Malva cretica var. montana, Lacaita, 1925

Iamonico, Duilio & Guacchio, Emanuele Del, 2017, Typification of the names in Malva cretica s. l. (Malvaceae), Phytotaxa 295 (3), pp. 280-286 : 282

Malva cretica var. montana

This taxon was described by Lacaita (1925: 209) from southern Italy, and precisely from the hilly and mountain areas of Campania at “Tegiano” [now Teggiano] and “Corleto” [Monforte], Basilicata near Salandra, and Calabria at Stilo and Strongoli. Lacaita (l.c.) provided a detailed discussion about the related species M. cretica and M. althaeoides , from both morphological and chronological points of view. He included the new taxon in M. cretica .

For the typification purposes, we found only two pertinent specimens at BM [codes BM000751626 (image available at http://plants.jstor.org/specimen/bm000751626#image), and BM000751627 (image available at http://data. nhm.ac.uk/dataset/collection-specimens/resource/05ff2255-c38a-40c9-b657-4ccb55ab2feb/record/2469438)] that bear plants collected, respectively, in the localities Salandra (collection date: May, 20 1920), and Stilo (collection date: May, 3 1921). These specimens can be considered as part of the original material for the Lacaita’s name and elegible as lectotypes, also because they perfectly match the diagnosis. The labels are in Lacaita’s handwriting. They were identified in a first time by Lacaita as M. althaeoides and a label by G. Krebs on BM000751627 would confirm this identification. Nevertheless, on each of the two specimens, Lacaita added a second label, which is an amendment: “est var. montana mihi nec M. althaeoides Cav. ”. Note that on the same sheet of BM00075126 (plant on the right), it is preserved another specimen by Gavioli and by him labelled as M. althaeoides , i.e. BM-000751625. This specimen was collected at Macchia Romana, a locality not cited in the protologue (Lacaita, l.c.). Both BM000751626 ( Fig. 2 ) and BM000751627 are represented by well preserved individuals, with flowers and mature fruits. However, BM0075126 (plant on the left) is a complete individual with the root. Therefore, we designate it as the lectotype of the name

Figures

FIGURE 2. Lectotype of Malva cretica var. montana (BM-000751626 (plant on the left), Copyright © by permission of The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London).