Thanks Gurcharan ji for raising this important issue. The taxonomy of this group has historically been problematic and also very confusing. As we can see from the images, the Type specimens are loaded with a number of det. slips placed by great taxonomists. And, we have been using our regional Floras and Florulas to identify our specimens. Thanks to the recent works by De Wilde & Duyfjes, Renner & Pandey and others, this may be the time to re-look our plants to update the nomenclature. But, I feel that study of specimens may be required for a satisfactory ID, especially for this complex group.
Regards Vijayasankar ------------------------------------------------------------------- Vijayasankar Raman, Ph.D. National Center for Natural Products Research University of Mississippi On Mon, Nov 18, 2013 at 6:10 PM, J.M. Garg <[email protected]> wrote: > Forwarding again for any assistance in the matter please. > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Gurcharan Singh <[email protected]> > Date: 17 November 2013 17:42 > Subject: [efloraofindia:175209] Relook at Status of Zehneria scabra in > India > To: efloraofindia <[email protected]>, Nambiyath > Balakrishnan <[email protected]>, Tapas Chakrabarty <[email protected]>, > Arun Pandey <[email protected]> > > > The subject line in earlier post was inappropriate. I am correcting and > reposting it > Dear friends > > We had good discussion in June, 2013 about status of Zehneria scabra in > India > > > https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/indiantreepix/Status$20of$20Zehneria$20scabra$20in$20India/indiantreepix/7ejsnKgMcYI/ReqjsPs4CMAJ > > I am including some relevant points for Tapas ji and Balakrishnan ji to > resolve this issue for us > > I have been somewhat confused about the status of Zehneria scabra, > uploaded by several members including Dinesh ji, Prashant ji, and other > members from Kas > > https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/indiantreepix/Zehneria > /indiantreepix/cCGIzB2cd9A/lEwSmgknYegJ > > https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/indiantreepix/Zehneria > /indiantreepix/cCGIzB2cd9A/lEwSmgknYegJ > > These confusions are often confounded by the absence of author citations. > Strange as it may look Zehneria scabra (L.f.) Sond (Swedeish name *flikig > pilreva), * and Melothria scabra Naudin (Swedish name *djungelgurka), * are > two distinct species, often confused on net, as Melothria is an important > species with good looking mini watermelon like fruits, and none look > similar to our Kas plants. > and as such names Cape zehneria, South African Zehneria won't apply to > our Kas plant. > > My doubts are supported by recent nomenclature update by Renner and Pandey > in 2013 > They do not list Zehneria scabra for India, and Melothria perpusilla > (Blume) Cogn. is cited as synonym of Zehneriaperpusilla (Bl.) Bole and > Almeida.......but as per citation this species does not grown in India. > The other name often cited as synonym of Melothria perpusilla is correctly > Zehneria hookeriana (Wight & Arn) Arn, is endemic to Tamil Nadu > This leaves third name Zehneria maysorensis (Wight & Arn.) Arn. found in > Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra. > Could it be our plant from Kas??? > > I added this on October 21 > > Perhaps we may include in our discussion two species described in > Fascicles of Flora of India, No 11: Cucurbitaceae, by H. L. Chakravarty > Melothria perpusilla (Blume) Cogn. (plant under our discussion for which > Zehneria scabra has been used in our uploads) > Melothria mucronata (Blume) Cogn. > > I have gone through the description of two species but find little > differences > *M. mucronata* having 1-3 cm long petiole, broadly ovate leaves 5-8 cm, > as much broad, scabrous, corolla lobes ovate, acute, but important fruits > are ovoid-oblong 8-15 mm long, 6-9 mm broad, mucronate at apex. > var. *mucronata* with glabrous lower surface, female flower solitary and > var. *umbellata* Chakr. with lower surface hairy along nerves, female > flowers in axillary umbels........latter is now correctly considered as > * Zehneria maysorensis* (Wight & Arn.), Arn, and there is a suggestion > that var. mucronata may also belong here. > > *M. perpusilla* having 2-5 cm long petiole, ovate-cordate leaves 5-9 cm > long, 4-7 cm broad, glabrous, corolla lobes ovate-oblong, subacute and > fruits globose, 8-10 mm in diam. > var. *perpusilla* with acute or mucronate leaf apex and var. > *subtruncata *Cogn. with acuminate leaf apex, base subtruncate. > > var. *perpusilla * is now correctly known as *Zehneria perpusilla > (Blume) *Bole & Almeida, but as reported in Renner and Pandey species > does not grown in India. > var. *subtruncata* Cogn. is now correctly known as *Zehneria bodinieri* (H. > Lév.) W.J.de <http://w.j.de/> Wilde & Duyfjes, > > It must be mentioned that *Zehneria hookeriana* Arn. is endemic to Tamil > Nadu and very close to Zehneria bodinieri and I would be happy if some > one gives me diagnosis of this species and how to differentiate two . > > So our collections having gone under Zehneria scabra in our websites may > be sought to be segregated into three species:Zehneria maysorensis with > beroadly ovate scabrous leaves, ovate corolla lobes and oblong 8-15 mm long > fruits, Z. bodinieri with ovate leaves longer than broad, glabrous leaves, > ovate-oblong corolla lobes and globose 8-10 mm fruits, and very similar Z. > hookeriana. > > I hope Dinesh ji, Prashant ji who have great collection Western Ghats and > South India, and other experts especially Vijayasankar ji, and great expert > Prof. Renner should be able to sort this out. > > I have a feeling that mixed upload by Dinesh ji from Kas and Mahabaleshwar > may have both these species, Mahableshwar photograph looking different from > Kas one. > > https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/indiantreepix/Zehneria > /indiantreepix/cCGIzB2cd9A/lEwSmgknYegJ > > > > > > > Dr. Gurcharan Singh > Retired Associate Professor > SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 > Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. > Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 > http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ > http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "efloraofindia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > > -- > With regards, > J.M.Garg > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1 > 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna' > The whole world uses my Image Resource of more than a *thousand species*& > eight thousand images of Birds, Butterflies, Plants etc. (arranged > alphabetically & place-wise): > http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg. You can also use > them for free as per Creative Commons license attached with each image. > For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, > please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group (largest in the world): > http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix (more than 2190 members & > 1,72,300 messages on 31/10/13) or Efloraofindia website: > https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/ (with a species database > of more than 9000 species & 1,80, 000 images). > Also author of 'A Photoguide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of > India'. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
