The neglected name Statice auriculifolia (Plumbaginaceae) and its related names: A long history of nomenclatural intricacy

The authors studied Statice names derived from the Tournefortianum “Limonium Lusitanicum, Auriculae Ursi folio”. The name S. auriculaeursifolia , basionym of the accepted Limonium auriculaeursifolium , is typified by a specimen in Lamarck's herbarium in Paris. The controversial name S. auriculifolia , often regarded as a synonym of L. auriculaeursifolium , corresponds instead to L. nydeggeri , employed for a narrowly endemic plant of Portugal, and has priority over that name. Statice auriculifolia is lectotypified by a specimen in Tournefort's herbarium. In addition, the related names S. lychnidifolia , S. willdenovii (both illegitimate and synonyms of L. auriculaeursifolium ), and S. ovalifolium are discussed. Finally, the taxon to which the invalid name “ L. ovalifolium subsp. gallicum ” has been applied, has a legitimate name at the specific rank: L. gallicum Domina. This latter name, however, is a taxonomic synonym of L. ovalifolium .