Artemisia subspinescens Boiss.

5.Artemisia subspinescensBoiss., Diagn. Pl. Orient., ser. 1, 6: 91. 1846. ≡ Artemisia persica var. subspinescens (Boiss.) Boiss., Fl. Orient. 3: 374. 1875. Type. Iran • Ad fontem Dscheschme-Pias in m. Kuh-Daëna, 3 Aug 1842, Kotschy in Hohenacker, Pl. Pers. austr. no. 782 (lectotype, designated here, G [G 00764811!] (Fig. 5); isolectotypes: C [C 10024707!, C 10024708!], GH [GH 00002813!, GH 00002814!], GOET [GOET 001058!], K [K 000891958!, K 002718130!], L [L.3018754!], M [M-0030257!], MO [MO 2583781!], O [O:V:2017220!], P [P 00711977!, P 00711978!], WAG [WAG.1485090!], WIS [v 0256539 WIS!], WU [WU 0172562!]). Note. Artemisia subspinescens was validly published by Boissier (1846: 91) in Diagn. Pl. Orient., where a full diagnosis and morphological description were provided and the gathering Kotschy no. 782 was cited. Although the same specimen had been distributed commercially by Hohenacker in 1845, its printed label bears only the tentative remark “ Forsan A. persicae var. sed habitus diversus odorque dissimilis, ” which does not constitute an effective diagnosis because no particular character states were mentioned. The valid publication therefore dates from Boissier’s 1846 work. No holotype was indicated; therefore, all specimens belonging to Kotschy no. 782 constitute original material. Because Kotschy no. 782 was commercially distributed, its parts are deposited in several herbaria, including C, GH, GOET, K, L, M, MO, O, P, WAG, WIS, and WU. All these specimens are duplicates of the same gathering and therefore constitute original material under Art. 9.6. Boissier’s personal herbarium is preserved in the collection “ Herbarium – Boissier’s Flora Orientalis (CJBG-G-BOIS) ” at the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de Genève (G). Two original syntypes from Kotschy’s distribution no. 782 are held in this collection. The first, G 00764811 (no. 782), bears both the printed label and a handwritten label; the latter reads: “ Kotschy. Pl. Pers. austr. 782. Artemisia subspinescens Boiss. Ad fontem Dscheschme-Pias in m. Kuh-Daëna. D. 3. Aug. 1842. ” It is clearly annotated “ n. sp., ” indicating its status as a new species. Morphologically, this plant is a low, much-branched subshrub with canescent, shortly petiolate, bipinnatisect leaves and secund capitula borne on very short pedicels, all agreeing with the detailed description in the protologue (Boissier 1846). According to Edmondson and Lack (2006), Kotschy no. 782 was collected at Cheshmeh Piaz on Kuh-e Dena (30°55'N, 51°30'E), in present-day Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Iran, in August 1842; this clarifies the locality cited in the protologue as “ Ad fontem Dscheschme-Pias in m. Kuh-Daëna. ” The second syntype, G 00764810 (no. 782 b), bears a distribution label from Hohenacker but without a pre-printed species name, a type of label used for residual gatherings or incomplete collections. It was identified to the species by Boissier, but with a note that it was untypical (“ var. ”). Moreover, it was collected on a different date and is therefore a different syntype gathering; because of its deviating morphology and irregular distribution, it is not preferable for typification. This specimen is also fragmentary and poorly developed, making it less suitable for typification. Among the original material, G 00764811 is selected as the lectotype because it is better preserved, explicitly labeled as a new species, and in full agreement with the protologue. Taxonomically, it fully represents the diagnostic characters of the species as described by Boissier (1846). In contrast, G 00764810 is a different gathering, has deviating morphology, is fragmentary, and is annotated as a variety, and is therefore less suitable for fixing the application of the name. Accordingly, G 00764811 is designated here as the lectotype of Artemisia subspinescens. Specimen G 00764810 remains a syntype, and the duplicates listed above are treated as isolectotypes. Taxonomic acceptance. Artemisia subspinescens is currently treated as a synonym of A. persica in POWO (2026).