From just a few to the most type-rich herbarium for Veronica L. (Plantaginaceae) – The effect of digitization of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle herbarium in Paris

Digitization of herbaria has revolutionized taxonomy, bringing type specimens dispersed globally to within a mouse-click of the researcher. Still, it requires in-depth taxonomic knowledge to identify the specimens as type and often determination on the species level is difficult or impossible due to the limitations of the resolution of photos online. The digitization of the herbarium Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris (P) has brought some of the oldest and type-rich collections of plants online. After investigation and redetermination of the about 16 000 specimens of Veronica L. in P, I checked the type status of these. Whereas previously only eight type specimens of Veronica were known from P, my investigations revealed more than 100 type specimens, among them 34 new lectotypes and 177 new isolectotypes. These include those of names published by Vaillant, Lamarck and Humboldt, Bonpland and Kunth to many duplicates of collections used by Boissier and more recent French botanists. In many instances the taxonomy of the respective name has been clarified, in others they will certainly do so in the future. The respective specimens are from collections worldwide and attest to the importance and intensive collection of the general herbarium, as well as the collectors of its major subherbaria like Cosson and Drake. The study should encourage other taxonomists to pay more attention to the rich collection in P.