Botanical Type Specimens: Defining Syntypes

In botanical nomenclature, type specimens are essential references for plant names. The protologue encompasses all the information published when a name was first proposed, including the original description and any cited specimens.

When an author describes a new species, they may cite multiple specimens in the original publication (the protologue). If no single specimen is explicitly designated as the holotype (the primary type specimen), then all the specimens cited become equally important.

These specimens cited in the protologue, when no holotype was designated, are known as Syntypes. Each syntype serves as a potential name-bearing type.

Other related terms include:

• Isotype: A duplicate of the holotype.
• Paratype: A specimen cited in the protologue that is not the holotype or a syntype.
• Epitype: A specimen later designated to provide an interpretive type when the original types are ambiguous or missing.

Based on the definition provided – "any one of the two or more specimens cited by the author in the protologue when no holotype is designated" – the correct term is Syntype.