Malva althaeoides

Iamonico, Duilio & Guacchio, Emanuele Del, 2017, Typification of the names in Malva cretica s. l. (Malvaceae), Phytotaxa 295 (3), pp. 280-286 : 281

Malva althaeoides

Cavanilles (1793: 30) provided a short diagnosis (“ MALVA caule prostrato : foliis inferioribus lobatis: superioribus quinquefidis, floribus solitariis longe pedunculatis ”), a detailed description, and miscellaneous notes for M. althaeoides . He also reported the provenance: “Habitat copiose prope Enguerae oppidum in tractu vulgo Lloruz” (Enguera is a town of the province of Valencia, eastern Spain). The pertinent illustration (Tab. CXXXV, image available at http:// bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/ing/Libro.php?Libro=239&Hojas=) can be considered original material for the name. In the Cavanilles’ collection at MA, there are four sheets: codes MA-179849-1-1 (image available at http://herbario.rjb. csic.es/zoom3.php?filename= Malva_althaeoides _179849), and MA-475935-1-1 (image available at http://herbario. rjb.csic.es/zoom3.php?filename= Malva_althaeoides _475935), this latter with two duplicates. The first sheet bears four parts of apparently two plants, which was collected on May 1791 in “ Enguerae ”; MA-475935-1-1 bears one plant collected at Valldigna “ Habitat a Valdigna y Enguera...Maio Junio ” (all in Cavanilles’ handwriting).

Garilleti (1993: 115) stated “Material tipo: MA 179849. Posible material tipo: MA 475935. Localidad no tan precisa como la indicación locotípica, aunque no esto se puede considerar excluyente”. The Garilleti’s statement cannot be considered as a typification. Moreover, Garilleti (1993) himself explicitly stated, in the introduction to his work, that his aim was to study the Cavanilles’ Herbarium for indicating original material, and in any case a lectotypification of his taxa was achieved.

Ferrer-Gallego & Guara Requena (2011: 87) indicated MA-179849 as “ Typus ”. Nevertheless, according to the Art. 7.10, they failed in not reporting the statement “designated here” or an equivalent phrase, therefore the “typification” is not effective.

Among the cited elements (specimens MA-475935-1-1, MA-179849-1-1 with duplicates, and illustration by Cavanilles), we prefer to designate MA-179849-1-1 as the lectotype of the name Malva althaeoides since is bears plants with more flowers, which have high taxonomic value in the genus Malva (see Jarvis 2007: 21 ‒ 22), and a label with more precise data. The selected lectotype fully matches with the protologue and supports the present usage of the name.