Lavatera subovata

Iamonico, Duilio, 2016, Nomenclatural notes and morphological observations on Malva subovata s. l. (Malvaceae), Phytotaxa 275 (1), pp. 23-34 : 27

Lavatera subovata

Lavatera subovata was first described by de Candolle (1824: 439) “ in agro Mogadoriensi ”. The author provided a diagnosis (“ ...caule suffruticoso, foliis subtomentosis ovatis dentatis subtrilobis, lobo medio productiore, pedicelli 1–2 axillaribus petioli longitudine, calycis lobis acuminatis ”), and the flowering time (“ ...autumn... ”); the citation “ ...ex specim. incompl. ad Broussonet lecto (v. s. c.) ” was also given.

I found one sheet at G-DC (Candolle’s collection) bearing three parts (branches) of plants (each one referenced under a different barcoding number), and four labels. The first label is associated with the branch on the left of the sheet (bardcode 218772), and reads “ Lavatera Mogador Brouss. [Broussonet] f8” (“f8” could represent a location in a system of plots where the plant was cultivated); the annotation is not in Broussonet’s handwriting and was probably added by a later unknown contributor (P. Schaefer, and L. Gautier pers. comm.). The second label (near the central branch, bardcode 218773) is “ Lavatera Mr Choisy 1819 (du jardin)” (Candolle’s handwriting), so the plant probably came from the Geneva garden (Choisy was a botanist working in Geneva in Candolle’s time). The third label is associated with the branch on the right of the sheet (barcode 218739): “ Lavatera Mogador ” (in the usual handwriting of Broussonet specimens, either his or one of his assistants). A fourth label (“ Lavatera subovata DC. ”, de Candolle’s handwriting) could refer to the whole sheet.

The annotations “f8” and “...du jardin...” (linked to the left and central specimens, respectively) refer to cultivated plants, and these cannot therefore be considered part of the original material for the name since L. subovata was described from wild plants according to Candolle (1824). The specimen collected at the locality “ Mogador ” can be considered as part of the original material, matches the diagnosis, and is here designated as the lectotype of the name Lavatera subovata .