Saxifraga callosa Sm.

Tavilla, Gianmarco & Guacchio, Emanuele Del, 2023, An updated taxonomic treatment for Saxifraga callosa sensu amplo (Saxifragaceae), Phytotaxa 622 (2), pp. 165-171 : 167-168

Saxifraga callosa Sm. in Dickson, Coll. Dried Pl., fasc. 3, no. 63. 1791.

Type (lectotype, designated by Webb & Gornall 1989: 116):―[ Italy] Piedmon , s. d., P. Bellardi s. n. ( BM, barcode BM001010415 ) (image available at https:// data.nhm.ac.uk/object/1cbbec68-96cd-482d-809a-61264cce9534/1686614400000) .

≡ S. lingulata Bellardi , in Mém. Acad. Roy. Sci. (Turin) 5 (“1790–1791”): 226. 1793 ≡ S. longifolia subsp. lingulata (Bellardi) Bonnier & Layens, Tabl. Syn. Pl. Vasc. France: 114. 1894 [May–Jun], nom. illeg. (Arts. 11.4, 52.1). Type (lectotype, here designated):― [ Italy] Piedmon, s. d., P. Bellardi s. n. (BM, barcode BM001010415, image!, available at https://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/collectionspecimens/resource/05ff2255-c38a-40c9-b657-4ccb55ab2feb/record/8785012/1694476800000).

—“ Saxifraga lingulata var. bellardii ” Sternb., Revis. Saxifrag. Suppl. 2: 53. 1831 [2 Apr], nom. inval., non S. bellardii All., Fl. Pedem. 2: 72. 1785 (Art. 26.2 of ICN).

—“ Evaiezoa callosa ” Raf., Fl. Tellur. 2: 71. 1837 [Jan–Mar, “1836”], nom. inval. (Art. 35.2 of ICN).

—“ Saxifraga callosa var. bellardii subvar. eu-bellardii ” Engl. & Irmsch. in Engler, Pflanzenr. 67: 480. 1919, nom. inval. (Art. 24.3 of ICN).

—“ Saxifraga lingulata bellardii ” Farrer, Engl. Rock Gard. 2: 289. 1919

Notes:— Saxifraga callosa was first described rather obscurely on the printed label of the series of exsiccates A Collection of Dried Plants by Dickson (1791). According to Art. 30.8 of ICN, this represents an effective publication. Dickson (1791) indicated that the name originated from unpublished observations by the prominent botanist J. E. Smith. As Dickson, at the same time, attributed the name and the diagnosis to Smith, according to Art. 46.2 of ICN, Smith must be cited as the only author (cf. IPNI 2023). The lectotype is among the specimens collected in Piedmont (NW Italy) and cited by Bellardi (1793) in the protologue of S. lingulata . As a consequence, BM001010415 is clearly a syntype of Bellardi’s name, and indeed the only available. As a syntype claims priority in lectotypification procedure (Art. 9.12 of ICN), the most obvious and parsimonious choice is to designate the same specimen as the type of S. lingulata , so definitively fixing its synonymy with S. callosa . As expected, the specimen perfectly matches the protologue ( Bellardi 1793), and it shows glabrous scapes, elongated and almost linear leaves with a narrow base and an obtuse apex, the panicle very rich and the petals mostly spatulate, which are all typical of S. callosa .

The combination S. longifolia subsp. lingulata by Bonnier & Layens (1894: 114, see p. VIII for the intended rank) is illegitimate according to Art. 11.4 of ICN, because the name S. lingulata has priority over S. longifolia Picot Lapeyrouse (1795 –1801: 26). As Rafinesque (1837) did not definitively associate the epithet callosa to his genus Evaiezoa , the combination E. callosa is invalid (Art. 35.2, Ex. 6 of ICN) (cf. POWO 2023). “ Saxifraga lingulata var. bellardii ” is a name invalidly published by Sternberg (1831), because he cited S. lingulata Bellardi in synonymy, so including the type of this name in the infrageneric taxon of the adopted, legitimate name of the species to which it is assigned, i.e., S. lingulata (Art. 26.2 of ICN). Due to a mere mistake, some databases ( POWO 2023, WFO 2023) have incorrectly linked the names S. bellardii All. and those associated with Sternberg’s invalid name to the taxon of our interest. Farrer (1919) considered S. lingulata (= S. callosa ) as “a type, not a species” [sic!], maybe based on “ Typus polymorphus” by Engler & Irmscher (1919). Besides, Ferrer (1919) published the trinomial S. lingulata bellardii , which could be accepted under the provision of Art. 37.3 of ICN as an infraspecific name without rank, i.e., S. lingulata [unranked] bellardii . However, despite Farrer’s confused use of the terms “ type ” and “species”, it is clear that, in his treatment, S. lingulata bellardii is the typical infraspecific taxon, so the provisions of Art. 26.2 can be applied as well.

Finally, the presumed illegitimate synonyms “ Saxifraga florulenta Schott, Nyman & Kotschy ” ( Schott 1854: 20, where we find only a citation of “ Saxifraga florulenta Moretti ”) and “ S. pyramidalis Ten.” ( Tenore 1811: XXV, where we find only a citation of “ Saxifraga pyramidalis Pers. ”) do not exist (cf. POWO 2023).

Saxifraga callosa subsp. callosa