Sterigma purpurascens Boiss., Fl.

AL-Shehbaz, Ihsan A. & Barriera, Gabrielle, 2019, Typification of Edmond Boissier’s Cruciferae (Brassicaceae) names enumerated in Flora Orientalis, Boissiera 72, pp. 1-193 : 77

Sterigma purpurascens Boiss., Fl. Orient. 1: 241. 1867.

 Petiniotia purpurascens (Boiss.) J. Léonard in Bull. Jard. Bot. Natl. Belgique 50: 230. 1980.

Type: “Hab. in Persiâ orientali inter Kerman et Yezd et in Affghaniâ occidentali (Bunge!)”.

Lectotypus (first step designated by LEONARD, 1980: 230; second step by JACQUEMOUD, 1988: 122): IRAN: “inter Kerman et Jesd. inter Bejas & Anar.”, IV.1859, Bunge 30 ( G-BOIS [ G 00332246 fruiting plant]; isolecto-: GH [ GH 00260232], P [ P 00741734, P 00741737]). Syntypi: IRAN: “inter Kerman et Jesd. inter Bejas & Anar.”, IV.1859, Bunge 30 ( G-BOIS [ G 00332246 flowering plant], LE [ LE 00013114], P [ P 00741734, P 00741737]); “in Affghanistano occidentali et Persia orientali”, II.1859, Bunge 30 ( G-BOIS [ G 00791829]).

Notes. – The lectotype has a plant in flower and another in fruit. The lectotypifications by LÉONARD (1980) just stating “inter Kerman and Yazd ” but without specifying whether the flowering or fruiting plant was intended and without giving the details of the locality as given by JACQUEMOUD (1988) who specifically indicated that the lectotype is the fruiting plant.

The collections number Bunge 30 appeared on both G-BOIS duplicates above and P00741737 , but the other collections cited have Bunge s.n. The GH and two P duplicates each have both fruiting (isolectotypes) and flowering plants (syntypes) and listed as such above.

The generic placement of S. purpureum has been controversial. LÉONARD (1980) placed it in the monospecific Petiniotia J. Léonard , whereas JACQUEMOUD (1988) retained it in Sterigmostemum M. Bieb. but as a subgenus. The main differences between the two genera is having in Sterigmostemum of yellow to orange (vs white to purple) petals and connate (vs free) median filaments. The variation in flower color is not reliable in the genus and found in some of the Chinese species, whereas the presence of connate vs free median filaments remains as the major difference between the two genera.

SONBOLI et al. (2006) and KHOSRAVI et al. (2009a) conducted morphometric and molecular phylogenetic studies, respectively, on S. purpurascens and other Sterigmostemum species , and their data clearly supported Léonard’s placement of the species in Petiniotia .