Gynura lyrata

Zhu, Li-Cui, Hariri, Muhammad Rifqi, Li, Cheng-Sheng & Ren, Chen, 2025, Clarification of the taxonomic and nomenclatural confusions with three Gynura names (Asteraceae: Senecioneae) based on Zollinger’s collections from Java, Indonesia, Phytotaxa 697 (3), pp. 219-233 : 227

Gynura lyrata

The problem of Gynura lyrata is generally straightforward after we resolved the confusion on G. mollis and G. densiflora . The species was described simultaneously with G. mollis by Schultz in Zollinger’s (1854: 124, 127) Catalogue, based on a specimen of a mixed gathering of Zollinger HZ.442. Miquel (1856) treated G. mollis as a dubious name and speculated that it might be conspecific with G. aurantiaca . Koorders (1912) formally synonymized it with G. aurantiaca , and this treatment has been followed by all later researchers ( Hochreutiner 1934; Davies 1980; Vanijajiva & Kadereit 2011) except Backer (1940), who synonymized it with G. pseudochina (L.) DC. but with some doubts. Significantly, the type of G. mollis appears to have never been located ( Miquel 1856; Backer 1940; Davies 1980; Vanijajiva & Kadereit 2011).

We have been able to sorted out six specimens of Zollinger HZ.442, viz., BR0000029078073 ( Fig. 9A ), P02562892 ( Fig. 5A ), P02562893 ( Fig. 5C ), P02562894 ( Fig. 9C ), P02562896 ( Fig. 10A ), and P02562909 ( Fig. 6A ). Among these, P02562892 ( Fig. 5A ), P02562893 ( Fig. 5C ), and P02562909 ( Fig. 6A ), which are further numbered as H.2592, have been discussed above. They are from Schultz’s herbarium but not the type material of Gynura lyrata . Instead, P02562892 ( Fig. 5A ) and P02562893 ( Fig. 5C ) are the syntypes of G. mollis . P02562909 ( Fig. 6A ) was likely distributed only after Zollinger received Schultz’s determination on G. mollis , and probably not used for describing G. lyrata either, because the two species were published simultaneously. Moreover, P02562909 ( Fig. 6A ) is in conflict with the original description of G. lyrata , with elliptic and undivided rather than lyrate leaves as described by Schultz (in Zollinger 1854) for G. lyrata .

The other two specimens, BR0000029078073 ( Fig. 9A ) and P02562894 ( Fig. 9C ), are not from the Schultz Herbarium and probably not seen by Schultz. In fact, they represent the additional cases of cross-labelling between HZ.442 and H.2592. Both specimens are G. mollis and should belong to H.2592 but are mislabeled as HZ.442.

The remaining specimen, P02562896 ( Fig. 10A ), matches the protologue of G. mollis perfectly. It is from Schultz’s herbarium (annotated with “Herb. Schultz Bip.” and “HERB. E. COSSON”; see above) and bears the determination of “ Gynura lyrata ” in Schultz’s hand ( Fig. 10B ). This specimen should be the holotype of G. lyrata . Morphologically, it well conforms with G. auriculata and is accepted as a synonym of the latter.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Syntypes of Gynura mollis from the Schultz Herbarium. A. P02562892. B. Annotations on P02562892, showing two distant localities: “Mt. Tankuban” and “Mt. Ardjuno” (green arrows). C. P02562893. D. Annotations on P02562893, showing Schultz’s determination. Note that the two specimens are numbered as both “H.2592” and “HZ.442”, but Schultz only cited “H.2592” in the protologue of G. mollis. He also specifically annotated the single individual on P02562892 as “2592” (B, red arrow) and made a “wrong” mark (D, blue arrow) on the number of “HZ.442” on P02562893, suggesting that Schultz noticed the mixture between Zollinger H.2592 and HZ.442.

FIGURE 6. A third Zollinger specimen numbered as both H.2592 and HZ.442 from the Schultz Herbarium.A. P02562909.B.Annotations on P02562909, showing two indicated collection localities (“Mt. Tankuban” and “Mt. Ardjuno”; green arrows) and determinations by Zollinger (red arrow) and by Schultz (blue arrows).

FIGURE 9. Two specimens of Zollinger HZ.442. A. BR0000029078073. B. Annotations on BR0000029078073, showing the indicated locality “Bandong” (green arrow). C. P02562894. D. Annotations on P02562894, showing the indicated locality “Mt. Tankuban” (green arrow).

FIGURE 10. Holotype of Gynura lyrata from the Schultz Herbarium. A. P02562896. B. Annotations on P02562896. Note that the notation indicated by the green arrow is likely interpreted as the number “3” by Schultz in the protologue of Gynura lyrata (“Mixta cum No. 3 sub No. 442 HZ”), but it actually represents the letter “Z”, indicating that the specimen belonged to Zollinger’s private herbarium.