying to adapt to the case an infraspecific rank without a suitable and objective support. Lowest infraspecific ranks ( variety and form) are usefully applied to the weakest component of the variation to represent the internal species diversity and supply a concrete taxonomical representation as a whole, but a large use of the subspecies rank often betrays an excess of interpretative caution, right where recognizing a species seems to be just a plausible and convincing issue. The choice of the species rank, here regarding just a single case, is further supported by the fact that the subspecific taxon involved ( J. odoratissimum subsp. goetzeanum ) is largely allopatric and well isolated from its nominal relative, the subsp. odoratissimum being indeed endemic to Macaronesia (Madeira and Tenerife) whereas the subsp. goetzeanum occurs in tropical Africa.