Rubus styriacus Halácsy (1890: 432)

Király, Gergely, 2017, Typification of the name Rubus styriacus (Rosaceae), Phytotaxa 299 (1), pp. 147-150 : 147-150

Rubus styriacus Halácsy (1890: 432) . Type:— AUSTRIA, Styria, “In Bergwäldern bei Mariagrün, nächst Graz—430

m”, 2 September 1882, E. Preissmann ( WU!, lectotype, designated here; Figure 1 ) .

= Rubus styriacus var. subcanescens Halácsy (1890: 433) . Type:— AUSTRIA, Styria, “Lichte Waldstellen zwischen Stiftingsthal und der Ries bei Graz— 450 m ”, 19 July 1886, E. Preissmann (WU!, lectotype, designated here; Figure 2 ).

Other original material examined:— AUSTRIA, Styria “Wälder beim “Kalten Brunnen” nächst Graz— 400 m ” 3 July 1885, E. Preissmann ( WU!) ; “ Bergwälder am Ruckerlberge bei Graz— 420 m ”, 13 July 1885, E. Preissmann ( WU!) ; “Bergwälder ober dem Hilmteiche bei Graz— 420 m ”, 12 July 1885, E. Preissmann ( WU!) ; “Lichte Waldstellen zwischen Stiftingsthal und der Ries bei Graz— 450 m ”, 19 July 1886, E. Preissmann ( WU!; 3 different specimens with the same locality and date)

Notes:—Halácsy described about 40 Rubus taxa on species rank, however, R. styriacus is the single name that is widely accepted and used by recent authors. R. styriacus is characterized by the purplish first year stem with 15–25 declining prickles per 5 cm length of stem, and the stalked glands 3–10 per 1 cm side of stem. Petioles usually 130–170% as long as the lower leaflets; terminal leaflets acuminate-ovate to triangular with a petiolule 33–55% as long as their lamina. Inflorescences fewflowered with patent branches, foliated nearly to the tip; inflorescence axis with 20–80 stalked glands and 10–30 prickles per 5 cm of length. Petals pink, 8–11 mm long ( Maurer 1996, Weber 1995, Király et al. 2013). The species occurs in Austria, Hungary and Slovenia ( Kurtto et al. 2010); its distribution area ranges on the southeastern side of the Alps from Carinthia ( Austria) on the western to the Bakony Mts ( Hungary) on the eastern edge, with outposts as south as Istria ( Maurer & Drescher 2000, Starmühler 2003, Király et al. 2014).

It is worth noting that Halácsy mentioned also white petals in the diagnosis, which is in contradiction to the recent sense of the species—it has always pink petals. Nevertheless, the known original material consists solely specimens that fully correspond to the recently accepted (pink flowered) biotype. We do not know original specimen(s) from the Lower Austrian locality (Rams bei Kranichgraben) mentioned in the protologue, which is located (according to Maurer & Drescher 2000) beyond the actually known boundary of the distribution area, and probably refers to the related, white flowering R. clusii Borbás (1885: 401) . Halácsy (1890) emphasized that he compiled the description on the basis of specimens listed in the protologue. Therefore, I believe that either he only presumed the presence of white petals (the known original material consists one flowering specimen—collected on 3 rd July 1885 –, which is characterized on the herbarium label as having pink petals; the other specimens collected later in the year are not flowering but fruiting); or the white flower color refers to the (missing) plant from Lower Austria (which, in this case, cannot be identical with R. styriacus in the recently accepted and also here typified sense).

Halácsy (1890) distinguished R. styriacus var. subcanescens from the nominate species by having thin greyish felt on the younger leaves beneath. This feature is, indeed, often observable on leaves of R. styriacus exposed to the sun, and it has not any taxonomic value. The specimen in WU labelled by Halácsy as var. subcanescens (and designated here as the lectotype for this name) has the same hair type on the leaves beneath as the other specimens of the original material, and it is in all reliable features identical with the nominate species; thus, it is regarded as its heterotypic synonym.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Rubus styriacus Halácsy (Lectotype, WU, “Halácsy collection”)

FIGURE 2. Rubus styriacus var. subcanescens Halácsy (Lectotype, WU, “Halácsy collection”)