Hypericum perforatum subsp. veronense (Nomenclature)
Leaves usually sessile (at least on main stems); lamina 9-20 ´ 1-4 mm, usually linear (l:b = 5-9) but sometimes narrowly triangular-lanceolate or linear-oblong (l:b = 2.5-4), or occasionally broadly ovate to elliptic or obovate, but then small (c. 5-10 ´ 4-5 mm), base cuneate, paler but not glaucous beneath. Inflorescence occasionally congested, with branches relatively short, straight or curved-ascending. Petals with laminar glands all pale or rarely mostly black. Capsule valves with lateral vittae swollen at base (but not forming a regular distal row) or ± interrupted to punctiform and wholly swollen (vesicular).
Southern Russia, the Ukraine (Krym) and the Caucasus region east to Kazakhstan and N. India (Uttar Pradesh) and west to the Mediterranean region and southern Europe (N. to central France, southern Germany and southern Poland) and extending to Macaronesia, north-west Africa, Sudan Republic (Jebel Marra) and Saudi Arabia (Asir). Introduced into Hawaii, Australia and South Africa. Records of var. angustifolium from Canada and the U.S.A. would appear to refer to the narrow-leaved form of subsp. perforatum found in dry habitats in England (see p. ). The record of H. perforatum from Karpathos (Turland, Chilton & Press, 1993: 94) is an error for H. tetrapterum.
H. perforatum var. collinum Woron. (from Georgia) and records of H. veronense and H. perforatum var. veronense from the Crimea (Vulff, 1953: 110) and the Caucasus region both apparently refer to a narrow-leaved form of subsp. veronense with interrupted rather than vesicular lateral capsule vittae.
Note: Lindberg's "H. perforatum L. *Veronense (Schrank)" is to be regarded as a new combination at subspecies rank. He indicated new combinations at varietal rank in this paper by an initial small letter.
The varietal epithet angustifolium has previously always been attributed to De Candolle, but Borkhausen's H. perforatum angustifolium has priority. By the date of his publication, a trinomial is assumed to be a variety. Borkhausen's type, however, is unknown (Stafleu & Mennega, 1993: 340); and so whether his plant belongs to the narrow-leaved Mediterranean form with vesicular capsule glands (var. angustifolium DC.) or a narrow-leaved form of var. perforatum (with vittate, not vesicular capsule valves) cannot be ascertained. In either case De Candolle's var. angustifolium is a later homonym. However, as the variation between narrow-leaved plants with large and small leaves in the Mediterranean region is continuous, allowing the recognition of no more than one taxon, De Candolle's epithet microphyllum is available for it as a variety.
Neither Professor Garbari (Univ. of Pisa; in litt.) nor I have been able to locate type material of this 'species' H. veronense Schrank, which, according to Prof. Garbari, does not grow now at the type locality. (Schrank himself refers to strenuous efforts to extirpate it, even at that time.) There is no doubt, however, that Schrank's plants belonged to the narrow-leaved Mediterranean subspecies, even though the plants that he grew from their seeds were somewhat larger with leaves (some or all?) shortly petiolate. In the absence of type material, a neotype is therefore required:- Italy, Verona, Anfiteatro di Verona, August 1874, Cesati s.n. (RO!-neotype, Cicarelli, Garbari & Robson, 2002, ined.).
A specimen from the Czech Republic, Hodkovicka [Prague], 25 July 1850 (fr),Opiz (PR!), labelled "Hypericum stenophyllum Opiz" by Opiz himself, is subsp. veronense and, in the apparent absence of the syntypes, can be taken as a representative specimen of his species.