J.G.C. Lehmann's 'Botanical Observations' of 1818 on Coldenia, Colsmannia, Cynoglossum, and Omphalodes (commented translation)

Abstract An annotated English translation of a German early 19th century text including Latin diagnoses is presented with a high-quality scan of the original publication and direct links to the cited pages with taxon and literature citations (including TL-2 entries).


Introduction
Lehmann JGC (1818) Botanische Beobachtungen.Coldenia, Colsmannia, Cynoglossum, Omphalodes.Der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin Magazin für die neuesten Entdeckungen in der gesammten Naturkunde, Vol. 8 (1814-1818): 91-100, with 4 Figures (Plates IV-VII) [Apparently in the printed paper the plates referred to as IV to VII in the text were misnumbered I to IV, and the numbering corrected by hand at least in the attached copy and the online version from Göttingen [Lehmann 1818].For a pdf of the original publication see Suppl.material 1.
Many contributions on Boraginaceae by German botanists up to the late 20th century were published in discontinued serial publications and have rarely if ever been cited in modern scholarly literature.Unawareness of such previous studies may lead to loss of valuable information and avoidable misunderstandings.A paper by Dandy and Stearn (1961), "What is Cynoglossum lusitanicum L.", is a particularly good example, as the topic had -with similar results as to the assignment of C. lusitanicum to the genus Omphalodes -already been discussed by Lehmann in 1818, not cited in that article.When discussing this apparently language-related issue with other taxonomists, the suggestion was made to make these older papers available in English.We accordingly are here starting a series of republications of such valuable older literature.To improve readability, we translated the text, which is written in a 200-year-old German, not literally but freely whenever helpful for better clarity, using also Stearn 1992.In Lehmann's text we checked and completed his citations [in square brackets], linking them to online resources with the original literature, as available.If necessary, we applied current names based on recent phylogenetic investigations of the mentioned taxa.Plant names in footnotes are cited in conformity with international standards, adapted from IPNI.In the references we added links to the publication corresponding to each, with standard abbreviation, from the online version of Stafleu and Cowan 1979 (onward): "Taxonomic Literature II (TL-2): Taxonomic Literature: A selective guide to botanical publications and collections with dates, commentaries and types (Stafleu et al.)" at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.
Translation [additions and comments by the authors in square brackets; portions in navy blue color are those that were translated from Latin] Coldenia This genus belongs to the Pentandria Monogynia among the nutlet-bearing Asperifoliae , its closest relative being the genus Heliotropium.Linné [Linnaeus 1753: 125] grouped it with his Tetrandria Tetragynia, and it has been retained in that position by most botanists, even by Willdenow and Persoon .Tracing back to Linné's first editions of his Species Plantarum reveals though that he had not had the opportunity to adequately investigate this plant [Coldenia procumbens] as he specifically states that "Others may study the fruiting on live plants, I did not see it achieved".
Gaertner [Gaertner 1788], in his work "De fructibus et seminibus plantarum Vol. 1. p. 329", assigns to this genus four stamens and a style with two stigmas.Jussieu [Jussieu 1789] (Genera Plant.pag.130) followed Linné's generic characters but adds the question "does Coldenia rather have five stamens?", especially because he had received a second species which according to Dombey's affirmation displayed a calyx as well as a corolla with five incisions and thus needed to be classified with Pentandria Monogynia.The plant he refers to is identical to the one described by Dr.The habitus of the plants clearly indicates that the genus Tiquilia belongs to Coldenia .The affiliation of Coldenia to the nutlet-bearing Asperifoliae is evident from a comparison with its next of kin Heliotropium, and I would consider Coldenia procumbens as only an a b n o r m a l species, if I had not personally seen pentamerous and pentandrous flowers on several plants collected in Guinea.Only the lowest flowers mostly lacked the fifth part in calyx and corolla as well as the fifth stamen, but all were monogynous.-In no case did I find 'bilocular nuts' which had also been reported for Coldenia procumbens, but rather in every case I identified four distinct, basally connate nutlets , two of which were sometimes not fully developed.
2) Anthers with a free base, in no way connected.3) Nutlets with a perforate base. Obs.
2) The species that shows these generic characters was collected in the Orient by Tournefort, if I'm not mistaken.
[7] ^ Apparently Lehmann did not recognize that "nutlets" are parts of the fruit.

Colsmannia flava [Lehm.] Plate IV. [Fig. 1]
Root brown, white inside, woody in the upper part, apparently perennial.Stems several, erect, simple, half-foot and more [>15 cm], like the whole plant very densely covered with yellow, appressed, soft hairs, thus the species name "flava".Leaves perfectly entire, sericeous, obovate-lanceolate, somewhat obtuse,        This genus is distinct in the first place from all other members of the family Boraginaceae or Asperifoliae by its petaloid calyx.As I have already mentioned, it most closely resembles the genus Onosma [Linnaeus 1762: 196], and within it, Onosma sericeum .The genus Triplaris , a tree in the Dioecia Decandria, has a rather similar calyx, except that, same as the corolla of that plant, it only has three parts.
I have named this genus after my revered friend, Professor Colsmann from Copenhagen; already well known to all botanists by his exemplary description of the plants belonging to Gratiola collected by Dr. König; and even more so by his vast knowledge of all domains of natural sciences and by the rare largesse by which he grants access to his excellent botanical, entomological, and mineralogical collections to anyone desiring to educate himself; a forthcoming that earned him wide-ranging reverence and affection.

CYNOGLOSSUM -OMPHALODES
These two genera markedly differ in habit and especially by the strikingly different aspects of their seed, which in the case of Omphalodes one would hardly call nutlets, were it not in order to include them among the nutlet-bearing Asperifoliae.Initially separated, they later were reunited by most botanists.At first, I would like to make some general remarks ), a different species, and the described characteristics seem to support that view.However, the study of specimens from the local [Berlin] botanical garden convinced me that this is not true and I suspect that, only due to a slip of the pen of Willdenow was the calyx said to be larger (or better, longer) than the corolla.had originally proposed.The latter author must have considered it to be different from the Cynoglossum laevigatum of his father, because he chose to describe it under a d i f f e r e n t name, in contrast to Willdenow's [Willdenow 1798] (Spec.plant.T. I, P. 2. p. 763) e r r o n e o u s quote.Now this Cynoglossum laevigatum has been assigned by Schultes [Schultes 1809 : 30], along with some other species [of the genus Cynoglossum] to a separate genus newly named Mattia .At a first glance, Cynoglossum laevigatum along with lanatum and umbellatum seem indeed to make up an own genus, considering the differences in flowers and seeds.But if one compares the flowers and seeds of Cynoglossum glastifolium, angustifolium, stamineum, cristatum, lateriflorum and some other less known species, which Mr. Schultes [Schultes 1809] perhaps did not have the opportunity to compare, the transition to the remaining Cynoglossa is very striking, and I thus believe that these species may not be considered to constitute a genus of their own.If one persists in separating them, they should at least be left under the earlier and more commonly known generic name    Growing in shady places along foothills in southern Europe.[symbol:] perennial herb (seen alive).
This plant has long been generally known as an ornament of gardens due to its early, pretty flowers, and has been described several times.

Fig. b .
Fig. b.two mature nutlets in natural size and position.

Fig.
Fig. d. a cross section through a nutlet.

Fig. e .
Fig. e. the lower part of (d) from below.
Omphalodes littoralis.(tome)O[mphalodes]. with basal leaves spathulate, the cauline ones sessile, oblong, upper ones ovate, widened at base, papillose, strigose at margin, racemes with bracts.Root perpendicular, absolutely simple.Stem erect, one finger long, glabrous.Leaves papillose, green-glaucous, under the lens [when magnified] with strigose margin; the basal ones spathulate; the cauline ones sessile, oblong, widened at base, one half inch [1.25 cm] long.Racemes axillary and terminal, bracteate.Bracts of the same shape as stem-borne leaves but smaller and more ovate.Pedicels well-spaced, filiform, almost one inch [2.5 cm] long, erecto-patent, finally patent, slightly strigose.Calyces five-parted, with strigose base, and ovatelanceolate lobes.Corolla as in O. linifolia.Nutlets four, urceolate, smooth, subglabrous under the lens [when magnified] with hairy base, membrane inflexed, ciliate at margin: cilia white hyaline.Growing in France and Portugal [symbol:] biennial herb (seen alive).This plant is also generally known, and is grown as an ornamental in most gardens.By cultivation the leaves become two to three times longer and much broader.Also most likely belonging to this genus is Cynoglossum lusitanicum Linn.[Linnaeus 1762], which I personally am unfamiliar with, and furthermore perhaps Cynoglossum lusitanicum Fortis [Fortis 1771].
5)Habitat: occurring on the maritime coasts of western France.[symbol:]biennialherb (dry material seen).Obs.I.Differs from O. linifolia: in its lower stature, the shape and width of the leaves; the presence and shape of bracts; and the border of the nutlet membrane that is ciliate but not dentate.I have seen this plant in several herbaria of French botanists under the name Cynoglossum linifolium and have also received it under that name.6) Omphalodes linifolia.Moench.Icon.Barrel.[Barrelier 1714] Icon.[. 309] 1234.Moris.[Morison 1699] Hist.3. Sect.11. t. 3. [in fact: 30] f. 11.