Caroxylon aphyllum

Mucina, Ladislav, 2017, Caroxylon (Chenopodiaceae s. str.) in continental southern Africa and Madagascar: a preliminary nomenclatural synopsis and biogeographical considerations, Phytotaxa 312 (2), pp. 151-178 : 156

8. Caroxylon aphyllum (L.f.) Tzvelev in Ukr. Botanicheskii Zhurnal 50, 1: 80 (1993).

Basionym: ― Salsola aphylla L.f. in Suppl. Pl.: 173 (1781: 173).

Type: ― AFRICA AUSTRALIS [ SOUTH AFRICA]. Caput Bonae Spei [Cape of Good Hope]. Thunberg s.n. (holotype LINN-HL315.26 !, see Botschantzev 1974: 605; isotypes BM-000910448!, H-1039586!, LD-1260085!, LE-00011773!, PRE-52570!) .

‒ Salsola caroxylon Moq. in Chenop. Monogr. Enum.: 143 (1840), nom. superfl. et illeg. (Art. 52.2 of ICN).

‒ Salsola aphylloides L.f. in schedis (LINN-HL315.25!, HL315.26! ‘( Salsola aphylloides CBS [Caput Bonae Spei] T[hunberg] 354)’, HL315.27!), Art. 38.1(a) of ICN.

‒ Salsola aphylloides L.f. ex B.D.Jacks. in Index Linn. Herb. (1912), nom. nud. (Art. 38.1a of ICN).

‒ Salsola eriosepala C.A.Sm. ex Ulbr. in Engl. & Prantl in Natürl. Pflanzenfam., ed. 2, 16c: 566 (1934), nom. nud. (Art. 38.1a of ICN).

Notes: ― The inclusion of Salsola eriosepala C.A.Sm. ex Ulbr. into the synonymy of S. aphylla has been suggested by Aellen (1967: 18). The same author ( Aellen 1967: 17) considers also S. foetida sensu Schinz (1897: 61) , non S. foetida Delile (1812: 310) to be synonymous with S. aphylla L.f. (the basionym of C. aphyllum ).

One sheet in BM carries two different specimens of S. aphylla L.f.: the left-hand specimen BM-000910447!, was collected by Niven, while the right-hand specimen, designated as ‘ Isotype Nr. 1’ was collected by Thunberg and originated from ‘Herb Murray’, as stated on the herbarium sheet. This is also BM-000910448!, JSTOR Global Plants lists the specimen BM-000910447! also as an isotype, which is not correct.

Distribution: ― Germishuizen et al. (2006: 325) sugegst that this species occurs in Namibia , Botswana, and South Africa (ES, FS, LIM, NC, WC). This statement is based on specimens of the National Herbarium (incl. PRE, NBG), which, however, contain many uncrtitical identifications– S. aphylla appears as an ‘identification rubbish bin’ The geographically very broad locus classicus (Cape of Good Hope) is also source of misunderdstandings: ‘ Cape of Good Hope’ actually does not mean the Cape itself (located on Cape Peninsula south of Cape Town), but the ‘Cape’ as understood in Thunberg’s times–large stretch of land in the southwestern corner of thre African continent which later became Colony of the Cape of Good Hope under the British rule. There is no Caroxylon aphyllum (or any other Caroxylon for that matter) growing on Cape Peninsula as there are also no suitable habitats that would support this species. Thurberg must have collect it on a journey in 1781 which led him first to the north of Cape Town, across Knesrvlakte where indeed this species can be found to grow in clayey alluvia of the intermittent semi-desert rivers (L. Mucina, unpublished data).