Ammar Bader Sir

Senna italica (Italian senna) named so despite not growing in Italy because the name likely refers to its historical association with the Italian peninsula during the period of European botanical exploration, where the plant was studied and classified even though its native range is actually in tropical Africa and other arid regions of the world; essentially, the "italica" part of the name reflects the historical context of its identification rather than its current geographic distribution.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senna_italica

https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.1079/cabicompendium.11442

Thanks!

Ammar Bader Sir

Senna italica does not grow in Spain but its common name is "Spanish senna".

Thanks!

see for answer the protologue by Miller in 1768 https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/394481#page/1069/mode/1up

He was already aware of the problem!

cheers

Dear Ammar, As you know Senna italica is native to regions in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. The name "italica" does not reflect its natural habitat but rather a historical or taxonomic artifact. anyway may the researchers has a different reason.

There is no chance to correct the first name, if other conditions (diagnosis, holotype) were contended. Author has absolute right to named a willow from Shanghai - Salix babylonica, lowland herb Epimedium alpinum, etc...

This is the second species named by Miller that does not occur in the area according to the epithet : apart from Senna italica mentionned here, there is also Pinus halepensis, that does not grow in Halep but is more common on Western Mediterranean countries.

Morever, I learned, for example Scilla peruviana, which grows particulary in North Africa and Iberian peninsula, that epithet was given according to the name of the boat that brought specimen to Linnaeus, and so, the epithet doesn't mean that the actual plant can be found (or is native) to the area used namely. I think this should apply too, for Lotus creticus, since the species is absent from Crete island.