Taxonomic reassessment and typification of Iberis spruneri Jord. and I. attica Jord. (Brassicaceae)

Abstract

Iberis attica Jord. and I. spruneri Jord. are closely related eastern Mediterranean taxa whose taxonomic identities and nomenclatural status have been inconsistently interpreted since their description. Both species were described by Jordan (1847) from Mount Hymettus, and their subsequent inclusion within a broadly circumscribed Iberis carnosa Willd. has contributed substantially to long-standing taxonomic confusion. In particular, I. attica and I. spruneri were later reduced to synonymy under I. carnosa, resulting in the application of the latter name to Turkish material. Recent herbarium studies, field observations, and comparative morphological investigations, however, indicate that these taxa are morphologically distinct and that I. carnosa does not occur in Türkiye. Here, the author reassesses the taxonomy and nomenclature of I. attica, I. spruneri, and I. carnosa based on an examination of historical collections and herbarium specimens from major European and Turkish herbaria, original protologues and taxonomic literature, field observations, and comparative morphological analyses. Distinctive morphological characters separating I. attica and I. spruneri from each other and from I. carnosa are documented and summarized. Original and historical material associated with the names was critically examined in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Madrid Code). Lectotypes are designated for I. spruneri and I. attica based on historical material corresponding to the provenance and locality information provided in Jordan’s protologues, thereby providing nomenclatural reference points for the application of both names. The nomenclatural status of Iberis jordanii Boiss. is confirmed as nom. illeg. superfl. and as a homotypic synonym of I. attica. The results support the recognition of I. attica and I. spruneri as distinct species, exclude I. carnosa from the flora of Türkiye, and provide a revised taxonomic and nomenclatural framework for these taxa in the eastern Mediterranean.