Lectotypification of Polygonatum franchetii and P. tsinlingense (Asparagaceae)

During systematic studies on Polygonatum Miller (1754: without pagination), the examination of type specimens and protologues revealed several nomenclature issues with regards to typification and priority of two species native to China. Polygonatum tsinlingense Tsui (1949: 135), lacking type designation, was discovered to be an earlier name for P. gracile Li (1966: 252). In addition P. franchetii Hua (1892: 392), also lacking type designation, was described on the basis of a series of three different Farges collections from eastern Sichuan. For both species lectotypes are here selected. Herbarium acronyms follow Thiers (2015). Polygonatum tsinlingense The name Polygonatum tsinlingense has not been treated at species level or even as a synonym in any recent floristic works (Jeffrey 1980, Chen & Tamura 2000). Morphological comparisons of type specimens revealed that P. tsinlingense and P. gracile are heterotypic synonyms. Thus, the earlier validly published name, P. tsinlingense, has priority (Art. 11.4 of ICN, McNeill et al. 2012). In the protologue of P. tsinlingense two gatherings were cited by Tsui (1949) without designation of a type. The first, T.N.Liou 10910, has not been located and was not cited by Li (1966), which suggests that it was probably already lost at that time. The second is still extant, W.Y.Hsia 4238 (PE 00223893, PE 01432739), and was also cited by Li (1966), which substantiates my own morphological comparisons that these two names are to be referred to the same species. Thus, the specimen PE 00223893 is here selected to serve as the lectotype (Arts. 9.