Recollection of Leontopodium stracheyi (Gnaphalieae, Asteraceae) from the Indian Western Himalaya after nearly a century, with notes on its taxonomy, distribution and typification

Floristic exploration in Uttarakhand, India, resulted in the recollection of Leontopodium stracheyi (Hook.f.) C.B.Clarke ex Hemsl. from Gunji valley, Pithoragarh district after a lapse of 95 years. The last known collection from India was made in 1929 from Ralam valley, in the same district. The present study confirms the continued occurrence of L. stracheyi within its historical Indian range. A detailed taxonomic account is provided, including an updated morphological description, habitat, and distributional information, a digital photoplate, and a diagnostic comparison with morphologically similar and nomenclaturally associated taxa. The nomenclature of the species is further reassessed, and a lectotype is designated. The newly collected georeferenced vouchers provide an important contemporary reference for future taxonomic, ecological and conservation assessments of L. stracheyi .