Page 3 - Phytotaxa196_2015

Table of contents

Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Materials and methods .................................................................................................................................................................. 4
List of names, their publication details and type information ....................................................................................................... 4
Concluding remarks................................................................................................................................................................... 206
References.................................................................................................................................................................................. 208

Abstract

The census of the loci classici of 1,400 Italian endemic vascular plants (i.e. not thriving elsewhere with the exception of Corsica
and Malta) is here presented and described. The effective place of publication of accepted names, basionyms and homotypic
synonyms were identified and critically verified. This often resulted in some change in authorship attribution and, in seven
cases, in validation problems (Asperula cynanchica var. lactea var. nov., A. lactea comb. nov., Biscutella laevigata subsp.
raffaelliana subsp. nov., Ferulago nodosa subsp. geniculata comb. & stat. nov., Limonium tineoi comb. nov., L. usticanum sp.
nov., Noccaea torreana comb. nov.). The geographic information on the loci classici was excerpted from the protologues, as
well as information on typification for the taxa described before 1 January 1958. The names without holotype are 796. For 347
names a lecto- or neo-typification is available in literature, while 449 currently accepted taxa still need of type designation.

Key words: Alps, Apennines, Mediterranean, nomenclature, phytogeography, systematics, taxonomy

Introduction

The idea of an inventory of the loci classici of the plant taxa described in Italy was launched by Livio Poldini in the
1970s, within the activities of the Floristic Group of the Italian Botanical Society. Although the inventory started in
1980s, it lasted only for some time, under the coordination of Pier Virgilio Arrigoni, and as a result only a few
papers were produced (Mariotti 1987–1988, Dal Vesco et al. 1987–1988). In 2010, notably the International Year
of Biodiversity, the Floristic Group of the Italian Botanical Society decided to refuel the project.
Currently, several ongoing worldwide projects aim at tracing the original materials used to describe vascular
plant taxa and to identify, among them, the onomatophore types (Jarvis 2007, the most relevant).
Italy has a well-known deep floristic knowledge, and a plethora of national and local floras have been
published (i.e. Pignatti 1982a and literature cited therein). It hosts 76 herbaria, two thirds of which belong to
academic institutions (Thiers 2014). Nevertheless, the nomenclatural types of most of the Italian taxa are still
unknown, even for the endemic ones. This lack of knowledge places all activities involving the use of Italian
plants—and consequently their names—on shaky foundations. Nomenclature and taxonomy are often neglected or
avoided, due to the wrong belief that these branches of biological sciences are obsolete. On the contrary, scientific
research becomes pointless, missing a correct taxonomic identification and use of names, and a mistaken
application in everyday life can cause serious consequences both for economy and the human health (Kholia &
Fraser-Jenkins 2011). This is also a fundamental pre-requisite for nature conservation and legislation.
The Italian flora consists of 7,953 specific and subspecific taxa (Conti et al. 2005, updated by Peruzzi 2010),
including units with European, Mediterranean or wider range (or even allochtonous taxa). Therefore, the project
working group agreed to start working with the Italian endemics. Endemics are the most sensitive component of
any country’s flora. Moreover, about 5% of the Italian endemics are of great potential economical interest being
wild crop relatives (Domina et al. 2012).
As a first step, a checklist of Italian endemics (including those taxa whose range overlays Corsica and/or
Malta) was produced (Peruzzi et al. 2014, continuously updated at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/
ccc?key=0AiJpWnsqul0MdG1hSkk1azBjN3BoLXB4VTAzc3l1Smc#gid=0). This resulted in a list of 1,400
specific and subspecific taxa (as of 31 December 2014).
The census aims to improve the floristic knowledge of the Italian territory and the biogeographical knowledge.
It is harmonised with the project “Flora Critica d’Italia”, i.e. the set of actions dealing with the redaction of a
modern Flora of Italy. This project is promoted by the Italian Botanical Society and supported by the Foundation
“Fondazione per la Flora Critica d’Italia” (Pignotti 2006, Foggi et al. 2007a–b, 2010, Blasi 2014, Cecchi & Selvi
2014, Troìa & Greuter 2014). This research can be considered as a first step for further investigations that will
include typification of the names still lacking a type designation, study of original materials or topotypical
populations for morphometric analyses, karyological investigations, DNA barcoding, studies on genetic variability
and so on (Domina et al. 2012, 2014, Passalacqua et al. 2014).

NAMES OF VASCULAR PLANTS ENDEMIC TO ITALY Phytotaxa 196 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press • 3