Sesleria alba Smith

Pietro, Romeo Di, Kuzmanović, Nevena, Iamonico, Duilio & Lakušić, Dmitar, 2017, Nomenclatural and taxonomic notes on Sesleria sect. Argenteae (Poaceae), Phytotaxa 309 (2), pp. 101-117 : 102

1. Sesleria alba Smith in Sibthorp & Smith (1806: 52)

Lectotype (designated here, possibly holotype):— TURKEY. Istanbul Ili, s.d., s.n. ( OXF – SIB –0177!). Image available at http://herbaria. plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/SIBTHORP/image/Sib-0177.jpg/Zoom?fpi=1.

Protologue information:—“in sylvis prope pagum Belgrad ”.

Nomenclature:— On the label of the specimen selected here as lectotype there is no collection data (locality, date and collector). However, according to Rees (1819: 334), the plant was found by John Sibthorp in the Belgrade forest near Istanbul ( Turkey) and he referred it to Carex dubia due to its androgynous spike, which appeared similar to those of some Carex species. Unfortunately, Sibthorp (1758–1796) died before the publication of Flora Graeca . However, in the protologue Smith (in Sibthorp & Smith 1806) provided a short but valid description, based on Sibthorp’s notes and citing in synonymy Sibthorp’s name “ Carex dubia Sibth. ” (in Sibthorp & Smith 1806: 53), which is illegitimate according to Art. 53.1 ( McNeill et al. 2012), being a later homonym of Carex dubia Hosé (1797: 34) . The citation of the iconography was also published (“ Icon. Fl. Graec. t. 72.”, Sibthorp & Smith 1806). According to Stafleu & Cowan (1985), the iconography (plate 72) was published in Flora Graeca drawings in 1808, meaning it cannot be considered as original material (Art. 9.3, McNeill et al. 2012). The only extant original material we are aware of is the specimen deposited in OXF (OXF–SIB–0177), but it is possible that original material exists elsewhere. Thus, the OXF specimen is here designated as the lectotype of the name Sesleria alba .

Taxonomy:— This name is accepted and in use ( Valdés & Scholz 2009, Clayton et al. 2016).