Typification of Carex lehmanniana Boott Proc. Linn. Soc. London 1: 256 (1845)

The taxonomy and nomenclature of Carex sect. Fecundae is difficult and still remains uncertain. During the revision of this section we found out that the name Carex lehmanniana Boott has not been typified yet. Therefore, a lectotype is designated below.

Carex lehmanniana Boott [‘ lemanniana ’], Proc. Linn. Soc. London 1: 256 (1845)

Ind. loc.: “in locis humidis Montis ignivomi Cotopaxi Columbiae [Hartweg’s collection] […]; Columbia [Ecuador] [Jameson’s collection; no further indication provided]”.

Lectotype (here designated): — ECUADOR, Province of Cotopaxi. Volcán Cotopaxi “ Hartweg 1446 ” (K-000584603 photo! Fig. 13; isolectotypes P!, E-00502225, photo!; NY-00011464, photo!).

Observations:— The name was originally published as “ Carex lemanniana ” that Boott (1845: 256) dedicated to C.M. Lehmann, in whose personal herbarium he studied the specimens quoted in the protologue. Boott wrote the name as “Lemann”. After that, the name and description of the species was transcribed again by Boott (1846: 121). The name was later corrected as “ Carex lehmanniana ” (Walpers 1849: 910) . This is a case of an orthographic correction following ICN Art. 60.1 (ICN; Turland et al., 2018), not a publication of the name nor description as appeared in some databases such as tropicos.org (2021) and International Plant Names Index (IPNI, 2021).

Although the indications of Boott’s in the protologue and the manuscript in the sheet, located the specimens in Colombia (Columbiae), actually the volcano Cotopaxi (Montis ignivomi Cotopaxi) belongs to Ecuador. It must take into account the situation of Ecuador as a department of Great Colombia until 1831, even though the original description is dated in 1845.