Centaurea dissecta var. melanocephala Fiori

Centaurea dissecta var. melanocephala Fiori in Fiori & Bég., Fl. Italia 3 (2): 335. 1904. [April 1904] Protologue citation. “ Abr. al Sirente e M. Lengiana ” — Centaurea dissecta var. humilis Groves, in schedis. Lectotype (designated here). [Italy, Abruzzo] in glareosis Montis Sirente in Aprutio (sub Canale), July 1877, Profeta s. n. ex Herb. Groves (FI barcode FI 058575 [digital photo!], Suppl. material 1: fig. S 3). Nomenclatural note. The name Centaurea dissecta var. melanocephala is legitimate even though it was published under the illegitimate C. dissecta Ten. (1812: LI), a later homonym of C. dissecta Hill (1762) (Art. 55.2 of the ICN). Fiori (1904) described C. dissecta var. melanocephala providing a short description and quoting two localities. We traced in FI several relevant specimens labeled by Fiori as C. dissecta var. melanocephala. The specimen FI 058575 is labeled “ Centaurea dissecta var. D humilis Ten. (fide Levieri), in glareosis Montis Sirente in Aprutio (sub Canale), 7 / 77, Profeta ex Herb. Groves ”; the specimen FI 058576 is labeled “ Centaurea dissecta var. D humilis Ten. (Ten. errore sub C. cinerea), ad rupes Montis Sirente versus Canale, 5300, 7 / 75, Groves ”; the specimen FI 058577 is labeled “ Centaurea dissecta var. D humilis Ten. (fide Levieri), ad rupes Montis Sirente in Aprutio, 5000, 7 / 77, Profeta ex Herb. Groves ”; the specimen FI 058578 is labeled “ Centaurea dissecta var. D humilis Ten. (Ten. errore sub Cent. cinerea) […] ad Rupes montis Canale, Sirente, 5300, 7 / 76, Profeta ex Herb. Groves ”; the specimen FI 058579 is labeled “ Centaurea dissecta Ten., Monte Genziana [Genzana], Abruzzi, 1889, Profeta ex Herb. Groves ”. For the latter specimen, Fiori reports the locality “ M. Lengiana ”, but certainly due to an incorrect interpretation of the spelling, which clearly shows “ M. Genziana ”, now Mt. Genzana. These specimens can be safely considered as original material, and their morphology is congruent with the protologue (Art. 9.4 of the ICN). We select here the herbarium specimen FI 058575 as the lectotype for the name C. dissecta var. melanocephala. Taxonomic note. Pending further in-depth systematic and taxonomic studies, we provisionally include this variety in the variability of C. ambigua subsp. nigra.