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Issue: Vol. 767 No. 3: 23 Jul. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-07-23
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.767.3.1
Page range: 207-224
Abstract views: 75
PDF downloaded: 4

Reinstatement of Cotyledon ladysmithiensis, a South African endemic leaf succulent in Crassulaceae [subfam. Cotyledonoideae] tr. Cotyledoneae, with notes on the correct orthography and application of the name

Ria Olivier Herbarium; Department of Botany; Nelson Mandela University; P.O. Box 77000; Gqeberha; 6031 South Africa
Biodiversity Research and Monitoring Directorate; South African National Biodiversity Institute; P.O. Box 52099; Berea Road; Durban; 4007 South Africa
PostNet Suite 75; Private Bag X19041; Linton Grange; 6015 South Africa
Eudicots Cotyledon tomentosa Cotyledon heterophylla Groot Karoo Klein Karoo typification

Abstract

The epithet “ladysmithiensis”, as it was originally spelled in the name published for a South African endemic leaf succulent, i.e., as Cotyledon ladysmithiensis (Crassulaceae [subfam. Cotyledonoideae] tr. Cotyledoneae), should indeed be spelled like that and not be ‘corrected’ to ‘ladismithensis’, nor to ‘ladismithiensis’, two variant spellings often encountered in the hardcopy and electronic literature. Cotyledon ladysmithiensis, which, in 1936, was published as a replacement name for the illegitimate C. heterophylla Schönland (1907), non Roxb. (1832), has been treated at the rank of subspecies under C. tomentosa for the past 50 years. However, C. ladysmithiensis is here reinstated as an accepted species based on several vegetative and reproductive characters. The nomenclature and correct taxonomic application of the name C. ladysmithiensis, with respect to C. tomentosa, is discussed. The typification of the name C. ladysmithiensis is discussed. The cultivar C. tomentosa ‘Cloak-and-Dagger’ is described.

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How to Cite

Smith, G.F., Crouch, N.R. & Mckay, A. (2026) Reinstatement of Cotyledon ladysmithiensis, a South African endemic leaf succulent in Crassulaceae [subfam. Cotyledonoideae] tr. Cotyledoneae, with notes on the correct orthography and application of the name. Phytotaxa 767 (3): 207–224. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.767.3.1