Dear Dr. Phadke,They certainly are nigro-punctate, which is given as character of F. gracilis. And I have seen tuberous roots on Kaas, which is a "key" character in BSI Dicot I flora. So where does that lead us? - to more work, and this time involving more search thr' protologues (original species descriptions), standard literature, actual specimens, type specimens (probably) in herbaria of BSI, BLATTER.
There is always a possibility that this is a single species, described by two authors based on characters which appear mixed in populations. They certainly occur in similar habitats- high altitude plateaus in high rainfall region. But before we start on this quest, let me check with the senior taxonomists in the region, to see if anyone has resolved the confusion before. If anyone finds Flemingia in the localities mentioned for F.gracilis, please take similar pictures of, and check roots and also flower, fruits, because we might need more and more characters to work on as we start this quest. Satish ji, it feels great to have committed people like you here who are willing to take so much trouble for correct identifications. Regards Aparna On Tue, Sep 22, 2009 at 1:00 AM, J.M. Garg <[email protected]> wrote: > Here is the only post on *Flemingia gracilis* on Indiantreepix by Adesh > ji: > > http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix/browse_thread/thread/698f004580917ffc > > > > 2009/9/21 Satish Phadke <[email protected]> > >> Important feedback prompted me to take a macro photo of the leaf of >> *Flemingia >> *from Kas.(20Sep2009) >> I didn't dare to uproot it as there were only few of these plants. I >> request all to comment whether the small spots seen in the magnified picture >> can be called as ....nigro punctate or not? I think newer technological >> gadget may be useful here against the handheld lens with which I might not >> have seen these. >> Cheers >> Dr Satish Phadke >> >> 2009/9/19 Aparna Watve <[email protected]> >> >> >>> Dear All, >>> Sometime back photo of Flemingia sp. on Kaas was circulated and I had >>> ided it as Flemingia nilgheriensis based on BSI flora key as it has >>> tuberous roots, which i have myself verified from that site as well as >>> from nearby plateaus in Mahabaleshwar. But later people wrote it as F. >>> gracilis and I did not contest it for lack of some references. >>> However, I have gone through my data and the recent book by Mishra and >>> Singh (2001) on Endemic and threatened flowering plants of Maharashtra >>> and I am strongly of opinion that it is Flemingia nilgheriensis >>> (Baker) Wight ex Cooke. >>> >>> Mishra and Singh mention differentiating characters >>> F. gracilis : as leaves nigro-punctate beneath >>> F. nilgheriensis: as not nigro-punctate beneath >>> Those visiting Kaas at present can verify this. However, I find the >>> character of tuberous roots much more dependable. The other localities >>> they have mentioned are Kalsubai, gothane, Kaas, Mahabaleshwar and >>> Phonda ghat. With the exception of Kalsubai, I have seen this plant in >>> all the other localities mentioned and areas adjacent to it and hence >>> feel certain that this plant is Flemingia nilgheriensis. Also knowing >>> Dipak K. Mishra's identification work, I tend to trust his opinion. >>> >>> I am unable to comment on F. gracilis, never having seen its material. >>> The only three localities mentioned by Mishra for it are Porcupine >>> point (Matheran), Khandala, Lonavla (Sakharpathar plateau- which on >>> way to Sahara amby valley project). and the original collection is by >>> Bell from 1918 from Castle Rock (Karnataka). Those visiting these >>> localities can try getting the material and identifying it again vs >>> that on the above localities. >>> >>> It would also be necessary to read up the original and subsequent >>> descriptions of both the species to search for more clues to confirm- >>> I again miss having access to the good libraries and literature. Maybe >>> those in ARI/BSI/BNHS can check up. >>> >>> To reiterate, with the present knowledge, my belief is that the kaas >>> Flemingia is F. nilgheriensis. >>> aparna >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Dr. Aparna Watve >>> >>> Asha Appt, Shanti Nagar, Ekata Colony >>> Nr. BSNL tower, Akbar Ward, >>> Seoni.480661 >>> tel: 07692-228115 >>> mobile: (0)9755667710 and 9822597288 still works >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> >> http:// satishphadke.blogspot.com >> >> >> >> > > > -- > 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 > > -- Dr. Aparna Watve Dr. Aparna Watve Asha Appt, Shanti Nagar, Ekata Colony Nr. 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