Silene astartes C.I. Blanche ex Boiss.,

Pierre-Emmanuel Du Pasquier & Daniel Jeanmonod, 2016, Lectotypification of three species of Silene sect. Italicae (Rohrb.) Schischk. (Caryophyllaceae), Candollea 71 (1), pp. 19-22 : 21

Silene astartes C.I. Blanche ex Boiss., Fl. Orient. Suppl.: 102. 1888.

Lectotypus (designated here): Lebanon. Prov. Mount-Lebanon: Djebaïl, ruines d’AFka , VI-VII.1880, fl. & Fr., Blanche 55 ( G-BOIS [ G00330604 ]!; isolecto-: BEI!, G [ G00341654 ]!) ( Fig. 1 ).

Notes. – Boissier (1888) published S. astartes in the “Supplementum oF the Flora Orientalis”. He wrote “ S. astartes (Blanche in litt.)” beFore the Latin description. Ŋe mention oF Blanche as the author “in litt.” by Boissier has been interpreted in different ways in the literature. Floras oF Lebanon have cited only C.I. Blanche as the author oF the species (sometimes with the mention “in Boiss.”; Post, 1896, 1932; ThiÉbaut, 1936; Mouterde, 1966; TohmÉ & TohmÉ, 2007), whereas BouloumoY (1930) interpreted the authorship as “Boiss. et B.” [Boiss. & C.I. Blanche].

In the Boissier’s Herbarium oF the “Flora Orientalis” (G-BOIS), Blanche 55 contains a handwritten note by Blanche himselF with a Latin description oF the species ( Fig. 1 ). However this description differs considerably From the protologue where Boissier published a new and more complete description by validating the name ( Boissier, 1888: 102). We thereFore ascribe Boissier as the author oF S. astartes in accordance with Greuter et al. (1984) and not as C.I. Blanche as mentioned in the latest flora oF Lebanon treatment ( TohmÉ & TohmÉ, 2007).

Boissier (1888) clearly cited two gatherings in the protologue: “Hab. in Libano supra Djebail ad minas AFka (Bl.!)” and “ad Ain SuFar (Peyron!)”. Only Blanche 55 [G00330604] is present in G-BOIS. We Found three duplicates oF the Peyron collection at G and one at P. Each oF them bears the locality “Ain SuFar” and are dated June 11, 1882. Two oF them have the collection number 1379 mentioned [G00341656, P04987226]) and two [G00341655, G00341657] without any number. All these collections have a glandular-pubescent calyx and match Fully with S. italica (L.) Pers. and not with S. astartes , which has a calyx always glabrous. ŊereFore, we choose Blanche 55 housed at G-BOIS as the lectotype, which is the only material present at G-BOIS and exclude the remaining syntypes From S. astartes .

Figures

Fig. 1. – Lectotype of Silene astartes C. I. Blanche ex Boiss. The morphological description is written by C. I. Blanche at the bottom right of the herbarium sheet. [Blanche 55, G-BOIS]