(3104) Proposal to conserve the name <i>Biscutella laevigata</i> against <i>B. anchusifolia</i> (<i>Brassicaceae</i>)

(3104) Biscutella laevigata L., Mant. Pl.: 255. Oct 1771 [Angiosp.: Cruc.], nom. cons. prop. Typus: Herb. Linnaeus No. 831.6 (LINN!). (≡) Biscutella anchusifolia Turra in Giorn. Italia Sci. Nat. 1: 144. 3 Nov 1764, nom. rej. prop. Lectotypus (hic designatus): Herb. Linnaeus No. 831.6 (LINN!). The name Biscutella laevigata was first published by Linnaeus (Mant. Pl.: 255. 1771) through a short diagnosis (“BISCUTELLA filiculis glabris, foliis lanceolatis serratis”) and one synonym (“Leucojum alyssoides umbellatum montanum”) from Colonna (Minus Cognitarum Stirpium Aliquot ac etiam Rariorum Nostro Coelo Orientium Ecphrasis: 283, 286. 1606; with an illustration on p. 285). The provenance of the species was also indicated by Linnaeus as “Habitat in Italia” (information taken from Colonna [l.c.: 286] where it was reported “in Appenninus […] montibus septentrioni”), together with some morphological details of the stem and leaves. The Linnaean name was lectotypified by Raffaelli & Fiesoli (in Webbia 47: 75. 1993) on a Turra collection preserved at LINN (No. 831.6). According to Raffaelli & Baldoin (in Webbia 52: 87–128. 1997), Biscutella laevigata includes six different subspecies: subsp. australis Raffaelli & Baldoin (l.c.: 115), subsp. hispidissima (Posp.) Raffaelli & Baldoin (l.c.: 109; based on B. laevigata f. hispidissima Posp., Fl. Oesterr. Küstenl. 1: 526. 1897) (= B. coronopifolia L. in POWO, 2025), subsp. laevigata, subsp. lucida (Balb. ex DC.) Arcang. (Comp. Fl. Ital., ed. 2: 284. 1894; based on B. lucida Balb. ex DC., Syst. Nat. 2: 414. 1821) (= subsp. laevigata in POWO, 2025), subsp. ossolana Raffaelli & Baldoin (l.c.: 107) (= B. ossolana (Raffaelli & Baldoin) Landolt, Fl. Indicativa: 268. 2010 in POWO, 2025), subsp. prinzerae Raffaelli & Baldoin (l.c.: 112), where the LINN specimen was designated as lectotype for subsp. laevigata. Turra (in Giorn. Italia Sci. Nat. 1: 144. 1764) published, five years before Linnaeus, the name Biscutella anchusifolia (as ‘anchusaefolia’) providing a diagnosis (“Biscutella […] foliis lanceolatis dentatis hispidis, caule subnudo, floribus corymbosis”) and the following two synonyms: “Thlaspidium anchusae folio. Tournef: inst: 215” (from Tournefort, Inst. Rei Herb. 1: 215. 1700) and “Thlaspi biscutellatum luteum anchusae folio. Bocc: mus: 2. p: 167. t: 122” (from Boccone, Museo di Piante Rare della Sicilia, Malta, Corsica, Italia, Piemonte, e Germania: 167 [as “Thlaspi biscutatum, Anchusae foliis”], t. 122. 1697). The locus classicus is “Monte Baldo”, as can be deduced from the title of the paper (“Continuazione del Catalogo di Piante, osservate dal Sig. Turra nel suo viaggio di Monte Baldo” (Continuation of the catalogue of plants observed by Mr. Turra during his trip to Monte Baldo). Boccone's illustration of “Thlaspi biscutatum, Anchusae foliis” is part of the original material for B. anchusifolia. According to HUH-Index of Botanists some of Turra's herbarium and types are deposited at LINN, where LINN No. 831.6, the lectotype of B. laevigata, is preserved. This specimen bears the Linnaean annotation “laevigata” (bottom-center of the sheet) and a label (bottom-left of the sheet) handwritten by A. Turra (we compared Turra's script on a letter sent by Turra to Linnaeus in 1763) reporting the following annotation: “Thlaspi biscutellatum luteum Sic. Bocc. Mus [an abbreviation of the title of Boccone's work, “Museo di piante rare della Sicilia, Malta, Corsica, Italia, Piemonte, e Germania”]: 2. t: 122. Leucojum alyssoides umbellatum montanum. Col: ecph: 1. p: 283. t: 285. […] Planta nostra indigena in montanis Nunc semina non possideo”. Note that Linnaeus (l.c.) cited Colonna's polynomial “Leucojum alyssoides umbellatum montanum” as a synonym of B. laevigata, but cited “t. 284” instead of “t. 285”, which is probably a typographical error (he made the same error under B. apula L., l.c.: 254). LINN 831.6 is to be considered original material for B. anchusifolia. Interestingly, Boccone's “Thlaspi biscutellatum luteum, anchusae folio” was reported by Linnaeus as a synonym of a different species of Biscutella, namely B. sempervirens L. (l.c.). The latter name was lectotypified by Heywood (in Feddes Repert. 69: 148. 1964) on a specimen from Alströmer's collection (no. 149) deposited at LINN (No. 831.8). On the basis of the above-mentioned literature, LINN 831.6 and Boccone's illustration (original material for Turra's Biscutella anchusifolia) would refer to two different species. According to Linnaeus (l.c.), these are B. laevigata (lectotype: LINN No. 831.6) and B. sempervirens (both Boccone's polynomial and the illustration were cited as synonyms of this name). However, it should be noted that: (1) Biscutella laevigata is one of the two species of the genus Biscutella occurring on Monte Baldo (locus classicus of B. anchusifolia) (see, e.g., Brandes & Gatto, Checkl. Fl. Monte Baldo, ver. 2: 5. 2005; Prosser & al., Fl. Illustr. Monte Baldo: 320. 2009). The second species is B. cichoriifolia Loisel. (Not. Fl. France: 167. 1810) (see, e.g., Pignatti, Fl. Ital. 2: 459. 1982; Prosser in Biogeographia 26: 59, fig. 27. 2005; Prosser & Bertolli in Willdenowia 37: 197. 2007), which cannot be ascribed to the taxon represented either by the lectotype of B. laevigata s.str. (the Turra specimen LINN No. 831.6) or Boccone's illustration cited by Turra in the protologue of B. anchusifolia since the sepals of these two elements of original material lack the spurs that are a typical diagnostic character of B. cichoriifolia (see, e.g., Guinea & Heywood in Tutin & al., Fl. Europ. 1: 330. 1964; Pignatti, Fl. Ital., ed. 2, 2: 1006. 2017; InfoFlora. 2025, accessed 20 Apr 2025); (2) Biscutella sempervirens is a species endemic to the Iberian Pensinsula (see, e.g., Marhold, Euro+Med Plantbase. Brassicaceae. 2011+; POWO. 2025; both accessed 17 Apr 2025); (3) Boccone's “Thlaspi biscutatum, Anchusae foliis” cannot refer to an Iberian species since the plants included in Boccone's work were from Germany, France (Corsica), Italy, and the island of Malta, as specified in the title (Museo di piante rare della Sicilia, Malta, Corsica, Italia, Piemonte, e Germania). Furthermore, based on the morphology of LINN 831.6, Boccone's illustration, and Turra's and Boccone's descriptions, B. anchusifolia is clearly identifiable as B. laevigata based on the indumentum of the leaves, which is hirsute and not tomentose, as it is in B. sempervirens (see, e.g., Guinea & Heywood, l.c.: 325–326, 328; Grau & Klingenberg, Fl. Iberica 3: 303. 1993; Pignatti, l.c. 2017: 998). Based on the previous paragraphs, Turra's name Biscutella anchusifolia is to be considered a synonym of the Linnaean B. laevigata. We here lectotypify the name B. anchusifolia using Turra's specimen at LINN (No. 831.6). According to the diagnostic key provided by Raffaelli & Baldoin (l.c.: 102), we identified Boccone's illustration as B. laevigata subsp. laevigata on the basis of the following morphological characters: stem erect, flowering branches erect and not sinuous, leaves densely pubescent with entire margins. Strict application of the principle of priority (Art. 11 of the ICN; Turland & al. in Regnum Veg. 159. 2018) would require use of the overlooked name Biscutella anchusifolia (1764) for a taxon currently referred to as B. laevigata (1771). However, Turra's B. anchusifolia (or ‘anchusaefolia’) has been very rarely cited in the literature and of the references found (Candolle, Syst. Nat. 2: 416. 1821 [= B. sempervirens]; Schinz & Thellung in Vierteljahrsschr. Naturf. Ges. Zürich 61: 419. 1916 [accept]; Grande in Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital., n.s., 29: 148. 1922 [accepts]; Machatschki-Laurich in Bot. Arch. 13: 88. 1926 [= B. laevigata subsp. longifolia (Vill.) Rouy & Foucaud, Fl. France 2: 106. 1895; based on B. longifolia Vill., Prosp. Hist. Pl. Dauphiné: 38. 1779; = subsp. laevigata fide Raffaelli & Baldoin, l.c.: 103]; Schinz in Vierteljahrsschr. Naturf. Ges. Zürich 72: 215. 1927 [= B. laevigata]) only two accepted this name, both over a century ago. Moreover, Turra's name is listed as a synonym of B. laevigata subsp. laevigata in a few online databases, such as POWO. 2025 and GBIF. 2025 (both accessed 17 Apr 2025). In an effort to promote nomenclatural stability we propose to conserve the Linnaean Biscutella laevigata, which is the name used for 244 years (see, e.g., Schleicher, Cat. Pl. Helv.: 10. 1800; Ott, Cat. Fl. Böhm.: 4. 1851; Saunders in Proc. Roy. Soc. London 62: 11–26. 1898; Manton in Ann. Bot. (Oxford), n.s., 1: 439–462. 1937; Schönfelder in Oesterr. Bot. Z. 115: 363–371. 1968; Raffaelli & Baldoin, l.c.; Parisod & Besnard in Molec. Ecol. 16: 2755–2767. 2007; Babst-Kostecka & al. in Environm. Exp. Bot. 127: 1–13. 2016; Bürki & al. in Oikos 5: e09834. 2023), under Art. 14.