Berberis swaseyi Buckley, Southern Horticulturist 2(1):14. 1870 (“ Swaseyii ”); M.J. Young, Familiar Lessons Bot. 152. 1873 (“Swaseyi”).

Alloberberis swaseyi (Buckley) C.C. Yu & K.F. Chung, Taxon 66:1387.2017.

TYPE: U.S.A. Texas. Hays Co.: Sine loc., s.d., S.B. Buckley ” (NEOTYPE, designated here: NY!-Columbia College Herbarium; POSSIBLE ISONEOTYPE: PH [PH00007702]!).

Watson (1878) and subsequent authors cite Young (1873) as the place of publication of Buckley’s species, which is incorrect. The name was published several years earlier by Buckley in one of the many agricultural journals that were popular in 19th century America. In the protologue of Berberis swaseyi, Buckley (1870a) indicates that he found this species with ripe fruit in the beginning of June 1866 in Hays County, Texas. Later, Young (1873) described the shrub’s distribution as “Western Texas on the Perdinales [sic] River” and stated that the species flowered in February and March and that fruit was ripe in early June. This is consistent with the type description since the Pedernales River passes through northern Hays County, and we know that Buckley (1874) considered anything west of the Colorado River to be Western Texas. No original material has been located. The neotype designated here is a specimen in the Columbia College Herbarium (now NY) from Hays Co. labeled in ink by Buckley. According to Newberry (1884), Columbia College (now University) received about 300 specimens of Texas plants from Buckley in 1883–1884 and they probably were received when Buckley visited New York City in early 1884 shortly before he died. The specimen selected as neotype has ripe fruit, which is mentioned in the protologue. Possible isoneotype material (PH), also in fruit, is labeled in ink by Buckley “ Berberis Swaseyi Buckley, Hays Co. Texas, April 2/81, S.B. Buckley.” However, given that the neotype is undated and the possible isoneotype is dated, there is no way of ascertaining now if these two specimens are part of a single gathering.