Lectotypification of Orchis purpurea Huds. × O. punctulata Steven ex Lindl. (Orchidaceae), described from Crimea, and data on its distribution

Lectotypification of Orchis purpurea Huds. × O. punctulata Steven ex Lindl. (Orchidaceae), described from the territory of Crimea, is proposed. The following data are presented: basionym, original nomenclatural citation, lectotype designated according to protologue and the repository of original specimen. Some taxonomical notes and data about its modern distribution are provided. The taxon was described as a hybrid, although later it was considered a species. In some publications the taxon is cited only in the remarks for O. punctulata or O. purpurea, or is not mentioned at all. The contemporary natural distribution of the hybrid is Crimea, Caucasus, Asia Minor and Balkan Peninsula.


Introduction
During more than two centuries of floristic investigations in the Crimean Peninsula, 14 taxa of Orchidaceae Juss. have been described, which include 8 species, 3 varieties and some hybrids from this territory (Protopopova et al. 2017). Later, some hybrids have been recognized as species, e.g. Orchis purpurea Huds. × O. punctulata Steven ex Lindl. obtained species name O. ×wulffiana Soó. In this short communication, we present the results of lectotypification of O. purpurea × O. punctulata, and the data on its modern distribution. The presented work is based on the examination of relevant literature, the critical studies of herbarium specimens deposited in the YALT Herbarium, electronic databases. The nomenclatural treatment and the lectotypification follow the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Turland et al. 2018). The acronyms of herbaria are given according to Thiers (2019 onwards). Later, in 1930, Wulf, a Crimean botanist, the author of the «Flora Tauriсa», described this plant as hybrid nova and indicated its morphological characteristics according to Wankow. The main diagnostic characters of O. purpurea Huds. × O. punctulata Steven ex Lindl. which were noted in the protologue are as follows: «Two tubers, one -5.5 cm in length, 16 mm in width and 11 mm in thickness; other -4.5 cm in length, 3 cm in width and 19 mm in thickness … There are many roots (more than 17), more than 13 cm in length. Stem with inflorescence up to 75 cm in length, stem is faceted and thick, 8-9 mm in diameter. Leaf-like sheaths are two, leaves -5-6, large, up to 6.5 cm wide, glossy. Inflorescence is oblong, up to 19 cm in length, multi-flowered (up to 100 flowers) … Segments of perianth form pink-yellow galea, with purple dots and stripes inside. Spur is equal to ⅓ of the ovary, it is bifurcated at the tip, flat. The labellum is wide, as in O. purpurea, the size of lobe is very variable, but larger than O. punctulata, dark-bronze. The pollen is yellowish-green (in O. punctulata yellow), …» (the original text of the protologue of the hybrid is Russian) (Wulf 1930).
In 2013 in YALT we found the type specimens, one of them was designated as lectotype. Later in 2019 in the herbarium we found two isolectotypes and some syntypes. We also found another specimens of this hybrid, which were also collected by Wankow in 1911Wankow in , 1913Wankow in and 1916 from Kokkozy, but it must be noted that Wulf did not cited them in the protologue.
Orchis purpurea Huds. × O. punctulata Steven ex Lindl. (Wulf 1930).  Hungarian botanist Soó in the collaboration with Keller and Schlechter in the middle of 1920ʼs, commenced the revision of the Orchidaceae family in Europe, based on the materials of the European Herbaria. The name O. ×wulffianus was proposed by Soó for the O. purpurea × O. punctulata (Soó 1932) and he cited all localities of the taxa, which were also indicated by Wulf (1930). Probably, Soó received the herbarium materials from Crimea. However, in the YALT Soó's critical notes on the specimens of O. purpurea × O. punctulata are absent. It is noteworthy that Soó's notes are present in the herbarium specimens of some other species and hybrids that he consulted. It should be emphasized that Soó's critical notes are missing in the material stored at LE, B and H (pers. comm. Efimov, Vogt, Pifkó). Later Soó (1980) in «Flora Europaea» did not mention this taxon, as well as other nothospecies. In the next floristic publications, e.g. «Flora of the USSR» (Nevsky 1935) and «Flora of the European part of the USSR» (Smolyaninova 1976) the hybrid is cited only in notes for O. punctulata and O. purpurea, respectively. In the floras and the manuals of vascular plants of Ukraine and Crimea, it is also omitted (Protopopova 1987;Privalova 1972;Yena 2012, etc.).
For the first time for the Eastern Europe (European part of the former USSR) this hybrid was entered into the nomenclatural list by Czerepanov (1995), later for Ukraine -in the publications of Mosyakin & Fedoronchuk (1999) For a long time the hybrid was known only from several localities in the Crimea. In addition to the Crimean localities noted by Wulf, the hybrid was confirmed in Laspi (Hahn 2012;Kreutz et al. 2018) and was recorded in new places of the region: vicinity of Theodosia (mountain range Tepe-Oba), near Vesele (Sudak district), Sevastopol, Balaklava, incl. «Cape Aya», near Oboronne, Honcharne and Ozerne (Bengus & Bengus 2011;Kreutz et al. 2018 andinformations andphotos of Hordiyenko 2006;Svirin 2008;Bronskov 2009;Heluta 2010;Yevseyenkov 2011Yevseyenkov , 2012Yevseyenkov , 2018Fateryga V. 2016;Mishustin 2017;Müllauer 2018; dates from Plantarium, Ukrbin, All flowers of Crimea and Flickr Electronic Databases).
The hybrid prefers margins of light oak, pine and juniper forests, аrtificial pine forests on disturbed steppe. In Crimea the parent's species Outside Crimea the hybrid was found for the first time in Artvin in NE Turkey (Renz & Taubenheim 1984). Later, more reports appeared about new localities of O. ×wulffiana in the Caucasus, e.g. the Lygotsky forestry of the Sochi National Park (Timukhin 2010), and the vicinity of Tuapse in Krasnodar Region of the Russian Federation (Vakhrusheva & Alekseyev 1998;Chornovol 2006;Vakhrameeva et al. 2008); in Novomikhaylovka village, near «Orlyonok» Russian National Children Center was noted by Zemlyanoy (2015); in Ashe River basin in vicinities of the villages Kalezh and Makopse (Timukhin & Tuniev 2017;Litvinskaya 2018); and near Su-Psekh (Novorossiysk area) (iNaturalist 2018). The species was listed in the Red book of Krasnodar territory (Timukhin & Tuniev 2017). In 2007 the photo of hybrid from Greece (Thrace, Evros, Dadia forest, 08.05.2007, G. Pastrikos) was presented in DB «Orchids of Greece» (2019). This taxon is also noted in Azerbaijan (Kretzchmar et al. 2007;Hassler 2018). Therefore, the modern distribution area of the hybrid is Crimea, the East Mediterranean (Greece), Caucasus (Russia, Azerbaijan) and Asia Minor (Turkey).