(3035) Proposal to conserve the name Molopospermum against Cicutaria (Apiaceae)

(3035) Molopospermum W.D.J. Koch in Nova Acta Phys.-Med. Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. Nat. Cur. 12: 108. 1824 (ante 28 Oct) [Umbell.], nom. cons. prop. Typus: M. peloponnesiacum (L.) W.D.J. Koch (Ligusticum peloponnesiacum L.). (≡) Cicutaria Daubenton in Diderot & D'Alembert, Encyclopédie 3: 440. Oct–Nov 1753 (typ. des. Martinez & Pastore in Taxon, https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.13180: 7 of 12. 2024), nom. rej. prop. Molopospermum W.D.J. Koch (Apiaceae), is a monotypic genus, comprising M. peloponnesiacum (L.) W.D.J. Koch, an edible plant utilized in culinary practices in a similar manner to celery. This genus was originally segregated from Ligusticum by Koch (in Nova Acta Phys.-Med. Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. Nat. Cur. 12: 108. 1824) and is native to the southern mountainous regions of France, Italy, and Spain (Plants of the World Online, https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:844979-1, accessed 22 Jan 2024). Since its publication, the taxonomy and nomenclature of Molopospermum have remained reasonably stable. The only exception being that Otto Kuntze (Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 266. 1891) adopted Cicutaria for Molopospermum and C. peloponnesiaca for its one species. [Kuntze adopted a 1735 (Linnaeus, Syst. Nat.) starting date for botanical nomenclature; Miller (Gard. Dict., ed. 2. 1737) had also adopted Cicutaria, but later (e.g., Miller, Gard. Dict. Abr., ed. 4. 1754) included it in Ligusticum. The current 1753 starting date was only established in the Vienna Rules (Briquet, Règles Int. Nomencl. Bot. 1906)]. The same generic name was published – but with different applications – as Cicutaria Heist. ex Fabr. (Enum.: 40. 1759) (≡ Conium L.) and as Cicutaria Moench (Meth. Suppl.: 32. 1802), nom. illeg., applying to elements of Molopospermum and Trinia, and in a more widespread usage by Lamarck (Fl. Franç. 3: 445. 1779) for what is now established as Cicuta L. A recent study by Martinez & Pastore (in Taxon, https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.13180. 2024) focused on overlooked names published in October or November, 1753 in the third volume of Diderot & d'Alembert's Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers (Morrissey & Roe, Encyclopédie […] eds. Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert. 2022, http://encyclopedie.uchicago.edu/). While subsequent volumes of the Encyclopédie contain dozens of generic names, these were published between 1754 and 1765 and primarily originate from Tournefort's pre-Linnaean publications; those not adopted by Linnaeus (Sp. Pl. 1753) were mostly published by Miller (Gard. Dict. Abr., ed. 4. 1754). Hence, it is unlikely that the names in subsequent volumes of the Encyclopédie will result in substantial nomenclatural changes that might warrant suppression of the work under Art. 34. Moreover, reviewing the names in volume 3 of the Encyclopédie (Diderot & d'Alembert, Encyclopédie 3. Oct–Nov 1753), it transpired that acceptance of only two appeared to cause disadvantageous nomenclatural change. For this reason we have opted to address this situation through conservation (Art. 14) rather than propose the volume for suppression under Art. 34. One of these names, Cicutaria, came to our particular attention because it has priority over the well-established name, Molopospermum. In publishing Cicutaria, Daubenton cited Tournefort's Institutiones rei herbariae. Tournefort (Inst. Rei Herb.: 322. 1700) included two species; the first was treated by Linnaeus (l.c. 1753: 250) as a synonym of his Ligusticum peloponnesiacum L., but the second was not treated by him, and we cannot assign it to any modern taxonomic concept. Consequently, Molopospermum peloponnesiacum (L.) W.D.J. Koch was selected as the generitype of Cicutaria Daubenton by Martinez & Pastore (l.c.). At this point, the name Cicutaria Daubenton has priority over Molopospermum W.D.J. Koch. The Committee for Spermatophyta (Rickett in Taxon 9: 15–16. 1960) recommended rejection of a proposal to conserve Molopospermum W.D.J. Koch against "Cicutaria Agosti" made by Janchen (in Taxon 2: 210. 1953), as Agosti's names are not validly published and conservation of Molopospermum was deemed unnecessary (see also App. I in Wiersema & al., ICN Appendices I–VII, https://naturalhistory2.si.edu/botany/codes-proposals/). However, the Committee was unaware of the existence of the validly published Cicutaria Daubenton and that Molopospermum W.D.J. Koch must be conserved against it if it is to continue in use. Hence, the priority of Cicutaria over Molopospermum requires reconsideration of the matter. Molopospermum peloponnesiacum is a well-known name currently applied to a plant cultivated in parts of Spain and France as a culinary herb and salad vegetable with its seeds commercially available on internet sites. A Google search yielded approximately 16,000 indexed entries related to "Molopospermum peloponnesiacum", showcasing various images of the plant. Additionally, a number of chemical studies are based in constituents derived from M. peloponnesiacum (e.g., Kubeczka & Ullmann in Phytochemistry 20: 828–830. 1981; Andreu & al. in Med. Aromat. Pl. 4: 211. 2015). On the other hand, the necessary replacement name for M. peloponnesiacum, Cicutaria peloponnesiaca (L.) Kuntze, though available, has appearently never been used. A Google search on "Cicutaria peloponnesiaca" yielded only about 50 results, almost all as a synonym of Molopospermum peloponnesiacum. Furthermore, the diverse historical application of Cicutaria to different genera, contrasts with the stable Molopospermum, which has been applied solely to the one species, M. peloponnesiacum. Therefore, the proposal is presented here to preserve the use of Molopospermum by conserving it against the name Cicutaria, since making the name change required by priority to Cicutaria peloponnesiaca (L.) Kuntze (cf. Art. 55.4) would clearly be disruptive and undesirable. JFBP gratefully acknowledges CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) for funding research fellowship (304082/2023-6). AM gratefully acknowledges support by the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET, Argentina).