The taxonomy of Lobelia × speciosa s.l. and its parental species, L. siphilitica and L. cardinalis s.l. (Lobeliaceae)

Abstract

Nomenclatural proposals are Lobelia cardinalis L. subsp. cardinalis var. cardinalis f. hispidula (E. Wimmer) Bowden; L. cardinalis L. subsp. graminea (Lam.) McVaugh var. propinqua (Paxton) Bowden f. × propinqua (= f. cordigera × f. splendens), var. propinqua f. cordigera (Cav.) Bowden, and var. propinqua f. splendens (Humb. & Bonpl. ex. Willd.) Bowden; L. × speciosa Sweet nm. schneckii Bowden (= L. siphilitica L. var. siphilitica × L. cardinalis L. var. cardinalis); and L. × speciosa Sweet nm. occidentalis Bowden (= L. siphilitica L. var. ludoviciana A.DC. × L. cardinalis L. subsp. graminea (Lam.) McVaugh var. phyllostachya (Engelm.) McVaugh). During the past 40 years, a complex group of tetraploid hybrids has been developed by the author by crossing, selfing, and backcrossing and with much selection of superior cultivars. The ancestral plants of these tetraploid clonal hybrids were L. siphilitica var. siphilitica, L. cardinalis subsp. cardinalis var. cardinalis, and L. cardinalis subsp. graminea var. propinqua cv. Queen Victoria and cv. Illumination. It is proposed to name the clonal hybrids: L. × speciosa Sweet (Canadian Tetraploid group) cv. Brightness, cv. Oakes Ames, etc.