Bandyopadhyay, S. (2012). Lectotypification of Bauhinia phoenicea Wight & Arn. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae). Candollea 67: 41–43. In English, English and French abstracts.
The name Bauhinia phoenicea Wight & Arn. is lectotypified.
Wight & Walker-Arnott (1834: 296) after providing the morphological description of Bauhinia phoenicea Wight & Arn. in the protologue stated : “We have taken the above characters from a description of this plant sent us by Dr Graham”. Dr H. J. Noltie (pers. comm., 2010) informed me that Robert Graham did much of his work on the legumes in the East India Company (EIC) herbarium when he was with Wallich in London between 1828 and 1832. That was why Graham was in a position to send Wight and Arnott the description of this species. Graham's description must have been based on material deposited in the EIC herbarium, though probably before it was split into duplicate sets. But now, there is no way of knowing if the one that is left at K-W is actually the one that he saw.
In addition to the aforementioned information stated by Wight & Walker-Arnott (1834), they also cited “Heyne in Wall. L. n. 5800” in the protologue. Noltie (2005: 306) stated the type details of the name as “Wall. Cat. 5800. No possible types at E”.
The relevant herbarium sheet at K-W has a collection only with leaves mounted on the left hand side and a flowering collection with a leaf mounted on the right hand side. I designate here, the flowering collection with a leaf, Wallich 5800, as the lectotype of Bauhinia phoenicea Wight & Arn.
Bauhinia phoenicea Wight & Arn., Prodr. Fl. Ind. Orient.: 296. 1834 (Fig. 1).
Lectotypus (here designated): s.loc., 29.XII.1816, [labeled] “Bauhinia phoenicea H Heyn”, Wallich 5800 (K-W [photo]!).
Acknowledgements
I am thankful to the Director, Botanical Survey of India for his encouragement, to Dr V. P. Prasad, IBLO, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew for sending the image of the type specimen along with the kind permission from the Curator, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew for reproducing the photograph, Dr H. J. Noltie, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh for the information on Robert Graham and Dr P. Bungener for his suggestion in connection with the lectotype designation.
