A new name and seventeen new combinations in the Magnolia (Magnoliaceae) of China and Vietnam

Background A new name is proposed and seventeen new combinations are made as a result of the previous reduction of the remaining genera of subfamily Magnolioideae (Magnoliaceae) into the genus Magnolia. Results The replacement name Magnolia fansipanensis is proposed for Manglietia crassifolia Q. N. Vu et al., since its transfer to Magnolia would create an illegitimate later homonym of the fossil name M. crassifolia Göpp. A further 17 new combinations are made to transfer the following taxa to Magnolia: Manglietia guangzhouensis A. Q. Dong et al., M. kaifui Q. W. Zeng & X. M. Hu, M. lawii N. H. Xia & W. F. Liao, plus Michelia concinna H. Jiang & E. D. Liu, M. jianfenglingensis G. A. Fu & K. Pan, M. viridipetala Y. W. Law et al., M. wuzhishangensis G. A. Fu & K. Pan, M. xianianhei Q. N. Vu and Yulania carnosa D. L. Fu & D. L. Zhang, Y. cuneatofolia T. B. Chao (probably Zhao) et al., Y. dabieshanensis T. B. Zhao et al., Y. dimorpha T. B. Zhao & Z. X. Chen, Y. fragarigynandria T. B. Zhao et al., Y. shirenshanensis D. L. Fu & T. B. Zhao, Y. shizhenii D. L. Fu & F. W. Li, Y. verrucata D. L. Fu et al. and Y. xinyangensis T. B. Zhao et al. Conclusions The transfer of the above taxa to Magnolia is necessary following the present almost universal recognition of Magnolioideae as one of two monogeneric subfamilies within Magnoliaceae. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1999-3110-54-53) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.


Background
The authors of a number of new magnoliaceous taxa from China and Vietnam described in recent years have followed the treatment of Magnoliaceae in the Flora of China (Xia et al. 2008), where Manglietia and Michelia are retained and Yulania is reinstated as segregate genera in subfamily Magnolioideae. In the present account, 17 new combinations are made and one new name is proposed in accordance with the relegation of all remaining genera of subfamily Magnolioideae into Magnolia by Figlar (2000), Figlar and Nooteboom (2004).

Methods
The new combinations and new name proposed in this paper are made in compliance with the rules and recommendations of the 2011 International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants (ICN), known as The Melbourne Code (McNeill, Turland et al. 2012), in particular ICN Article 41 and Recommendation 41A in respect of new combinations and replacement names.

Results and discussion
The problematic past 150 year history of the family Magnoliaceae is too lengthy to detail here. Suffice it to say that with the sinking of all remaining genera of the previously contentious subfamily Magnolioideae into Magnolia, that there is at last relative stability in this subfamily that would appear will require minimal refinement or disruptive changes in the future. For the most comprehensive accounts of past changes ultimately leading to almost universal acceptance of the family Magnoliaceae as consisting of two subfamilies, Liriodendroideae represented only by Liriodendron, and the now monogeneric Magnolioideae comprising all its former genera, including Michelia and Manglietia, now under Magnolia, the reader is referred to the historical records provided by Richard (Dick) Figlar, the former president of Magnolia Society International, that have appeared in various publications since the first International Symposium on Family Magnoliaceae (Figlar 2000and particularly Figlar 2006, Figlar 2012.
As Figlar makes clear in his later papers, the advent of molecular DNA sequencing data, in conjunction with on-going morphological study, especially of living plants, has allowed critical analysis of the taxonomic relationships of subfamily Magnolioideae taxa during the last ca. 20 years, that has surpassed any understanding of the classification of the subfamily that had accrued in the preceding more than a century of mainly morphological research.
The findings of the studies of numerous researchers that are most pertinent to the present paper (DNA analysis by Azuma et al. 1999, 2001, Kim et al. 2001, Nie et al. 2008, Wang et al. 2006, plus others; morphological studies by Figlar 2000, Figlar andNooteboom 2004), have provided convincing evidence that both Manglietia and Michelia are nested within the genus Magnolia, the former under Subgenus Magnolia Section Manglietia and the latter under Subgenus Yulania Section Michelia, Subsection Michelia.
In accordance with the above findings, a number of new combinations are made here, representing three species of Manglietia, five species of Michelia and nine species of Yulania named and described between 2008 and 2012 that are now transferred to Magnolia. Also, since its epithet in Magnolia is unavailable, Manglietia crassifolia, named in 2011, is renamed as Magnolia fansipanensis to reflect its occurrence on the north-eastern slopes of Mount Fansipan, the 'roof of Indo-China'.
Magnolia Note 1 -There is an apparent orthographical error in the original epithet which should be 'cuneatifolia' , as this Latin compound should be formed by the connecting vowel -i-. (ICN Art. 60.1 -"the original spelling of a name or epithet is to be retained, except for the correction of typographical or orthographical errors"). Note 2 -There is a probable error in the lead author's name which may be T. B. Zhao as for the specimen collector's name. Note 3 -While the paper in which Yulania cuneatofolia is named as a new species is titled "Two new species of Yulania Spach from Hubei Province", this species is only noted in that paper as occurring in Henan Province, as for the type specimens above.
Magnolia 53.1, also ICN Art. 11.8 Note 5 -"in accordance with Art. 53, later homonyms are illegitimate whether the type is fossil or non-fossil"). Note 2 -The species is renamed after Vietnam's highest mountain, Mount Fansipan, which the present authors climbed in 2007 (Callaghan 2008), and 2010, and on whose northeastern slopes the species occurs in small numbers between 1800-2000 m. Note 3 -As the lead author and the collector are the same person (Vu Quang Nam), there would appear to be an irregular citation in the name of this collector of the nomenclatural type and its duplicate. While the use of a person's given name is customary as a primary form of address in Vietnam, its use in an international scientific journal is potentially confusing.
Magnolia fragarigynandria (T. B. Zhao, Z. X. Chen & and its duplicate, since the author and collector is the same person (Vu Quang Nam). While the use of a person's given name is customary as a primary form of address in Vietnam, its use in an international scientific journal is potentially confusing.

Conclusions
The transfer of the above eighteen taxa to Magnolia is necessary following the present near universal acceptance that Magnolioideae is one of two monogeneric subfamilies within Magnoliaceae and the fact that the majority of resulting new combinations and names arising from the relegation of Manglietia and Michelia into Magnolia have previously been made by various authors such as Figlar (2000) for the majority of Michelia species, Kumar (2006) for the majority of Manglietia species, with Sima (2001) transferring some further Michelia species and Nooteboom (in Xia et al. 2008:49-50) transferring a number of species from both genera.