Hastingia coccinea, Sm., Exotic Botany, 1806

Turner, Ian M., 2015, The botanical legacy of Thomas Hardwicke’s journey to Srinagar in 1796, European Journal of Taxonomy 108, pp. 1-25 : 15

Hastingia coccinea

Hastingia coccinea was described by Smith based on a specimen sent to Sir Joseph Banks and a drawing from Hardwicke. The name is a synonym of Holmskioldia sanguinea Retz. Smith’s plate (t. 80) is based on a drawing in the British Library collection (Vol. VI no. 99) which is annotated in pencil ‘Tab. 80’ at the top and ‘to be tab. 80’ in the lower right corner. The same hand has noted ‘drawing unfinished in many aspects’.

The typification of Holmskioldia sanguinea Retz. has a rather convoluted history. Fischer (1932: 160) noted that there was a relevant specimen in the Lund Herbarium, but his comment that it was ‘presumably the type’ seems too indefinite to be considered effective. Moldenke (1981) referring to the same specimen as ‘probably the type and should be so considered’, made an effective lectotypification. There is a second Retzius specimen of this taxon in the Lund Herbarium (P. Frödén, pers. comm.) that was misplaced under another genus until 1993. It is clear that both Fischer and Moldenke were referring to the specimen long recognised as Holmskioldia .