What happened to Linnaeus’s Iris florentina? Re-evaluation of this taxon at species level

Iris florentina is a species of Iris with white flowers belonging to the bearded group (subg. Iris, sect. Iris). In ancient times it was cultivated around Florence (Italy) and in other parts of southern Europe and was validly described by Linnaeus in 1759. However, this early name has been used since by many authors to indicate a number of different entities of whiteflowered irises that do not always match the Linnaean description. This has resulted in a certain taxonomic confusion that is here reconstructed and illustrated. The results of our investigations show that I. florentina should be re-evaluated at the species level and not considered an albino variety of I. germanica. A neotype is here proposed. This study also shows that the name I. albicans must be considered a later synonym for I. florentina, while I. alba describes a different white-flowered Iris related to I. germanica.