Thanks Guruchahran ji for your comments. I work with Traditional Healers. They don't have basic modern education. They are not aware whether ovary is superior or inferior but still they identify the plants without any mistake. There is no chance of mistake as they have to use it for patients. Small error may lead to the death of patients. They identify plants from distance. I have observed that they have far more information than our standard floras have. They don't use modern scientific names (and methods of quoting it) but still they know much more than the socalled experts. Ayurveda is in front of us as example, without modern complexities of modern nomenclature.
I feel that along with adopting modern science there is need to learn methods of ancient science specially for plant identification. I show my pictures to Traditional Healers. Without any delay they identify it from picture. They don't ask for pictures of all parts. They identify it even from one or two leaf stage. I feel that we must learn this art of identification, instead of wasting time to "please" the western researchers. Lets world follow our system of nomenclature if they want to learn from Indian experiences. Please correct me, if I am wrong. regards Pankaj Oudhia On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 8:39 AM, Gurcharan Singh<[email protected]> wrote: > Amit ji, Padmani ji and other nonbotany colleagues > > All of us are bound by one thing: Love for photography, love for nature and > curiosity to know what plant I have clicked. In that no one is botanist or > nonbotanist. All of us also want our plant to be identified correctly, and > it is here that botanical names come in handy, and they are more meaningful > when author name is attached. > > No garden lover would have miised the common garden flower cornflower. We > all also know that it is botanically Centaurea cyanus, but incidently it is > also known as bachelor's button, blue bottle, ragged robin. If you search > for blue bottle on the internet, you will reach Centaurea cyanus, Muscari > neglectum, species of Gentiana or even an insect Calliphora vomitoria. > Safeda for us in Delhi and elsewhere is Eucalyptus spp. but if ask any one > from Kashmir for a twig of Safeda, he/she will give you Populus spp. All > these problems are not there when using botanical name. Each species will > have only one accepted scientific name, known all over the world. You can > extract all common names for this plant, not vice versa as indicated above. > > And now the names with authors. I will just give you just yesterday's > example.Swagat ji (17625) uploaded a photograph which I identified as Atropa > acuminata Royle., appropriately known as Indian belladona, a very important > medicinal plant common in Himalayas. If you look for its description in > Older Indian books you will find it identified as A. belladona Linn., the > European bellodona L. which looks totally different (see it on Flowers of > India-often cultivated in gardens). So won't you like to know whether your > plant is belladona (deadly-nightshade) or Indian belladona. Botanically it > can be written (as per present practice in Indiantreepix and Flowers of > India): > > Atropa acuminata Syn: A. belladona > > What is your opinion is it correct? > > or else this one is better: > > Atropa acuminata Royle Sy: A. belladona Clarke (non L.) > > Make your choice, shortcut and confusion or clarity. > > Not to forget,many experts here in the group burn midnight oil to see that > your plants are correctly identified. A plant sent by me at 1.30 in night > was identified by Pankaj ji at 2.15 at night. We can all see the efforts > and contributions of Kenneth to see that our plants are correctly > identified. All have love for plants and passion for photography. > > > Dr. Gurcharan Singh > Associate Professor > SGTB Khalsa College > University of Delhi, Delhi > India > http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45 > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Amit Ray > To: J.M. Garg > Cc: Gurcharan Singh ; Pankaj Kumar ; [email protected] ; > [email protected] > Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 6:46 AM > Subject: Re: [indiantreepix:17715] Re: Botanical names in Indian Treetreepix > and Flowers of India databases > I concur with this opinion. Indiantreepix is tending to get a bit too > scientific for me. Please do not get me wrong. I am a lay person with love > for photography and nature and that is what has drawn me to this group when > Garg-ji started it. I do appreciate the help provided by the experts. This > is just my opinion - many probably will not agree. Thanks and regards to all > of you. > > On Sat, Sep 5, 2009 at 11:43 PM, J.M. Garg <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Some feedback: >> "Would it be expecting too much for the site to stay simple and >> interesting for non-botanists? >> >> Or could the more specialised and higher level discussions be put on a >> different link so as not to intimidate the lay plant-lover? >> >> (Just a suggestion, which I hope is taken impartially.) >> >> Padmini Raghavan." >> >> 2009/9/5 Gurcharan Singh <[email protected]> >>> >>> Thanks Pankaj ji for information. We are students all our life, and there >>> is nothing better than learning few things. >>> Nothing to feel apologitic >>> >>> Dr. Gurcharan Singh >>> Associate Professor >>> SGTB Khalsa College >>> University of Delhi, Delhi >>> India >>> http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45 >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pankaj Kumar" >>> <[email protected]> >>> To: "J.M. Garg" <[email protected]> >>> Cc: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> >>> Sent: Saturday, September 05, 2009 6:35 PM >>> Subject: [indiantreepix:17683] Re: Botanical names in Indian Treetreepix >>> and Flowers of India databases >>> >>> >>>> >>>> With due respects to Dr. Gurcharan Singh, >>>> >>>> For author citations, according to ICBN, it is recommended that >>>> abbreviations needs to be followed for authors using following >>>> reference (RECOMMENDATION 46A, ICBN): >>>> >>>> Brummitt, R. K. and C. E. Powell. 1992. Authors of plant names: a list >>>> of authors of scientific names of plants, with recommended standard >>>> forms of their names, including abbreviations. Royal Botanic Gardens, >>>> Kew. >>>> >>>> There are various editions of this book, which keep updating >>>> information with the new author names and their abbreviations. >>>> >>>> So, Carolus Linnaeus is cited as 'L.' and not as 'Linn.' and >>>> Jean-Baptiste Lamarck is cited as 'Lam.' and not as 'Lamk.'. >>>> >>>> Some of these abbreviations are present at the following site: >>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_botanists_by_author_abbreviation >>>> >>>> The latest code of ICBN: Vienna Code is available at the following >>>> link for free: >>>> http://ibot.sav.sk/icbn/main.htm >>>> >>>> I am sending this information just incase members want it to be >>>> standardized properly, for use by both taxonomists as well as >>>> non-botanists. >>>> >>>> Regards >>>> >>>> Pankaj >>>> >>>> >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> With regards, >> J.M.Garg ([email protected]) >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1 >> 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna' >> Image Resource of thousands of my images of Birds, Butterflies, Flora etc. >> (arranged alphabetically & place-wise): >> http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg >> For learning about Indian Flora, visit/ join Google e-group- >> Indiantreepix:http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en >> >> >> clear=all> >> -- >> Amit Ray >> 25B Central Road >> Kolkata 700032 >> India >> URL: http://wildlifeindia.freehostia.com >> Phone: +91 033 24136034 >> Mobile: +919433715107 >> Email: >> 1) [email protected] >> 2) [email protected] >> 3) [email protected] >> 4) [email protected] >> 5) [email protected] >> 6) [email protected] >> 7) [email protected] >> 8) [email protected] > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "indiantreepix" group. 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