Massonia depressa Houtt.,

Wijnands, Dirk Onno, Heniger, Johannes, Veldkamp, Jan Frederik, Fumeaux, Nicolas & Callmander, Martin W., 2017, The botanical legacy of Martinus Houttuyn (1720 - 1798) in Geneva, Candollea 72 (1), pp. 155-198 : 178-179

59. Massonia depressa Houtt.,

Nat. Hist. II (12): Aanwyz. Plaat. [3], 424, tab. 85, fig. 1. 1780.

Lectotypus (designated by JESSOP, 1976: 411): (Houttuyn, Nat. Hist. II(12): tab. 85, fig. 1. 1780).

Epitypus (designated here by Callmander & Veldkamp): SOUTH AFRICA: Cape, Thunberg s.n. (UPS-THUNB n° 7991 image seen).

Notes. – The genus Massonia Thunb. ex Houtt. was described by Houttuyn in Natuurlijke Historie (Nat. Hist. II(12): 424. 1780), with M. depressa listed as the only species. The description was based on “A Cape plant recently from the Hortus medicus of this place [Amsterdam] thus named by Mr. Thunberg”. The illustration shows two flowers, which were given to him by its Curator Johannes Storm in 1779. Thunberg was paid by the Hortus for sending seeds and bulbs. No specimen of Massonia has been found in the Houttuyn herbarium in G-PREL. The illustration by Houttuyn must therefore be considered to be the type.

Massonia Thunb. ex L. f. (LINNAEUS f., IV.1782: 27, 193) and Massonia Thunb. (THUNBERG, 10.VII.1782: 39) are later homonyms.

Massonia latifolia L. f. (and Thunb.) is based on a Masson collection that has never been located (LINNAEUS f., 1782: 193; THUNBERG, 1782: 40; see JESSOP, 1976: 410-412). This species is now widely considered to be a synonym of the earlier M. depressa . JESSOP (1976: 411) only found fruiting material at UPS-THUNB and implicitly designated Houttuyn’s plate of flowers as the lectotype. A Thunberg flowering collection in UPS-THUNB, located by M. Hjertson (UPS), is designated here as the epitype.