Artemisia vulgaris var. mongolica

Mosyakin, Sergei L., Boiko, Ganna V. & Verloove, Filip, 2017, Lectotypification of Artemisia mongolica (= A. vulgaris var. mongolica, Asteraceae), Phytotaxa 297 (3), pp. 257-264 : 260-261

Specimens of Artemisia vulgaris var. mongolica considered for lectotypification

At least two authentic specimens from the Besser Memorial Collection at KW should be considered as candidates for lectotypification. One specimen (KW001002922) has the label “65. Art. vulgaris mongolica . E Dahuria pr. Doroninsk. Vlassov. Fisch. 27” ( Figure 1 ). The abridged name of Fischer (Friedrich Ernst Ludwig von Fischer, also known in the Russian Empire as Fedor Bogdanovich Fischer, 1782–1854) and two digits in the lower right corner of the label are written by a different hand, most probably by Besser himself, who usually made such additional inscriptions on labels of specimens received from other collectors or correspondents. In most cases he indicated the name of a collector or provider and the year of collection or provenance (usually the last two digits). Our analysis of handwritings of Besser, Fischer, and some other contemporary collectors and authors (samples reproduced in Lipschitz & Vassilczenko 1968; and also specimen labels consulted in KW) demonstrated that the main text of the label was most probably written by Fischer. Another KW specimen, with the label “ Artemisia vulgaris ε mongolica mihi. Ex Ircutia. Herb. W. Besser”, probably refers to the specimens collected near Irkutsk and also mentioned in the protologue. The word “ mongolica ” is written over some earlier (illegible) epithet. Both plants taxonomically represent A. mongolica . However, since Besser distinguished the Turczaninow’s plant (or plants) from Irkutsk from plants provided by Fischer by their narrower inflorescences and mentioned for Irkutsk collections a different variety epithet ( “ tenuifolia Turtschanin. ”, in synonymy: Besser 1832: 54; 1834: 54), the first specimen seems to be preferable because it was considered more typical by Besser. Moreover, the characters visible in the first specimen make a better match with the characters of typical plants of A. mongolica (inflorescence shape, narrow and deeply dissected leaves, and a fragment of the creeping rhizome).

Additional specimens from Irkutsk annotated as var. tenuifolia or var. mongolica are present in KW (Turczaninow and Besser memorial collections) and in several other herbaria, including H. Alexander N. Sennikov (personal communication, email to Sergei Mosyakin, 16 November 2016) informed that only Turczaninow’s specimens of that taxon were found in H. However, Besser reported Turczaninow’s plants from Irkutsk as deviant as compared to typical forms of his new taxon, and because of that these specimens should not have priority in lectotypification.

Alexander A. Korobkov in his open review of an earlier version of the present article kindly communicated important information on additional specimens from LE; digital images of these four specimens were provided by Alexander N. Sennikov (email to Sergei Mosyakin, 15 November 2016). There are three specimens collected by Vlasov from Dauria: LE01024085 [blue paper label “Herb. Fischer. Dahuria. Vlassoff”; white paper curatorial label “Herb. Fischer. Artemisia vulgaris L. var. mongolica ”; two shoots with inflorescences and one vegetative branch), LE01024086 (blue paper label “Herb. Fischer. Vlasoff”; white paper curatorial label “Herb. Fischer”; one generative shoot, one upper part of the inflorescence, and one vegetative shoot), and LE01025607 (“Doroninsk (Wlasow) Hbr. Acad. Imp. Sc.”, two vegetative shoots without inflorescences). According to Sennikov (personal communication), the blue labels are original ones from the Fischer collection; white curatorial labels of the first two specimens are by Meinshausen, and the curatorial label of the third specimen was probably written by Trinius. Another specimen (LE01025608) is represented by one inflorescence, with the text written on the sheet “ Artemisia vulgaris L. ε. mongolica mihi” [by Besser] and the following curatorial inscriptions on the bottom of the sheet “Hbr. Acad. Imp. Sc.” and “hb. Krascheninnik.” All these plants belong to A. mongolica , but the first three specimens are very similar to the specimen KW001002922; most probably they represent parts of the same collection made by Vlasov. It is documented that Osip Fedorovich Vlasov, an amateur plant collector who lived in Doroninsk (Transbaikalia), sent specimens to Fischer and Steven ( Borodin 1908: 19–20).

One specimen in BR has the label “ Artemisia vulgaris ε. mongolica mihi.E Dahuria.Herb.W. Besser”.A specimen kept in Paris (P; image available online: http://mediaphoto.mnhn.fr/media/1444202583308pc1BpWSGD9jPfKEg) has two labels; one was probably written by Besser (“ Artemisia vulgaris ε. mongolica mihi.Ex Ircutia. Herb.W. Besser”) and another by some other unidentified person (“Herb. Mus. Paris. ( Abrotanum ) Artemisia vulgaris var. Mongolica [one word crossed out]! Sibérie [some abbreviation, illegible, probably “ Orle ”, a contraction of “Orientale ”]”). Three plant fragments are mounted on the P herbarium sheet: a mid-stem portion, the top of a plant, and a lateral branch. Probably these fragments are parts of the same collection and even the same plant; however, we cannot know that for sure, especially considering the presence of two labels. Both these specimens (from BR and P) are also parts of original material (as well as probably some other duplicates from the Besser herbarium, or from Fischer or Prescott collections that could be found in other herbaria).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lectotype of Artemisia mongolica (Fisch. ex Besser) Nakai (=A. vulgaris L. var. mongolica Fisch. ex Besser), barcode number KW001002922, KW!