Personalities of Russian amateur botany, 1. Leontius Petrovich Alexandrov (1857–1929), and the neglected protologue of Alchemilla propinqua H.Lindb.

Authors

• Alexander N. Sennikov Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki

Abstract

Leontius Petrovich Alexandrov (1857–1929) was a paediatric surgeon (in urology) in Moscow. As an amateur botanist he collected plants in 1914–1924, mostly Alchemilla, in Moscow and its nearest vicinities, as well as in the former Yaroslavl, Vyatka and Perm Regions. His collections, including types of Alchemilla, are housed at the Komarov Botanical Institute (LE) and the Herbarium of the Museum of History and Culture of the Central Kama Region in Sarapul, Udmurt Republic, Russia. The name Alchemilla propinqua H.Lindb. ex Alexandrov et Nekr. was validly published presumably in the first half of 1923 in the popular book Garden-with-Fun and its vegetation [Neskuchny Sad i ego rastitelnost] by L. P. Alexandrov and V. L. Nekrasova, accompanied with a descriptive matter in Russian. This book clearly predates the article with the same species name by S. V. Juzepczuk that was printed on the last day of 1923. The validating description of A. propinqua was provided by the book authors, to whom the plant name is to be attributed. The name A. propinqua is lectotypified here by a specimen kept at LE and collected by Alexandrov in Moscow.