3.1. Alternanthera bettzickiana (Regel) G.Nicholson, Ill. Dict. Gard. 1: 59. 1884

≡ Telanthera bettzickiana Regel,

Index Seminum (LE, Petropolitanus): 28. 1862.

Lectotype (designated here): — Ex horto bot. Petropolitano, s.d., Regel 619 (LE00012018!, image of the lectotype available at https:// plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.le00012018?loggedin=true).

Typification of the name Telanthera bettzickiana: Regel (1862a: 28) validly published Telanthera bettzickiana by a detailed description; a doubtful provenance (“Patria Brasilia (?)”) was also given, as well as (“Rgl.”) which means that Regel collected at least one specimen (syntype according to the Art. 9.6 of ICN). Note that the same description was published few months later than Regel’s Index Seminum (may vs. january) by Regel himself in the volume no. 11 of his Gartenflora (Regel 1862b: 178). There is a specimen at LE (LE00012018), where Regel’s herbarium and types are mainly preserved (HUH Index of Botanists 2013a), bearing two branches of a plant with flowers and leaves, labelled “Ex horto bot. Petropolitano 619 | Telanthera Bettzickiana | Rgl [Regel] ”. This specimen, which matches Regel’s original description, is here designated as the lectotype of the name Telanthera bettzickiana.

Alien status:― Neophyte, native to South America (POWO 2023); it can be considered as casual in Saudi Arabia [see Miller & Cope (1996) who stated that it was “only collected once in Arabia ”].

Occurrence in Saudi Arabia:― POWO (2023) reports Alternanthera bettzickiana for Saudi Arabia, but no pertinent literature is cited; the only reference to the Arabian Peninsula is that by Patzelt et al. (2020: 427) who, however, refers to the sultanate of Oman (Western Hajar Mountains, Misfat Al Abriyyin). The species was not recorded by Chaudhary (1998). We traced only two references in which this species was reported, viz. Al-Eisawi & Al-Ruzayza (2015) and Miller & Cope (1996), both at Makkah. No specimen was traced by us.