Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 31(1): 177-180, 2024 (June) - Short communication © 2024 Bangladesh Association of Plant Taxonomists DOI: https://doi.org/10.3329/bjpt.v29i2. 74400 NEW COMBINATIONS IN PRIMULA SECT. CORTUSOIDES SUBSECT. CORTUSA (PRIMULACEAE) MUHAMMAD IDREES1, ZHIYONG ZHANG1 AND JULIAN M.H. SHAW2* 1College of Life Science, Neijiang Normal University, Neijiang 641000, Sichuan, China 2Horticultural taxonomy, Royal Horticultural Society, Wisley, Woking, Surrey, GU23 6QB, U.K. Keywords: Cortusa; Primulaceae; Taxonomy. A number of new combinations of names in the tribe Primuleae are required to bring species nomenclature for Primula L. into alignment with the results of recent phylogenetic analyses. We proposed here twelve name transfers from Cortusa L. to Primula sect. Cortusoides Balf.f. Primula L. (1753) is one of the largest genera in the Primulaceae, comprising more than 500 species in temperate and arctic zones of the northern hemisphere (Fedorov, 1952; Hu, 1994; Hu and Kelso, 1996; Richards, 1993, 2002; POWO, 2024), with a modern centre of diversity in southwestern China, which harbours about 300 species (Hu, 1990, 1994; Hu and Kelso, 1996; Richards, 1993). The genus Primula consists of perennial herbs, sometimes monocarpic, and can be explicitly recognised by its perennial habit, basal rosette of leaves, heterostylous flowers with an obvious tube, and capsular fruits (Hu, 1994; Hu and Kelso, 1996; Xu et al., 2016). The species are economically important as ornamental plants and have been used to breed numerous cultivars of garden primroses (Kovtonyuk, 2006). Recent phylogenetic studies have demonstrated that the genus Cortusa L. (1753) is nested within the clade of Primula L. sect. Cortusoides Balf.f. (Martins et al., 2003; Kovtonyuk and Goncharova, 2009), hence Cortusa is embedded in Primula. Like most sections of Primula subgenus Auganthus, Cortusa has a chromosome base number of x=12, revolute vernation, articulated hairs, and lobed leaves (Mast et al., 2001). New combinations and lectotypifications have been made for Primula matthioli (L.) V.A. Richt. (1894) (Kovtonyuk, 2011; Sennikov, 2018), and its subspecies in Primula sect. Cortusoides subsect. Cortusa (L.) Kovt. (Kovtonyuk, 2011), and this placement was further affirmed by morphological characters (Lozina-Lozinskaya, 1936; Kovanda, 2003; Kovtonyuk, 2011, 2013; Sennikov, 2021). We found twelve infraspecific names, Cortusa matthioli f. alpina Podp. (1921), C. matthioli f. cenisia Podp. (1921), C. matthioli f. engadinensis Podp. (1921), C. matthioli f. freynii Podp. (1921), C. matthioli subf. glabrescens Podp. (1922), C. matthioli subsp. hazarica Y.J. Nasir (1984), C. metthioli subsp. iranica Iranshahr & Wendelbo (1976), C. matthioli subf. latidens Podp. (1922), C. matthioli subf. longecalycina Podp. (1922), C. matthioli subf. subcanescens Podp. (1922), C. matthioli f. tatrensis Podp. (1921), and C. matthioli subf. villosula Podp. (1922) that need to be transfer to Primula; all of these names are not currently listed in online database, such as Tropicos (2024; http://www.tropicos.org/), IPNI (2024; http://ipni.org/), POWO (2024; http://powo.science.kew.org/), and WFO (2024; https://wfoplantlist.org/) except C. matthioli subsp. hazarica Y.J. Nasir, C. metthioli subsp. iranica Iranshahr & Wendelbo. However, in view of horticultural usage and usefulness in ecological and conservation studies, we provide combinations to formally transfer all the above cited names to the genus Primula L. sect. Cortusoides Balf.f. (1913: 140) subsect. Cortusa (L.) Kovt. (2011: 962). *Corresponding author: julianshaw@rhs.org.uk https://doi.org/10.3329/bjpt.v29i2. http://ipni.org/), http://powo.science.kew.org/), https://wfoplantlist.org/) mailto:julianshaw@rhs.org.uk 178 IDREES et al. Taxonomy 1. Primula matthioli f. alpina (Podp.) Idrees & J.M.H. Shaw, comb. nov. Basionym: Cortusa matthioli f. alpina Podp. in Sborn. Klubu Přír. v Brnĕ 3: 67 (1921). Type: Austria Inferior. “am Obersberge in der Schwarzau in [sic!] Gebirge”, June 1872, E. brandmayer s.n. (BRNM11626/37–holotype). Distribution: Central Europe (Austria). 2. Primula matthioli f. cenisia (Podp.) Idrees & J.M.H. Shaw, comb. nov. Basionym: Cortusa matthioli f. cenisia Podp. in Sborn. Klubu Přír. v Brnĕ 3: 67 (1921). Type: Gallia: Mont Cenis à Savalain, alt. 2000 m, Août, 1886, Arvet-Touvet s.n. (BRNM 11628/37–lectotype, designated by K. Sutorý 2010). Distribution: Western Europe (France, Tirolia). 3. Primula matthioli f. engadinensis (Podp.) Idrees & J.M.H. Shaw, comb. nov. Basionym: Cortusa matthioli f. engadinensis Podp. in Sborn. Klubu Přír. v Brnĕ 3: 67 (1921). Type: Helvetia. Engadin: Bachufer in den Wäldern um die Hochwiesen Plan d’Ors am Piz Mondin ober Martinsbrack zahlreich. 28. 7. 1886, Kalkschiefer, 1600 [m], Freyn s.n. (BRNM 11630/37–lectotype, designated by K. Sutorý 2010:). Distribution: Central Europe (Switzerland, N. Italy, Slovena). 4. Primula matthioli f. freynii (Podp.) Idrees & J.M.H. Shaw, comb. nov. Basionym: Cortusa matthioli f. freynii Podp. in Sborn. Klubu Přír. v Brnĕ 3: 68 (1921). Type: Romania. Schattige Bachufer beim Kloster Skit la Jalomnitza auf der Südseite der Alpe Bucsécs: Kalkkonglomrat, 1500 m, 3 Aug. 1873, J. Freyn s.n. (C. pubens Sch. N. et Ky cum nota: Originalstandort) (BRNM11644/37–holotype). Distribution: Southeastern Europe (Romania). 5. Primula matthioli subsp. brotheri f. glabrescens (Podp.) Idrees & J.M.H. Shaw, comb. nov. Basionym: Cortusa matthioli f. brotheri subf. glabrescens Podp. in Beih. Bot. Centralbl., Abt. 2, 39: 287 (1922). Type: India. Lahal: Apud rivulos umbrosos in septentrionali montis declivitate Kardang, Tugjiling, H.A. Jäschke s.n. (WU0064467–lectotype designated by K. Sutorý 2010). Distribution: Asia (N.W. India). 6. Primula matthioli subsp. hazarica (Y.J.Nasir) Idrees & J.M.H. Shaw, comb. nov. Basionym: Cortusa matthioli subsp. hazarica Y.J. Nasir in Fl. Pakistan 157: 80 (1984). Type: Pakistan. Hazara, Miranjani, 9000 m, in rich forest, 23 June 1955, R.R. Stewart s.n. (RAW–holotype). Distribution: Asia (Pakistan and India). 7. Primula matthioli subsp. iranica (Iranshahr & Wendelbo) Idrees & J.M.H. Shaw, comb. nov. Basionym: Cortusa matthioli subsp. iranica Iranshahr & Wendelbo in Iran. J. Bot. 1(1): 58 (1976). Type: Iran. Mazandaran: above Sang-Deh c. 30 km SE of Pol-e Sefid, 2500-3000 m, 11 VII 1974, J. Renz and M. Iranshahr 16804 (in einem Wäldchen am, “todten Hengsten” zwischen Unterlauhsa und Windischgarsten, May 1882, H. Steininger s.n. (TARI: Herbarium of the Ministry of Agriculture, Evin, Tehran–holotype; GB, TARI–isotypes). Distribution: Asia (Iran). NEW COMBINATIONS IN PRIMULA SECT. CORTUSOIDES 179 8. Primula matthioli f. latidens (Podp.) Idrees & J.M.H. Shaw, comb. nov. Basionym: Cortusa matthioli (f. matthioli) subf. latidens Podp. in Beih. Bot. Centralbl., Abt. 2, 39: 283 (1922). Type: Romania. Siebenbürgen, Transsylvanische Alpen: Königstein, Crepatura bei Zernest, Kalk, 25 July 1909, F.K.M. Vierhapper s.n. (WU0064476–lectotype designated by K. Sutorý 2010). Distribution: Central Europe (Austria, Transylvania). 9. Primula matthioli f. longecalycina (Podp.) Idrees & J.M.H. Shaw, comb. nov. Basionym: Cortusa matthioli (f. matthioli) subf. longecalycina Podp. in Beih. Bot. Centralbl., Abt. 2, 39: 283 (1922). Type: Austria. In einem Wäldchen am, “todten Hengsten” zwischen Unterlauhsa und Windischgarsten, May 1882, H. Steininger s.n. (WU0064479–lectotype designated by K. Sutorý 2010). Distribution: Central Europe (Austria, Slovenia). 10. Primula matthioli subsp. brotheri f. subcanescens (Podp.) Idrees & J.M.H. Shaw, comb. nov. Basionym: Cortusa matthioli f. brotheri subf. subcanescens Podp. in Beih. Bot. Centralbl., Abt. 2, 39: 287 (1922). Type: Pakistan. Lowári Pass, 21 June 1895, S.A. Harris 16353 (WU006468–lectotype designated by K. Sutorý 2010). Distribution: Asia (Pakistan and India). 11. Primula matthioli f. tatrenis (Podp.) Idrees & J.M.H. Shaw, comb. nov. Basionym: Cortusa matthioli f. tatrensis Podp. in Sborn. Klubu Přír. v Brnĕ 3: 67 (1921). Type: Slovakia. Liptau-Sohler Alpen, Sümpfe am Kozí vrch: Kalk, 1100 m, 29.5.1870, J. Freyn s.n. (BRNM11637/37–lectotype, designated by K. Sutorý 2010). Distribution: Central Europe (Slovakia, Austria, N. Italy). 12. Primula matthioli subsp. brotheri f. villosula (Podp.) Idrees & J.M.H. Shaw, comb. nov. Basionym: Cortusa matthioli f. brotheri subf. villosula Podp. in Beih. Bot. Centralbl Abt. 2, 39: 287 (1922). 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