Photinia melanocarpa (Michx.) K.R. Robertson & J.B. Phipps, Syst. Bot.

Pyrus angustifolia var. melanocarpa (Michx.) M.J. Young, Familiar Lessons Bot. 259. 1873.

Mespilus arbutifolia var. melanocarpa Michx.,Flor.Bor.-Amer. View in CoL 1:292.1803 (“β. melanocarpa ”). Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliott,Sketch Bot. S.Carolina View in CoL 1(6):557. 1821 ( “ Melanocarpa ”). Pyrus arbutifolia var. melanocarpa (Michx.) Hook., Fl. Bor.-Amer. View in CoL 1(4):204. 1832 (“β. melanocarpa ”).

Photinia melanocarpa (Michx.) K.R. Robertson & J.B. Phipps, Syst. Bot. View in CoL 16:391.1991.

TYPE: “ Mespilus a [sic] fruit noir| Mespilus arbutifolia fructo nigro| Tres [sic] Hautes Montagnes de| la Caroline Septentrionale et| Canada; aussi Connecticut, Boston,|etc.” and auxiliary label “ Mespilus arbutifolia | Amelanchier d’Ameri.|fruit noir. Canada |Mistassin et Quebec ” [ LECTOTYPE, designated by Uttall (1984:200): P-MICH (as IDC microfiche 6211.65: III.6!)] .

Young (1873) clearly associated “Var., melanocarpa ” with Pyrus angustifolia Ait. Her brief description of the variety is taken directly from Chapman (1860) and her equally brief description of the species is almost word for word the same as Chapman’s (1860) description of P. arbutifolia var. melanocarpa , which Chapman associated with “ Aronia melanocarpa Elliott [sic].” The variety published by Young (1873) is interpreted here as a new combination made by indirect reference to the basionym. Why she chose to associate this variety with P. angustifolia rather than P. arbutifolia L. is unknown although it appears to have been done in error. In Chapman (1860), the description of P. arbutifolia is sandwiched between a description of P. angustifolia and a description of P. arbutifolia var. erythrocarpa (Michx.) Torr. It is easy to imagine Young (or Buckley) inadvertently associating the variety with the wrong species as she (he) hastily cut and pasted descriptions.