Allium cirrhosum Vand.

Bartolucci, Fabrizio, Tison, Jean-Marc & Galasso, Gabriele, 2025, Typification of the name Allium cirrhosum Vand. (Amaryllidaceae), Italian Botanist 20, pp. 1-8 : 1-8

Allium cirrhosum Vand. , Fasc. Pl.: 11 (1771).

≡ Allium carinatum var. cirr[h] osum (Vand.) Fiori , Nuov. Fl. Italia 1 (2): 269 (1923). Lectotype (designated here). — [unpublished illustration] T. XX in the “ Saggio d’ Istoria naturale del Lago di Como, della Valsasina ed altri luoghi lombardi ” preserved at the University Library of Pavia (Fig. 1 ) and published in VV. AA. (1989, p. 50); Epitype (designated here): — [ Italy, Lombardia] Ballabio, Val Sassina, lac di Como , 10 July 1899, Gysperger H. s. n. ( PI - GUAD 025129 ; the image of the epitype is available at https://pi.jacq.org/PI025129) .

= Allium coloratum Spreng. ; Syst. Veg., ed. 16 [Sprengel] 2: 38 (1825). Type: see comments in Jauzein and Tison (2001).

= Allium pulchellum G. Don ; Mem. Wern. Nat. Hist. Soc. 6: 46 (1827), nom. illeg. ≡ Allium flavum var. pulchellum Regel ; Trudy Imp. S. - Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 3 (2): 188 (1875) ≡ Allium flavum subsp. pulchellum (Regel) K. Richt. in Pl. Eur. 1: 206 (1890) ≡ Allium carinatum subsp. pulchellum (Regel) Bonnier & Layens ; Tabl. Syn. Pl. Vasc. France 299 (1894) ≡ Allium carinatum var. pulchellum (Regel) Fiori in Fiori & Paoletti, Fl. Italia 1 (1): 197 (1896) Type: see comments in Jauzein and Tison (2001).

Nomenclatural note.

Vandelli (1771: 11) described A. cirrhosum providing a short diagnosis (“ Allium caule planifolio , umbellifero, staminibus filiformibus flore duplo longioribus, spatha cirrhosa ”), a detailed description (“ Caulis tripedalis, teres. Folia alterna plano-canaliculata, vaginis teretibus. Umbella conglobata, sparsa. Spatha ad caulem divisa, & sensim attenuata in cirrhum longum 3. aut 4. pollices. Pedunculi longi fere 2. pollices. Petala ovato-acuminata, concava, purpurascentia. Filamenta exalbida, corolla duplo longiora. Antherae lutheae ”) and the provenance (“ Habitat in Montibus Mediolanensibus ”); no herbarium specimen or illustration were cited. We performed a survey of the original material at LISU, where the Vandelli’s main collection is housed, as well as at LINN, PAD, PAV, and P, where additional material can be found ( Stafleu and Cowan 1986). We traced at LISU eight herbarium specimens (without collecting localities, date, and collector name) but none with the name A. cirrhosum . No relevant material was traced in LINN, PAD, PAV, and P. Thus, we were not able to trace any herbarium specimens belonging to the original material.

Some very interesting information can be inferred by reconstructing the history of Vandelli’s peregrinations around Milan. In particular, he undertook a survey in the surroundings of Come Lake from May 20 th to August 31 st 1763 together with Giulio Mattiazzi, on behalf of Count Carlo G. di Firmian (Austria’s Minister in Milan), collecting mineral and biological samples (see Provasi 1923). Vandelli compiled a travel journal that he entitled “ Saggio d’Istoria naturale del Lago di Como, della Valsasina ed altri luoghi lombardi ” (= Essay on the natural history of Lake Como, Valsassina and other places in Lombardy), in which he reported all the plants observed and described some new species providing descriptions and illustrations. Vandelli was never able to publish his manuscript, but in 1771 he described some plants new to science in “ Fasciculus plantarum cum novis generibus et speciebus ”, many of which collected “ in montibus ” or “ in alpibus mediolanensibus ” (e. g. Aretia multiflora , Campanula firmiana , Allium cirrhosum etc.), probably during his journey in 1763. The original manuscript of Vandelli is lost, but a copy of it is still extant (probably the only one left) kept at the Library of the University of Pavia ( Provasi 1923; VV. AA. 1989). This copy was published in part without all the illustrations by Provasi (1923) and later published in full including all the illustrations ( VV. AA. 1989). In his travel journal (1763) Vandelli described and illustrated (Table XX) an Allium seen on August 14 in the valley of “ Boaccio [Boazzo] or Caldone ”. The description of this Allium matches those published by Vandelli (1771) in the protologue of A. cirrhosum . Consequently, we can consider the Table XX, certainly made before 1771 and probably by Vandelli himself, as part of the original material for the name. Given the absence of extant herbarium specimens, this Table is the obligate choice for the lectotypification of Vandelli’s name (Arts. 9.4 and 9.12 of the ICN). The lectotype does not include a complete set of significant distinguishing features (e. g., the morphology of the spathe, the color of tepals and antheres, length of the stamens) and cannot be critically identified for purposes of the precise application of the name. According to the Art. 9.9 of ICN, an epitype preserved at PI ( PI - GUAD 025129), collected by Gysperger in the same area visited by Vandelli in 1763, was selected to serve as an interpretative type.

Taxonomic note.

According to Cesati (1842: unpaginated), the plant described by Vandelli was referable to A. paniculatum L. , a name mistakenly used by Italian authors to indicate A. longispathum Redouté ( Salmeri et al. 2016; Bartolucci et al. 2024). Later, Scopoli (1876: 82) commented on Table XX of the Vandelli’s manuscript and wrote: “ Ex data descriptione agnosci non potest ” (= It cannot be identified from the given description). Some doubts may arise on the exact identification of the plant described by Vandelli regarding some characters that are not usual to be present in A. coloratum , such as for example the height of the plant [caulis tripedalis (3 feet = about 98 cm)], the morphology of the spathe [spatha ... attenuata in cirrhum (= spathe attenuated in a narrow curled appendage)], and the color of the anthers [antherae lutheae (= yellow anthers)]. Rarely, A. coloratum may exceed 60 cm, have spathes ending in a narrow curled appendage (usually contracted into a long slender uppendage) and yellowish anthers (usually purple), while all other characters reported in the description of A. cirrhosum correspond with the current conception of A. coloratum ( Stearn 1980; Jauzein and Tison 2001; Dimopoulos et al. 2013; Tison and de Foucault 2014; Pignatti et al. 2017; Bartolucci et al. 2024). Accordingly, based on the typification here proposed the name A. cirrhosum Vand. has priority at species rank over A. coloratum Spreng. (published by Sprengel in 1825).

Regarding the taxonomic status to be attributed to A. cirrhosum , we agree with the taxonomic treatment proposed by Jauzein and Tison (2001 under A. coloratum ) who recognize this taxon at the species rank, a status also accepted in several authoritative national floras and taxonomic databases ( Dimopoulos et al. 2013; Tison and de Foucault 2014; Bartolucci et al. 2024; POWO 2025 [+]; Portal to the Flora of Italy 2025 [+]).

Figures

Figure 1. Original table (T. XX) of the unpublished manuscript of Vandelli preserved in the University of Pavia Library (by courtesy of the University of Pavia Library – Ministry of Culture).