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The binomial Muscari neglectum is commonly used for a widespread Mediterranean geophyte. However, the correct authorship has long been disputed. Here we show, in a rather unusual case, that the authorship must be attributed to Michele Tenore and to the renowned zoologist Giosuè Sangiovanni; the latter is otherwise unlisted among botanical authorities. As several different lectotypes of the name have been proposed over the years, we clarify which designation should be followed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dactylis ibizensis (Poaceae) is lectotypified based on a specimen at W. Anatomical and macromorphological data from karyologically verified individuals strongly support that the lectotype comprises exclusively diploid plants. This allows for preservation of the name in current use for the Balearic cocksfoot restricted to the islands of Formentera and Ibiza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors announce the rediscovery at the Library of the Botanical Garden of Naples of a document by Karel B. Presl about the flora of Sicily (southern Italy), i.e., (the possible proofs of) the first issue of the Prodromus to his Flora Sicula, after 200 years from its preparation. This document, for reasons unknown, was not widely distributed to scientific institutions and, therefore, cannot be considered as published; in addition, it has been neglected until now, so that it is missing from Presl's bibliography. In spite of this, various botanists of the 19th century refer to this work for protologues. The booklet is bound together with the well‐known first volume of Presl's Flora Sicula, and lacks a title page; consequently, direct information about title, date and possible place of publication are not available. Nevertheless, analyzing other contributions by the same scholar and also biographic and bibliographic information, the authors reconstruct the chronology of the booklet and formulate hypotheses on its origin and about the possible reasons for the choice of not publishing it. The Prodromus is also compared to other Presl publications on the Sicilian flora, often poorly known or forgotten, and especially to his dissertation. Three appendices report a list of the taxa present in these early works by Presl, and various nomenclatural notes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Ferdinando Bassi is the nomenclatural authority for the genus Ambrosina, the correct spelling of the name should be the Linnaean "Ambrosinia". A lectotype is designated for A. bassii, the only species currently recognized. In addition, two lectotypes, two epitypes and one neotype are designated for other names of taxa currently treated within the infra-specific variability of A. bassii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helianthemum is the largest, most widely distributed and most taxonomically complex genus of the Cistaceae. To examine the intrageneric phylogenetic relationships in Helianthemum, we used sequence data from plastid DNA (ndhF, psbA-trnH, trnLtrnF) and the nuclear ITS region. The ingroup consisted of 95 species and subspecies (2 subgenera, 10 sections) from throughout the range of Helianthemum, while the outgroup was composed of 30 species representing all the genera in the Cistaceae (Cistus Crocanthemum, Fumana, Halimium, Hudsonia, Lechea, Tuberaria) plus Anisoptera thurifera subsp. polyandra (Dipterocarpaceae). To infer phylogenetic relationships, we analysed three different matrices (cpDNA, nrDNA, cpDNA + nrDNA concatenated) using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference, and performed molecular dating to estimate the ages of origin of the main clades using a Bayesian approach. The cpDNA + nrDNA concatenated dataset provided the highest Bayesian posterior probabilities and bootstrap support values, and the results supported the monophyly of the genus Helianthemum and its sister relationship to a clade consisting of all species of Cistus, Crocanthemum, Halimium, Hudsonia and Tuberaria. This result means that we did not retrieve the sister relationship between Helianthemum and Crocanthemum (plus Hudsonia) that could be expected according to previous published studies. Despite their different statistical support, the topology of the inner branches of all the consensus trees showed that Helianthemum is characterized by the emergence of three major clades in agreement with above-species taxonomy, although unresolved polytomies still remain towards the tips of the trees (species and subspecies). Clade I (mainly distributed in Mediterranean and alpine environments in European and western Asiatic mountain chains) fully coincided with subg. Plectolobum, whereas subg. Helianthemum was retrieved in clade II (arid and semi-arid environments from Macaronesia, the Mediterranean, subtropical northern Africa, Anatolia and central Asia) and clade III (Mediterranean ecosystems around the Mediterranean Basin). The burst of diversification during the Plio-Pleistocene detected in the three main clades of Helianthemum is concomitant with the Messinian salinity crisis, the onset of Mediterranean climatic conditions, and Quaternary glaciations, as found in many other groups of Mediterranean plants. Thus, the general lack of resolution in the trees can be attributed to rapid species diversification and events of reticulate evolution. A series of further taxonomic and evolutionary inferences can be drawn from our analyses: (i) no species occupied an early-diverging position with regard the rest of the species; (ii) a close relationship between H. caput-felis and subg. Plectolobum; (iii) an unexpected close relationship between H. squamatum/ H. syriacum (and H. motae), H. lunulatum/ H. pomeridianum and among H. songaricum/ H. antitauricum/ H. germanicopolitanum; (iv) a close relationship between incertae sedis species and sect. Eriocarpum; and (v) the existence of a monophyletic lineage consisting of Canary Islands species formerly ascribed to sect. Argyrolepis or sect. Lavandulaceum within sect. Helianthemum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thymus is one of the most critical genera of the Euro-Mediterranean flora and most of its taxa are in need of typifica-tion. During a preliminary study on the taxonomy of this genus in the Mediterranean area, several names turned out to be not yet typified. In order to fix their applications, nomenclatural types for 18 names within the genus Thymus are here designated. The new combination Thymus praecox subsp. parvulus (Lojac.) Bartolucci, Peruzzi & N.G. Passai, is also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]