Amaranthus blitum

Raus, Thomas, 2022, Taxonomic, nomenclatural and floristic review of Amaranthaceae of Greece and neighbouring countries, Willdenowia 52 (3), pp. 335-357 : 338-339

4. Amaranthus blitum L., Sp. Pl.: 990. 1753 ≡ Albersia blitum (L.) Kunth, Fl. Berol. 2: 144. 1838. – Lectotype

(designated by Fillias & al. 1980: 150): Herb. Linn. No.

1117.14, right-hand plant (LINN).

= Amaranthus lividus L., Sp. Pl. 2: 990. 1753. – Lectotype (designated by Reveal & Jarvis 2009: 978): [icon] “ Blitum pulchrum rectum magnum rubrum ” in Bauhin & Cherler (1651: 966).

= Amaranthus oleraceus L., Sp. Pl., ed. 2: 1403. 1763 ≡ Amaranthus blitum var. oleraceus (L.) Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 721. 1885 ≡ Amaranthus lividus var. oleraceus (L.) Thell. ex Hayek in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 30(1): 162. 1924 ≡ Amaranthus blitum subsp. oleraceus (L.) Costea in Sida 19: 984. 2001. – Lectotype (designated by Fillias & al. 1980: 150): Herb. Linn. No. 1117.13 (LINN).

= Amaranthus ascendens Loisel., Not. Fl. France: 141. 1810 ≡ Amaranthus blitum var. ascendens (Loisel.) DC., Cat. Pl. Horti Monsp. : 4. 1813 ≡ Amaranthus lividus var. ascendens (Loisel.) Thell. ex Hayw. & Druce, Advent. Fl. Tweedside : 177. 1919. – Neotype (designated by Iamonico 2016a: 520): [icon] “ Blitum majus ” in Dodoens (1616: 617).

= Amaranthus prostratus Sadler, Fl. Comit. Pest 2: 354. 1826, nom. illeg. [non Amaranthus prostratus Bellardi ex Balb., Misc. Bot. : 44. 1804]. – Type: not designated.

= Amaranthus commutatus A. Kern. ex Hayek in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 30(1): 162. 1924. – Lectotype (designated here): Europe, Romania, in cultis et ruderatis circa oppidum Arad, Simkovics, Flora exsiccata austro-hungarica no. 1017 (B B 10 1075928).

– “ Amaranthus viridis ” sensu Halácsy (1904: 37) ; Rechinger (1944: 125) [non Amaranthus viridis L., Sp. Pl., ed. 2: 1405. 1763].

Remarks — The species is native to W, C and S Europe ( Jalas & Suominen 1980: 97, map 634, under Amaranthus lividus ), N and tropical Africa, and SW Asia ( Bayón 2015: 309–310). In Greece it has been reported from nearly all phytogeographical regions except Northern Pindos and East Central as defined in Dimopoulos & al. (2013). It was introduced to North and South America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan and is widely cultivated in SW and E Asia as a vegetable crop, formerly likewise in Greece (βλίτα, see Heldreich 1862), gradually replaced by spinach ( Spinacia oleracea L.) from the 20 th century onward. Erect cultigens with robust stems and leaf blades up to 8 × 9 cm, treated by Linnaeus at specific rank, vary in overall colour from red ( A. lividus ) to green ( A. oleraceus ); A. blitum var. oleraceus is mentioned as formerly cultivated in Thrace (sensu Hayek 1924 –1927, covering parts of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey-in-Europe). Unfortunately, the name A. viridis has been misapplied to A. blitum in influential Greek floras ( Halácsy 1904; Rechinger 1944), which makes previous floristic records questionable unless cited specimens are revised. The combination A. lividus var. ascendens published in Hayek’s Prodromus florae peninsulae balcanicae ( Hayek 1924: 162) is a later isonym (which may be nomenclaturally disregarded, see Shenzhen Code Art. 6 Note 2).

Amaranthus commutatus was described from Hungary ( Kerner 1875). The name represents a designation for a fictitious taxon (see below); Kerner’s original collections, examined by Thellung ( Thellung 1914: 326), turned out to clearly belong to A. blitum (corroborated by Beck 1909: 181). Based on Thellung’s critical revision, A. commutatus was correctly published by Hayek as a synonym of A. blitum (1924: 162, under A. lividus var. ascendens ), followed by Morariu (1952: 603). A widespread exsiccatum is selected here as the lectotype of A. commutatus . Later the name A. commutatus was consequently omitted in basic sources on vascular plants of Europe (see, e.g., Jalas & Suominen 1980; Greuter & al. 1984; Tutin & al. 1993), namely with respect to its terra typica Hungary ( Soó 1970; Bartha & al. 2015). Its resurrection in recent Bulgarian floristics engenders that A. blitum is encountered twice in the Conspectus of the Bulgarian vascular flora, viz. under its synonyms A. commutatus ( Assyov & al. 2012: 65) and A. lividus ( Assyov & al. 2012: 66). A proposal to reject the name A. blitum in favour for A. lividus was declined by the Committee for Spermatophyta ( Jarvis 2007).