Buddleja brasiliensis Jacquin ex Sprengel (1825: 430)

O’Leary, Nataly, 2015, Typification and nomenclatural notes on twenty-three names of Buddleja (Schrophulariaceae), Phytotaxa 234 (3), pp. 237-245 : 242-243

Buddleja brasiliensis Jacquin ex Sprengel (1825: 430) . nom. illeg. superfl. ≡ B. perfoliata Kunth (1818: 346) .

Note:— Buddleja brasiliensis is an illegitimate name because of the inclusion of “ B. .... perfoliata Humb. ” in its synonymy. Buddleja perfoliata Kunth (1818: 346) has priority. It is automatically typified, under art. 7.5 ( McNeill et al. 2012) with the type of B. perfoliata Kunth (cited as “Crescit inter lacum Chalcensem et urbem Mexici, alt. 1170 hex.”), a Mexican species. It is not likely that this was intended, considering Sprengel’s choice of epithet, and therefore it is important to note that Sprengel’s protologue of B. brasiliensis also included other elements, e.g. J. Jacquin’s illustration in Eclog. Pl. Rar. Vol. 2, pag. 10, tab. 158, which represents B. stachyoides , a species that does occur in Brazil. Sprengel probably studied Jacquin’s plate pre-publication (plates were executed between 1811 and 1816 and published in 1844). Even if Buddleja brasiliensis is not a name available for use (illegitimate), the plant intended to be published by Sprengel is a different species that its autotype suggests, but a synonym of B. stachyoides ( Bravo 1983, Norman & Ariza Espinar 1995, Norman 2000, Zuloaga et al. 2008), although Bravo (1983) was the first author to synonymize both taxa. However this author employed the name B. brasiliensis as the correct one for this taxon, following principles of date priority, because he probably did not realize it was an illegitimate name.

Buddleja brasiliensis Jacq. ex Spreng. subsp. stachyoides (Cham. & Schltdl.) Norman (1976: 20) is an invalid combination since Buddleja brasiliensis is an illegitimate superfluous name. However, this does not affect the legitimacy of any name of an infraspecific taxon included within it (Art. 55.2 of the ICN, McNeill et al. 2012) so, B. brasiliensis subsp. stachyoides (Cham. & Schltdl.) E.M.Norman is legitimate, and the epithet “ stachyoides ” has priority at subspecific rank.

Current status:—heterotypic synonym of Buddleja stachyoides Cham. & Schltdl.