Veronica gentianoides Vahl var. pontica Bornm.

Albach, Dirk C., 2025, From just a few to the most type-rich herbarium for Veronica L. (Plantaginaceae) - The effect of digitization of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle herbarium in Paris, Adansonia (3) 47 (7), pp. 47-130 : 105

Veronica gentianoides Vahl var. pontica Bornm.

Mittheilungen des Thüringischen Botanischen Vereins 20: 41 ( Bornmüller 1905).

TYPE CITATION. — Turkey, Siwas: “Prov. Pontus: Siwas, in pratis alpinis montis Yildiss-dagh, 20-2100 m s. m., 6. VI. 1890 legi (Bornm. No. 1659)”.

LECTOTYPE (designated here). — “ J. Bornmüller, plantae Anatoliae orientalis 1890 No. 1659 […] Pontus australis: in pratis alpinis montis Yildiss-dagh inter Siwas et Tokat. Alt. 20-2100 m s.m. leg d. 6/ 7 VI. 1890 ”, JE[ JE00002305 !*].

ISOLECTOTYPES (designated here). — B[ B 10 0278584 *, B 10 0278583 *], BP[ BP349528 !, BP349359 !], FI[ FI015712 *], GB[ GB0783407 !], HBG[ HBG512103 *], K!, LD[ LD1015877 !], P[ P03529819 *, P[ P03962539 *], PR[ PR377334 !], STU!

Nomenclatural note. Veronica gentianoides is widespread in the Caucasus and northern and eastern Turkey reaching Crimea in the North and northwestern Iran in the east. It forms a variable species aggregate and it is not clear, which taxa actually form separate species. Bornmüller (1905) separated V. gentianoides var. pontica based on the densely glandular indumentum, obtuse leaves and pedicels being shorter than bracts. On his specimens, Bornmüller even considered it a separate species, calling it V. pontica Hausskn. & Bornm. (a later homonym of V. pontica (Rupr.) Wettst. ) or V. longibracteata Hausskn. & Bornm. (a later homonym of V. longibracteata Link ). Why Bornmüller (1905) settled for the rank of variety in the publication is unclear. On the specimen in Jena, there is a note of Bornmüller to Haussknecht that he collected 50-60 sheets, of which 11 are known to me and four additional were stated by Fischer & Öztürk (1989). Apparently, collecting such a large number of specimens took some time since the specimens in Paris (as most type specimens) were collected a day later than indicated in the publication. Even on the specimen in JE, the date is given as 6/ 7 June 1890. The name was synonymized with the newly described V. kopgecidiensis from Northern Turkey by Fischer & Öztürk (1989), who mentioned specimens of this collection from G, W, WU, and Z, which have not been found.