Research Article |
Corresponding author: Clemens Pachschwöll ( clemens.pachschwoell@univie.ac.at ) Academic editor: Peter de Lange
© 2025 Viktor O. Nachychko, Clemens Pachschwöll, Mihai Puşcaş, Ghizela Vonica, Gergely Király.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Nachychko VO, Pachschwöll C, Puşcaş M, Vonica G, Király G (2025) Taxonomic status and nomenclature of Tanacetum clusii (Asteraceae, Asteroideae, Anthemideae), with comments on its distribution. PhytoKeys 251: 211-232. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.251.141311
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The paper provides nomenclatural and taxonomic accounts on Tanacetum clusii, a diploid species found in the Eastern Alps, the Carpathians, and the Dinarides, as well as comments on its current distribution. A careful examination of historic taxonomic literature showed that the combination T. clusii was first proposed by Kerner and predates a currently used much younger isonym by Soják (1871 vs. 1971). One specimen, a karyovoucher from WU, is designated here as an epitype for the illegitimate name Pyrethrum clusii, upon which Chrysanthemum clusii, the basionym of T. clusii, is based. This designation aims to avoid ambiguity in the taxonomic interpretation of its previously selected lectotype. Based on examining the original material, a voucher from SIB is designated as a lectotype of the synonymic name Chrysanthemum subcorymbosum, a basionym of Tanacetum corymbosum subsp. subcorymbosum. The last name is the only correct one in the rank of subspecies when T. clusii is alternatively treated as a separate subspecies within T. corymbosum s.l. In addition, one specimen from SAMU is designated here as a neotype of Pyrethrum corymbosum f. macrocephalum, a newly discovered heterotypic synonym of T. clusii. The analysis of the current species distribution showed that T. clusii is native to Switzerland (confirmed!), Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary (confirmed!), Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, and Romania. Although currently not accepted for Switzerland in literature, T. clusii could be confirmed for the Swiss canton of the Grisons. The same applies for Hungary where, apart from the Bükk Mts in literature, new localities from the Kőszeg and Mátra Mts are presented here. Additionally, the presence of T. clusii in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Montenegro and Turkey has not been confirmed and recorded mistakenly in different sources.
Chrysanthemum, distribution, nomenclature, Pyrethrum, taxonomy, typification
The genus Tanacetum L. is one of the most taxonomically complex and species-rich groups in the family Asteraceae Bercht. & J. Presl. It comprises around 160 species of mostly perennial herbs and subshrubs found in the circum-Mediterranean region, central and eastern Asia, and parts of northern America (
Current taxonomic sources have considered this taxon as a subspecies, namely Tanacetum corymbosum subsp. subcorymbosum (Schur) Pawł. (
This paper aims to realize a detailed nomenclatural and taxonomic survey of Tanacetum clusii, focusing on the ascertainment of its current synonymy and the typification of the synonymic name Chrysanthemum subcorymbosum, the basionym of the alternatively accepted subspecies name Tanacetum corymbosum subsp. subcorymbosum. It also seeks to clarify some aspects of the current species’ distribution.
This study is based on an examination of relevant floristic and taxonomic literature. Herbarium specimens relevant for this study (including original and type material) were also studied in the herbaria BP, BRNU, CHUR, CL, DE, LI, LW, MSNM, SAMU, SIB, W, and WU (herbarium acronyms are given according to
Over the course of history, plants of Tanacetum clusii have been classified within different genera of the aster family, namely Chrysanthemum L., Pyrethrum Zinn, and Tanacetum. For the first time, they were described from the lower mountains and valleys of Austria and Pannonia (i.e., Lower Austria, Burgenland and adjacent Western Hungary;
Alternatively,
In 1865, Kanitz was the first to propose the combination Tanacetum subcorymbosum (Schur) Kanitz, transferring Schur’s species into the genus Tanacetum (
In 1891,
Recently,
≡ Chrysanthemum clusii Kreutzer, Anthochronologion: 60, 219. 1840 [basionym].
≡ Pyrethrum clusii Fisch. ex Rchb., Fl. Germ. Excurs. 1(3): 231. 1831–1832 [replaced synonym; ICN, Art. 58.1], non Tausch, Index Seminum [Prague]: 8, 12 (no. 7). 1821, nom. illeg. Type: [Icon] “Tanacetum inodorum I” in Clusius, Rar. Pl. Hist.: 338. 1601 (lectotype, designated by
≡ Chrysanthemum corymbosum var. clusii (Kreutzer) Halácsy, Fl. Niederösterr.: 273. 1896.
≡ Chrysanthemum corymbosum subsp. clusii (Kreutzer) Dostál, Květena ČSR: 1603. 1950.
≡ Tanacetum corymbosum subsp. clusii (Kreutzer) Heywood, Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 71: 272. 1976.
= Chrysanthemum subcorymbosum Schur, Verh. Siebenb. Ver. Naturw. 10: 146. 1859. Type: ROMANIA. Harghita: In monte calcareo Ecsém Tetei [Piatra Ascuțită/Ecem], 1853, F. Schur s.n. (lectotype, designated here: SIB [074033!], Fig.
≡ Tanacetum subcorymbosum (Schur) Kanitz, Magy. Birod. Termész. Visz. 3: 652. 1865.
≡ Pyrethrum subcorymbosum (Schur) Schur, Enum. Pl. Transsilv.: 337. 1866.
≡ Tanacetum corymbosum var. subcorymbosum (Schur) Simonk., Enum. Fl. Transsilv.: 312. 1887.
≡ Chrysanthemum corymbosum var. subcorymbosum (Schur) Beck, Fl. Nieder-Österreich 2(2): 1204. 1893.
≡ Tanacetum corymbosum subvar. subcorymbosum (Schur) Hayek, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 30(2): 652. 1931.
≡ Tanacetum corymbosum subsp. subcorymbosum (Schur) Pawł., Exsicc. (Fl. Polon.), ser. 2, 3: 21. 1936.
≡ Pyrethrum corymbosum var. subcorymbosum (Schur) Degen, Fl. Veleb. 3: 151. 1938.
≡ Chrysanthemum corymbosum subsp. subcorymbosum (Schur) Ujhelyi, Borbásia 3: 109. 1941.
= Pyrethrum corymbosum f. macrocephalum Waisb., Kőszeg Vid. Ed. Növ., ed. 2: 28. 1891. Type: AUSTRIA. Burgenland: Az Ökörgerincz hegyen Vörösvágás mellett [on the Ochsenriegel Mt close to Redlschlag], 20 Jul 1892, A. Waisbecker AW 755 (neotype, designated here: SAMU [Herb. Waisbecker!], Fig.
≡ Pyrethrum corymbosum var. macrocephalum (Waisb.) Borbás, Magy. Várm., Vas Várm.: 503. 1898.
Chrysanthemum clusii, the basionym of Tanacetum clusii, is typified by the nomenclatural type of the illegitimate name Pyrethrum clusii Fisch. ex Rchb. (ICN, Art. 58.1). In 2018,
The epitype designated here is apparently part of a population sampling by B. Drescher for an unpublished karyological study. There are seven more specimens at the herbarium WU with identical labels, which were collected by B. Drescher at the same locality on 2 June 1972 (Appendix
The synonymic name Chrysanthemum subcorymbosum, the basionym of the alternatively accepted subspecies name Tanacetum corymbosum subsp. subcorymbosum, was published in 1859 by Ferdinand Schur, a famous German-Austrian botanist and pioneer in the study of the flora of Transylvania (a historical region in present-day Romania) (
Thus, assuming the above protologue data, the original material (ICN, Art. 9.4) of Chrysanthemum subcorymbosum includes (1) any possible specimens associated with this taxon and collected by Czetz and/or Reckert at Mt Corongiş before 23 July 1853, (2) any respective specimens collected by Schur himself at Mt Corongiş (25 July 1853;
Looking for the original material of Chrysanthemum subcorymbosum, we did not find any specimens of Czetz and Reckert suitable for lectotype selection. Meanwhile, by consulting herbaria where the collections of Schur are stored (
The heterotypic synonym Pyrethrum corymbosum f. macrocephalum was published by
Tanacetum clusii is commonly regarded to be distributed in the Eastern Alps and the Carpathians, as well as in the Dinarides (
The species is currently recorded for Italy (regions: Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia; appendix S2 in
In the botanical literature of the 20th century, there are several mentions of Tanacetum clusii for the flora of Switzerland (Canton of Ticino –
At the same time, the distribution of Tanacetum clusii in Hungary and in Switzerland is confirmed with the herbarium specimens examined (Appendix
At the herbarium ZT we revealed specimens of Tanacetum clusii collected in Puschlav/Val Poschiavo, Canton of the Grisons in Switzerland (Appendix
Regarding Bosnia and Hercegovina, we recognize the occurrences of Tanacetum clusii provided in the older botanical literature and highlight the necessity of confirming these data with new field research.
Tanacetum clusii is also reported as introduced (
Some authors (
In summary, the native range of Tanacetum clusii encompasses Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, and Romania. At the same time, the reported presence of T. clusii in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Montenegro and Turkey has not been confirmed.
We are grateful to the curators and staff of the consulted herbaria, namely Margot Zahner (CHUR), Gábor Matus (DE), Fred Stauffer (G), Martin Pfosser (LI), Tetyana S. Khmil (LW), Lajos Balogh (SAMU), Michael Polansky (W), and Alessia Guggisberg (Z, ZT) for providing images of herbarium specimens and/or making them available via online databases. Special thanks to Dieter Reich (WU) for his kind help in providing the image of the epitype selected here and for the fruitful discussion about some specimens at WU. Finally, we are thanking two anonymous reviewers for their very useful comments.
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
No ethical statement was reported.
Open Access funding provided by the University of Vienna.
All authors have contributed equally.
Viktor O. Nachychko https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6756-2823
Clemens Pachschwöll https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8281-7545
Mihai Puşcaş https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2632-640X
Gergely Király https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8439-2616
All of the data that support the findings of this study are available in the main text.
Authentic and type material
Austria. Lower Austria: Furth bei Weissenbach a. d. Triesting, Population in Wiese, 2 Jun 1972, B. Drescher s.n. (WU [WU0153863!, image available at https://wu.jacq.org/WU0153863; WU0153864!, image available at https://wu.jacq.org/WU0153864; WU0153865!, image available at https://wu.jacq.org/WU0153865; WU0153866!, image available at https://wu.jacq.org/WU0153866; WU0153867!, image available at https://wu.jacq.org/WU0153867; WU0153868!, image available at https://wu.jacq.org/WU0153868; WU0153869!, image available at https://wu.jacq.org/WU0153869; WU0153870!, image available at https://wu.jacq.org/WU0153870]); Burgenland: Az Ökörgerincz hegyen Vörösvágás mellett [on the Ochsenriegel Mt close to Redlschlag], 20 Jul 1892, A. Waisbecker AW 755 (SAMU [Herb. Waisbecker!]). ROMANIA. Brașov: In monte calcareo Koenigstein [Piatra Craiului Mts] prope Coronam [Brașov], Aug 1853, F. Schur s.n. (LW [LW00208453!]); In fruticetis montanum calcareanum prope Coronam [Brașov], Jul 1854, F. Schur s.n. (LW [LW00208447!]); Brașov/Dâmbovița/Prahova: In monte calcareo Butsets [Bucegi Mts], 7000’, Aug 1854, F. Schur s.n. (LW [LW00208452!]); Harghita: Öcsém [Piatra Ascuțită/Ecem], 29 Jul [1853], F. Schur s.n. (SIB [Herb. Ungar 42.521!]); Oecsém [Piatra Ascuțită/Ecem], [1853], F. Schur s.n. (SIB [Herb. Fuss 25.312!]); In monte calcareo Ecsém Tetei [Piatra Ascuțită/Ecem], 1853, F. Schur s.n. (SIB [074033!]); In monte calcareo Ecsém Tetei [Piatra Ascuțită/Ecem], 29 Jul 1853, F. Schur s.n. (CL [91643!]).
Specimens confirming the species distribution in some countries
Switzerland. Grisons: Puschlav, Valle Cologna, 1400 m, 20 Jun 1904, H. Brockmann-Jerosch s.n. (ZT [ZT-00283034!, image available at https://www.digitalis.uzh.ch/media/specimen/283/ZT-00283034]); Puschlav, Buschweide ob Prada, im Gebüsch, S-W, 1120 m, s. dat., H. Brockmann-Jerosch A247 (ZT [ZT-00283036!, image available at https://www.digitalis.uzh.ch/media/specimen/283/ZT-00283036]); Im Lindenbuschwald am Puschlavsee [Lago di Poschiavo] am SW-Hang bei Meschino [Mota dal Meschin], 7 Aug 1944, W. Trepp-Fredenhagen s.n. (ZT [two sheets: ZT-00283030!, image available at https://www.digitalis.uzh.ch/media/specimen/283/ZT-00283030; ZT-00283031!, image available at https://www.digitalis.uzh.ch/media/specimen/283/ZT-00283031]). HUNGARY. Western Transdanubia, Vas: A felső erdőben Kőszegen, 24 Jun 1895, A. Waisbecker s.n. (SAMU [Herb. Waisbecker!]); In silvis caeduis ad Velem, Langer Graben [Hosszú-völgy], 500 m, solo phyllitico, 25 Jul 1899, V. Piers s.n. (SAMU [Herb. Piers!]); Langer Graben [Hosszú-völgy], 25 Jul 1899, V. Piers s.n. (SAMU [Herb. Piers!]); Northern Hungary, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén: Mt. Bükk, in decliviibus montis “Odorvár” supra pag. Cserépfalu, 17 May 1983, D. Kováts s.n. (BP [017116!]); Heves: Bükk hegység, Szalajka-völgy, Erdei vágásban, 10 Jul 1954, Z. Siroki s.n. (DE!); Bükk hegység, Gerennavár, tölgyerdőben, 22 Jun 1960, Z. Siroki s.n. (DE!); In rupibus andesiticis umbrosis montis Saskő pr. Parádfürdő, 8[00]–900 m, 5 Aug 1928, Á. Boros s.n. (BP [463441!]); Matragebirge, Weg vom Sas-kő zum Disznó-kő, ca. 800–900 m; Buchenwald, Andesit, 10 Jul 1973, E. Krendl & F. Krendl s.n. (W [W0215240!, image available at https://w.jacq.org/W0215240]).