Fibigia obovata (Boiss. & Kotschy) Boiss., Fl. Orient. 1: 258. 1867.

 Farsetia obovata Boiss. & Kotschy in Boiss., Diagn. Pl. Orient. ser. 2, 5: 27. 1856.

 Acuston perenne subsp. obovatum (Boiss. & Kotschy) Mabb. & Al-Shehbaz in Novon 25: 415. 2017.

Type: “Hab. in jugis frigidis Antilibani supra Bludan alt. 6300' (Ky exs. 152!)”.

Holotypus: SYRIA: “Circa Zebdaine prope Damascum. In jugis frigidis inter Bludan et Halbun pagum”, 6500' [1980 m], 17.VI.1855, Kotschy 142 (G-BOIS [G00332308]; iso-: B [B100241465], BM [BM001254080], E [E00373134], GZU [GZU000273463], K [K000618642], KW [KW000127920], LE, MPU [MPU017097], P [P00747701, P06618104, P06618105], W [W0075786, W0075787]) (Fig. 16, p. 60).

= Acuston petalodes (DC.) Al-Shehbaz (see following entry).

Notes. – Boissier in Flora Orientalis erred by listing under Fibigia obovata the earlier published Alyssum petalodes DC. as a synonym. Fibigia obovata is not illegitimate being based on a legitimate name. It is incorrect when published. The following entry with a new combination is proposed to recognize the taxon in Acuston.

The holotype is a collection folder of two sheets. The above barcoded sheet has four groups of plants (Fig. 16, p. 60), of which one is pinned by Kotschy’s printed label with the full locality and date as above, another by a smaller label on which Boissier wrote the collection number 142, and the remaining two by labels on which Boissier wrote “ Syrie Liban Kotschy 1855” with “ Farsetia obovata sp. nov. ” on one of them. The second sheet of the holotype consists of flowering and fruiting plant mounted by a label with “ Syrie Liban Kotschy 1855” but without species name. The entire folder represents a single collection.

BOISSIER (1856) did not give Kotschy’s collection number, but in Flora Orientalis erroneously gave Kotschy 152 instead of Kotschy 142 and the elevation at 6300 instead of 6500 feet. Furthermore, no specimen in the Geneva herbaria or in any of the herbaria cited above for the isotypes has the locality Manschura [currently Mansoura]. Clearly, there is a single collection made by Kotschy for the species. It is rather surprising, however, that Boissier in Flora Orientalis did not list Farsetia obovata in the text or index.

Although POST (1896, 1932), followed by MOUTERDE (1970), reduced F. obovata to a variety of F. clypeata, they are clearly very distinct species. Fibigia clypeata is a much taller plant usually more than 30 cm tall (vs 2–10 cm) and has fully or only basally bracteate (vs ebracteate), 10–40-fruited (vs 1–3-fruited) infructescence with typically oblong (vs narrowly obovate) fruit widest at the middle (vs distally).

The Syrian F. obovata was most recently recognized by AL-SHEHBAZ& MABBERLEY (2017) as a subspecies of the Aegean Acuston perenne (Mill.) Mabb. & Al-Shehbaz (= A. lunarioides (Willd.) Raf.) based on some similarities in floral and fruit characters. However, the disjunction of 1000 km between the Aegean and Syrian plants, as well as morphological differences presented by these authors, are considered here as important factors leading to the recognition of two species in Acuston Raf., instead of one with two subspecies.