Typification of the name Hippocrepis balearica (Leguminosae)

Abstract

The typification of the name Hippocrepis balearica is discussed. The name is lectotypified on an illustration published by Jacquin in 1781.

Full text

1Mediterranean Botany 44, e83748, 2023
Typication of the name Hippocrepis balearica (Leguminosae)
Pedro Pablo Ferrer Gallego1 & Llorenç Sáez2,3
1 Wildlife Service, Centre for Forestry Research and Experimentation (CIEF) of the Valencian Region. Avda. Comarques del País Valencià 114, ES-
46930 Quart de Poblet, Valencia, Spain. Email: ora.cief@gva.es
2 Systematics and Evolution of Vascular Plants, UAB - Associated Unit to CSIC, Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology (BABVE),
Faculty of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, ES-08193 Bellaterra, Spain. Email: gymnesicum@yahoo.es
3 Society of Natural History of the Balearic Islands, C/ Margarida Xirgu 16, ES-07003 Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.
Mediterranean Botany
ISSNe 2603-9109
https://doi.org/10.5209/mbot.83748
Introduction
Hippocrepis balearica Jacq. (1781a: 305) (Fabaceae)
is a species endemic to the Balearic Islands (Mallorca,
Menorca, and Cabrera). This species belongs to a
taxonomic complex with other two taxa, H. valentina
Boissier (1838: 38) and H. grosii (Pau) Boira et al. (in
Llorens et al., 1996: 170) [≡ H. balearica var. grosii Pau
(1934: 58)] (Bolòs & Vigo, 1984; Llorens et al., 1995;
Rosselló et al., 2002). It is a diploid shrubby plant that
mainly inhabits calcareous cliffs and littoral scrubs
(Ball, 1968; Talavera & Domínguez, 2000).
Traditionally, Hippocrepis valentina, the mainland
species distributed in Alicante and Valencia provinces
(Spain), was considered to be the vicariant taxon of
H. balearica, the insular element. According to the
molecular data published by Rosselló et al. (2002)
the western and eastern Balearic populations of the
complex (H. grosii and H. balearica) were more closely
related to each other than to continental populations
(H. valentina). Laínz (1989) studied H. balearica on
Menorca and proposed that the populations on this
island constitute a variety, H. balearica var. minoricensis
P. Montserrat ex Laínz (1989: 24) (see Mus et al., 1990).
Using a morphometric approach, Llorens et al. (1996)
supported the distinction of this taxon. However, it was
not accepted by Crespo (2000), Talavera & Domínguez
(2000) and Rosselló et al. (2002), who included this
name under H. balearica.
From the nomenclatural point of view, the names
H. valentina and H. grosii have been typied (Burdet et
al., 1988; Mus et al., 1990). However, H. balearica has
apparently not yet been typied (Crespo, 2000; Rosselló
& Sáez, 2000). The purpose of this paper is to x the
application of H. balearica through lectotypication.
This contribution increases the number of designated
types included in the Index Balearicum, a check-list of
the vascular plants described from the Balearic Islands
(Rosselló & Sáez, 2000, 2008, 2017; Ferrer-Gallego et
al., 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021).
Materials and Methods
Type designation was based on consultation of original
elements (herbarium specimens and illustration).
Herbaria are referred to by their acronyms following
Thiers (2022)
Results and Discussion
Typication of the name Hippocrepis balearica
The protologue of H. balearica includes a complete
description in Latin, followed by the provenance «Ex
horto Parisino transiit in nostrum» (Jacquin 1781a: 305–
306).
Rosselló & Sáez (2000: 78) mentioned that the type
material has to be searched for at BM, LINN and W.
According to Talavera & Domínguez (2000), the following
herbarium specimens (MA 262301, G-DC 2: 312 n.º 1,
SHORT NOTES
Abstract. The typication of the name Hippocrepis balearica is discussed. The name is lectotypied on an illustration
published by Jacquin in 1781.
Keywords. Balearic Islands, Fabaceae, lectotype, nomenclature, original material, Spain.
How to cite: Ferrer Gallego, P.P. & Sáez, L. 2023. Typication of the name Hippocrepis balearica (Leguminosae). Mediterr.
Bot. 44, e83748. https://doi.org/10.5209/mbot.83748
Received: 9 September 2022 / Accepted: 11 December 2022 / Published: 13 March 2023

2Ferrer Gallego,P.P. & Sáez,L. Mediterranean Botany 44, e83748, 2023
LINN 919.5) were taken from the cultivated plants which
were sent to Jacquin to describe the species.
No specimen is cited in the protologue of H. balearica,
but it is known that there are often authentic Jacquin
specimens that can be linked to his names (D’Arcy,
1970). However, a colour plate was published by Jacquin
(1781b: plate 149). This excellent drawing illustrated a
plant with leaves and owers, and a detail of two fruits
and a seed (see Figure 1). This element could be used for
typication purposes (see below).
Figure 1. Lectotype of Hippocrepis balearica Jacq., illustration of Jacquin (1781b: plate 149) “Hippocrepis balearica”.

3Ferrer Gallego,P.P. & Sáez,L. Mediterranean Botany 44, e83748, 2023
We have found two relevant specimens in the Jacquin
herbarium at W. The specimen barcoded W 0107359 is a
vegetative fragment plant, only a stem with leaves but no
owers or fruits (Figure 2). The sheet bears a label annotated
as «Willd. Linn. Spec. Plant. / Tom. III. Pars. II. Pag. 1158.
/ Class. XVII. Gen. 1369. / Spec. 3. Hippocrepis / balearica
/ Habitat in Minorca / ex H. Bot. Paris / 1781”. This label
(“ex H. Bot. Paris / 1781”) matches with the information
mentioned in the protologue “Ex horto Parisino transiit in
nostrum”. In our opinion, this specimen can be treated as
original material for the name H. balearica and therefore
was used by Jacquin to describe this species. In this sense,
according to Staeu & Cowan (1979: 407) and D’Arcy
(1970), Austrian and garden plants collected by Jacquin
are scarce or not identied as belonging to this botanist in
the European herbaria (AWH, B, BM, CGE, H, JE, LINN,
LIV, OXF, UPS, W). Thus, for the typication of Jacquin’s
names, in several cases it will be possible to nd Jacquin
types in one of the mentioned herbaria, especially BM,
LINN and W (see D’Arcy, 1970).
Figure 2. Original material of Hippocrepis balearica Jacq., W (barcode W 0107359).
Image reproduced with permission of the herbarium W.

4Ferrer Gallego,P.P. & Sáez,L. Mediterranean Botany 44, e83748, 2023
In addition, the sheet barcoded W 0107361 bears a
poorly specimen of this species, ve vegetative fragments
plant, and a label “Hippocrepis / balearis / Hb. Jacq.”
(image available at https://w.jacq.org/W0107361).
The sheet also bears a revision label annotated as
“Hippocrepis balearica Jacq. / Det. Per Lassen, LD
18/10/1982 / Isotypus?”. However, unfortunately this
specimen lacks any link with the protologue to treat it
as original material.
On the other hand, we have found a relevant
specimen at MA, with barcode MA 00262301 (image
available at http://161.111.171.57/herbarioV/visorVCat.
php?img=MA-02-00262301). The specimen consists in
three stems, two of them poorly preserved (but with some
fruits) and identied as H. commutata Pau by Salvador
Talavera on a revised label, and only one (on the left
of the sheet) well developed and preserved, with leaves
and owers, and identied as H. balearica by Salvador
Talavera and Maurici Mus on two revised labels. The
sheet contains a small original label, handwritten by
Cavanilles, with “Hypocrepis / Madrid”, and a second
handwritten label with a complete description in Latin,
and the provenance “habitat in Insulá Balear. Vidique
in R.h.P. mense Maio 1781” (perhaps handwritten by
Cavanilles). The sheet bears also a recent printed label
“from Hortus Regius Matritensis “Hippocrepis balearica
Cav. / Islas Baleares - Madrid / H.R.Paris. Marzo.-1781
/ Det. Cavanilles”; and three revision labels, the upper
one with a relevant comment annotated by Talavera:
“Hippocrepis balearica Jacq. / Este pliego le viene a
Cavanilles antes de la publicación de la especie por
Jacquin y aunque es del material original no se puede
considerar tipo”.
Certainly, although this material at MA is not original
one used by Jacquin to describe H. balearica and
therefore cannot be selected as a lectotype, it seems that
the specimen comes from the Paris Botanical Garden,
where it could have been cultivated. Thus, both the date
and the origin would coincide with the original material
preserved at W (W 0107359), so it could be a duplicate,
as Talavera indicates in the revision label of sheet
MA 00262301. However, this hypothesis is difcult to
prove and perhaps the most cautious thing to do would
be to consider it as “probable” duplicate material. We
have not found any further original material of this name
in any of the consulted herbaria (e.g., AWH, B, BM,
CGE, H, JE, LINN, LIV, OXF, UPS).
Finally, the plates published in Jacquin’s Icones
plantarum rariorum are often eligible as source material
for their new names, if it can be shown by a precise
date that they were available before or at the time of the
publication of the protologues of the Jacquin’s names.
Regarding the case of H. balearica, Jacquim’s Icones
plantarum rariorum (1781–1795) contains an excellent
illustration (plate 149) (Figure 1). According to Schubert
(1945), the plates in the Icones were originally published
in fascicles and later rearranged into a book. Schubert
(1945: 4, 12) worked out the publication dates for the
plates bound in the Icones and by her reckoning the nal
plate 149 was rst published in 1781, the same year as
the protologue of H. balearica. We therefore consider
plate 149 in the Icones as original material for that name.
This plate is then the best choice as a lectotype.
In conclusion, among the original elements above
cited, only the specimen W 0107359 (cultivated in Hor.
Bot. Paris from material collected in Menorca, Balearic
Islands) and the illustration published by Jacquin can
be used for the lectotypication purpose. We selected as
the lectotype of H. balearica the Jacquin’s illustration
because it is the most complete and informative material.
This drawing shows relevant diagnostic characters
(e.g., leaets 5–10 pairs, linear or oblong, acute, and
seed arched to semicircular) and clearly represents the
traditional concept and current use and application of
the name (e.g., Knoche, 1922; Bellot, 1947; Hrabětová-
Uhrová, 1949; Ball, 1968; Bolòs & Vigo, 1984; Llorens et
al., 1996; Crespo, 2000; Talavera & Domínguez, 2000).
Hippocrepis balearica Jacq., Misc. Austriac. 2: 305.
1781a
Lectotype (designated here): [illustration] “Hippocrepis
balearica” in Jacquin (1781b: plate 149) Figure 1.
Acknowledgements
We thank the staff of the cited herbaria, Eva García
(MA) and Christian Bräuchler (W) for their help in the
study of the herbarium sheets.
Authorship contribution
PPFG: Design and Writing; LSG: Analysis of the
original elements and their interpretation, Literature and
Text review.
Conict of interest
None.
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