Artemisia mesatlantica Maire

3.Artemisia mesatlanticaMaire, Bull. Soc. Sci. Nat. Maroc 8: 138. 1928. Type. Morocco • In Atlantis Majoris monte Erdouz supra oppidum Amismiz, in rupibus calcareis supra Anamrou, 2,200 m, 2 Jul 1925, R. Maire 01242 (lectotype, designated here, RAB [RAB 001242!] (Fig. 3); isolectotype: MPU [MPU 038183!]). Note. In the protologue, Maire (1928: 138) cited four expeditions: (1) Humbert & Maire 1923, from the plateau near Tinhadit and the mountains Hayan and Benij in the Middle Atlas; (2) Humbert & Maire 1925, from Mount Erdouz in the High Atlas; (3) Litardière & Maire 1926, from Mount Anremer in the High Atlas; and (4) Humbert’s collection from the eastern mountains such as Ayachi. The protologue stated that the types were deposited at the Herbarium of the University of Algiers (AL) and the Herbarium of the Imperial Scientific Institute in Rabat (RAB), but no holotype was indicated. Therefore, all cited specimens constitute syntypes under Art. 9.6. Maire’s specimens were transferred from AL to MPU in the 1960 s, with some duplicates in RAB and P, allowing the examination of the material originally deposited at AL. We searched the major herbaria likely to hold Maire’s specimens (including MPU, H, RAB, P, K, etc.) and examined the digitized syntypes. A total of 11 specimens of original material were located, belonging to seven gatherings that cover all four expeditions cited in the protologue: Gathering 1 (first expedition): Middle Atlas, near Aghbalou Larbi, clay soil, ca. 2,000 m, 10 Aug 1924, MPU 001954 (MPU), H 1649773 (H), P 03307507 (P, originally from AL). Gathering 2 (first expedition): Middle Atlas, Tizi-n-Taghzeft, limestone, 1,900–2,100 m, 10 Aug 1924, MPU 001955 (MPU), P 03307508 (P, originally from AL). Gathering 3 (first expedition): Middle Atlas, basaltic plateau between Tinhadit and Ari Benij, Sep 1924, MPU 038187 (MPU, originally from AL). Gathering 4 (second expedition): High Atlas, Mount Erdouz, above Amismiz to Anamrou, limestone, 2,200 m, 2 Jul 1925, RAB 001242 (RAB), MPU 038183 (MPU, originally from AL). Gathering 5 (second expedition): High Atlas, Mount Erdouz, near Amismiz, limestone, 2,200 m, 2 Jul 1925, P 03307506 (P, originally from AL). Gathering 6 (third expedition): High Atlas, Mount Anremer, limestone, 2,200–3,000 m, 27 Jul 1926, MPU 001953 (MPU). Gathering 7 (fourth expedition): Eastern Morocco, desert mountains, 2,500–3,000 m, 1926, P 02698574 (P). Among the listed syntypes, RAB 001242 has a complete woody rhizome, clearly visible leaf morphology, and well-preserved indumentum; its diagnostic characters are the best preserved among the syntypes. Furthermore, RAB is one of the two institutions explicitly designated in the protologue for the deposition of types, and selecting a specimen originally deposited there better reflects the author’s original intent. Taxonomically, it fully represents the diagnostic characters of the species as described in the protologue. Therefore, RAB 001242 is designated here as the lectotype of Artemisia mesatlantica. Specimen MPU 038183 matches the lectotype precisely in collector, collection number, date, and locality and is a duplicate of the same gathering; it is consequently an isolectotype. The remaining nine specimens belong to different gatherings and are treated as remaining syntypes. Taxonomic acceptance. Artemisia mesatlantica is currently accepted as a distinct species (POWO 2026).