Polygala nicaeensis subvar. laxa Burnat

Polygala nicaeensis subvar. laxa Burnat, Fl. Alpes Marit. 1: 185. 1892 Type. France. “ Alpes-Maritimes: Environ de Nice ”, 23 May, 10 June 1890, G. Vidal 2661 (lectotype, designated here: G 01100101! isolectotypes: BR 0000031351232!, BR 0000031351683!, CHE 025421!, CLF 017730!, G 00830213!, G 01100101 a!, G 01100106!, LY 00442297!, MPU 628378!, P 03013394!, P 03209033! and P 03209045!). In the protologue (Burnat 1892), the author mentions three specimens and one gathering. According to Stafleu and Cowan (1976), we searched for these specimens in G. The gathering no. 2661 (“ Flora selecta exsiccata ” - published by C. Magnier) is duplicated on numerous specimens distributed in many French herbaria. All these specimens bear the annotation “ vidit Burnat ” and are original material. In particular, 17 specimens were traced, 13 of which are duplicates of the gathering no. 2661 (BR 0000031351232!, BR 0000031351683!, CHE 025421!, CLF 017730!, G 00830213!, G 01100101!, G 01100101 a!, G 01100106!, LY 00442297!, MPU 628378!, P 03013394!, P 03209033! and P 03209045!). We also traced four further specimens: the three in the Herbarium Burnat in G-BU (G 00830222!, G 00830219!, G 00830214!), plus one duplicate in the Herbarium Burnat in MPU (MPU 765489!). Amongst these materials, we selected the most complete specimen from gathering no. 2661 preserved in G (G 01100101!) as lectotype. All the original materials match the protologue. Based on the morphological features of the lectotype, P. nicaeensis subsubsp. laxa is a heterotypic synonym of P. nicaeensis s. str. as circumscribed in this study, i. e. a taxon combining the morphological features and distribution of the former P. nicaeensis subsp. nicaeensis and P. nicaeensis subsp. mediterranea Chodat.