Prunus lindleyi Eisenman, 2015

Eisenman, Sasha W., 2015, Corrections to Phytotaxa 222: Some nomenclatural adjustments and typifications for almond species in the genus Prunus sensu lato (Rosaceae), Phytotaxa 234 (1), pp. 98-99 : 98

Prunus lindleyi Eisenman , nom. nov.

Basionym:— Amygdalus graeca Lindl. in Sibthorp & Lindley (1840: 71).

Blocking name: Prunus graeca Desf. ex Steud. (1840: 331) .

Neotype (designated by Eisenman 2015):— Without locality, s.d., s.coll., s.n. [“ Amygdalus incana . J. Sibthorp, M.D. Flora Graeca . t477. Prodromus Fl. Graecae Vol I p. 337 n 1136”]. Herbarium Webbianum, ex Herb. Desfontaines”] (OXF! [digital image])

Note: —The species Amygdalus incana Pallas (1784: 13) was originally included in Flora Graeca Prodromus (Vol.1:337–338 [ Sibthorp & Smith 1809]; species 1136), and the later Flora Graeca Sibthorpiana (Vol 5:61–62 [ Sibthorp & Smith 1825]; Tabula 477). The entries for A. incana in these works reference Pallas’ Flora Rossica, as well as Willdenow’s Species Plantarum (vol. 2: 984), and Willdenow’s entry for A. incana cites Pallas’ work as well ( Pallas 1784, Willdenow 1799). The Flora Graeca Prodromus and Flora Graeca Sibthorpiana (volumes 1–7) were prepared by James Edward Smith, following the death of John Sibthorp. The last three volumes of Flora Graeca (vols. 8–10) were entirely produced by John Lindley ( Stearn 1967, Lack 1997). The Prodromus and Flora Graeca Sibthorpiana were both organized following the “sexual system” of Linnaeus, but Lindley included an appendix in volume 10 (appendix secunda, pages 67–82) that listed the plants contained in those works organized by De Candolle’s natural order of families ( Sibthorp & Lindley 1840, Stearn 1967). This list also included a number of nomenclatural emendations. Lindley deemed that the species listed as A. incana in the earlier works was in fact a different, new species, for which he published the name Amygdalus graeca Lindl. with an amended description for the taxon. Volume 10 was published in two fascicles, with the second fascicle (pages 41–106) being published in November 1840.

The name Prunus graeca Desfontaines (1832: 470) was published without description (nomen nudum). Spach (1834: 410) published Cerasus fontanesiana [ Prunus × fontanesiana (Spach) Schneider (1906: 617) ] and cited Prunus graeca Desf. in synonmy, which did not validate the name. According to Art. 36.1 of the ICN, a name is not validly published when merely cited as a synonym ( McNeill et al. 2012). In August of 1840, Steudel (1840: 331) validated the name, when he treated Cerasus fontanesiana Spach as a synonym of Prunus graeca (without attributing authorship). Later, Steudel (1841: 403) listed Prunus graeca Desf. (to be cited as P. graeca Desf. ex Steud. ) as the accepted name and C. fontanesiana Spach as a synonym.