Epitypification of Prunus × nudiflora (Rosaceae), a natural hybrid species in Jeju Island, Korea

Abstract

Prunus × nudiflora is an endemic species to Jeju Island, South Korea and economically important as ornamentals. According to recent molecular phylogenetic and genomic studies, this species is revealed as a F1 hybrid originating from a cross between maternal Prunus pendula f. ascendens and paternal Prunus jamasakura. However, the plate specimen designated as type materials of P. × nudiflora does not permit a precise application of the name because of its poor condition. The herbarium specimens related with that illustration were examined to clarify the identity of P. × nudiflora, and an epitype is selected. Our epitypification proposed here will ensure nomenclatural accuracy for most material from cultivation, where the name P. × nudiflora is widely used. Keywords: Epitypification, Endemic species, Prunus × nudiflora, Rosaceae, South Korea