Feedback request: Viola lactea (1486)

[Mike d'Apice]

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Specimen #310553

Taxon:	Violaceae: Viola lactea Sm. ("Pale Dog-violet")
Other name:	Viola lactea var. intermedia Wats
Filed in taxon folder:	Violaceae: Viola lactea Sm. ("Pale Dog-violet")
Collection date:	5/6/1913
Locality:	Great Britain, VC34 West Gloucestershire, Mitcheldean Meend, SO6518
ex herb:	J G
Institution:	Gloucester City Museum (GLR)
Image:
fruits/flowers:	mature flowers

Documented by mikedaps on 12^th November 2010.

Edit history

date	user	change
28/09/2015	chrisu	Deleted locality: GB VC34 Mitcheldean
28/09/2015	chrisu	Added locality: GB VC34 Mitcheldean Meend SO6518 (place)

N.B. reporting of the edit history is currently fairly unclear and misleading. Most edits made to specimens appear as a pair of 'add' and 'delete' entries, which may not be together in the list. There are also often 'minor' edits, which are made automatically (rather than due to user activity), for example to merge synonym names.

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User comments about this sheet

mikedaps wrote

Probably missing the obvious but: both labels have "z" (or =) "major Rouly"(?) - Any idea if a vernacular sp/variety name or the collector's or ??
If not the collector's name any ideas who the collector might have been?

[oldnick]

Rouy is the author of many botanical names. Viola lactea is said in CTW 2 to have be not a variable sp; & though major & intermedia must be meant as varieties, synonyms etc, I find no similar name in Stace 2 or CTW 2.

[Mike d'Apice]

Yes, Rouy seems the best bet although can't find a connection with V. lactea, there doesn't seem to be a V. intermedi(e)a or a V. Lactea var/ssp intermedia and no 'major's listed in IPNI etc let alone any of the above with a Wat(son) author link.... In conclusion seems as you suggest "JG"'s classification/comparison/description seems to be unique to him! Thanks anyway.

[David Price]

I shouldn't worry too much. The Victorians were hyper-critical about some genera, including Viola: Mrs E S Gregory and Dr E Drabble particularly so in this country; Rouy and others abroad. Flora of Gloucestershire records about 70 taxa (not counting synonyms) at various levels: species, subspecies, variety and form, most of which are now considered redundant.

V. major Rouy is a synonym of V. lactea Sm. var intermedia Wats., neither of which is mentioned in Fl Glos though there is the following record of V. lactea at Mitcheldean Meend: " 'A specimen I gathered there is not quite pure.' Gregory".

[Mike d'Apice]

Thanks, good to know there probably isn't a straightforward interpretation of some of the notations. Though admittedly it's still quite fun to conduct the nugatory exercise of trying to track one down... I dread to think what 19thC brypophyte collection labels must be like!

[David Price]

They're not too bad. See http://herbariaunited.org/sheets/MANCH/IMG-9401.jpg