Syzygium neesianum Arnott ( Walker-Arnott 1836: 335 )

Byng, James W., Wilson, Peter G. & Snow, Neil, 2015, Typifications and nomenclatural notes on Indian Myrtaceae, Phytotaxa 217 (2), pp. 101-116 : 109

26. Syzygium neesianum Arnott ( Walker-Arnott 1836: 335) .

= Eugenia neesiana (Arn.) Wight (1841: 15) . Type:— CEYLON [ SRI LANKA]. Colonel Walker s.n. ex Herb. R. Wight (holotype K! [barcode K000821414]).

Distribution:— India [Kerala, Tamil Nadu] and Sri Lanka; 100‒ 800 m.

Notes:—The protologue indicated only ‘In Ceylano’ as the source of the material and, regarding the type, Kostermans (1981) merely stated “Typus: Arnott”. However, we do not agree that Arnott collected the type. In the preface to his publication, Walker-Arnott (1836: 321) said “When Dr. Wight and I published the first volume of our Prodromus florae Peninsulae Indiae orientalis , we confined ourselves to those plants which were either natives of the Peninsula, or had been discovered by the Missionaries, but whether in the Peninsula or in Ceylon, was to us somewhat doubtful. The specimens of the latter were usually very imperfect. Of these, however, I have since the publication of that work, seen more complete materials, in a rich collection of plants made in Ceylon within these few years by the exertions of Colonel Walker, secretary to the Governor of that island, and his Lady, and transmitted by them to my friends Dr. Hooker, and Dr. Graham, Professors of Botany, the former at Glasgow, the latter in Edinburgh.” The specimen at Kew, sourced from Colonel Walker, is in accord with this statement and we consider it to be the holotype.