Indeed, Taraxacums are PARTICULARLY difficult but there are other genera that
presentspecial challenges identification-wise and these need to be
HIGHLIGHTED/known.
I note from reading requests for identifications to eFI that very few of those
submitting suchrequests are aware that such genera exist. It comes as a
surprise to them when plantscannot be readily named.
Furthermore, both in the UK and India, there is a widespread belief that almost
allplants can readily be identified by quickly comparing a general image or two
(or specimenor two) with a SINGLE photo in a guide-book/flora.
Whilst in SOME cases, for DISTINCTIVE species this is possible, for MANY
plantsit is not.
Such an approach/belief leads to frequent misidentifications.
TRADITIONAL PLANT IDENTIFICATION IS BASED UPON THE EXAMINATION OF
PRESSEDSPECIMENS IN HERBARIA BY THOSE WITH SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE.
CHARACTERISTICSOF PLANTS WHICH CAN BE SEEN ON SUCH SPECIMENS ARE USED TO
DISTINGUISH BETWEENSPECIES. OFTEN THE IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS CANNOT BE SEEN
FROM ONLY 1 OR 2NON-CLOSE-UP PHOTOS/IMAGES.
THOSE PHOTOGRAPHING PLANTS NEED TO KNOW WHICH PARTS OF EACH GENUS IT ISOFTEN
ESSENTIAL TO HAVE CLOSE-UP IMAGES OF, TO ENSURE A PLANT CAN ACCURATELYAND
RELIABLY BE IDENTIFIED.
Best Wishes,
Chris Chadwell
81 Parlaunt Road
SLOUGH
SL3 8BE
UK
www.shpa.org.uk
From: Saroj Kasaju <[email protected]>
To: J.M. Garg <[email protected]>
Cc: efloraofindia <[email protected]>; C CHADWELL
<[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, 5 January 2017, 9:36
Subject: Re: Identifying Taraxacums - a SERIOUS challenge!
Thank you for the information. I agree that images are not sufficient for the
ID as these were taken long back when I did not have much idea about the plant
photography
Thank you.
Saroj Kasaju
On Thu, Jan 5, 2017 at 2:43 PM, J.M. Garg <[email protected]> wrote:
Thanks, Chadwell ji.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: C CHADWELL <chrischadwell261@btinternet. com>
Date: 5 January 2017 at 14:12
Subject: Identifying Taraxacums - a SERIOUS challenge!
To: "J.M. Garg" <[email protected]>
I think it is important to emphasise just how CHALLENGING dandelions (as they
are commonlyknown as in the UK) are to identify.
Grierson & Springate within 'Flora of Bhutan' Vol 2 Part 3 (2001) observed,
"Taraxacum in our areaconsists of sexually producing and apomictic taxa. The
latter in particular are poorly understood atpresent. Specimens not closely
corresponding to the descriptions given here can only be identified tothe
appropriate section. Lawn weeds and other damaged specimens often produce
uncharacteristic growth that cannot be reliably identified. Unlobed leaves are
sometimes produced in summer. Aspecimen that only bear such leaves cannot be
reliably identified".
They list both T.mitalii and T.eriopodum.
Enumeration of the Flowering Plants of Nepal had most of the specimens
determined by the authority ofthe time, van Soest author of 'Taraxacum species
from India, Pakistan & surrounding countries' (1963)and 'New species of
Taraxacum from the Himalayan region (1961) but these publications are 50 years
out-of-date.
Stewart in 'An Annotated Catalogue of the Vascular plants of Pakistan &
Kashmir' (1972) comments:'Dandelions are found throughout West Pakistan and
Kashmir from the plains to the high inner ranges with a Tibetan climate. They
are exceedingly variable apomicts and it is a question whether they deserve
descriptionsas good species. At least 90 of these forms have been described
and if one wants to pay special attention todandelions there are probably many
more to be found. Van Soest, after a recent trip to Kashmir has describedmany
new species... I give the following list which I have culled from literature.
Many have not been seen by me.Some would include most of them under
T.officinale Weber (a species aggregate)'.
He records T.eriopodum from Baltistan & Kashmir @ 2700-3600m.
In the UK, where the genus has been more intensively studied, it is judged as
VERY CRITICAL with (as of 1997)229 microspecies being currently recognised!
Apomixis is the rule. Professor Stace states in 'New Flora of theBritish
Isles' that in this work the microspecies are not treated in full but are
aggregated into 9 rather ill-definedsections, determination of which is often
not easy EVEN AFTER MUCH EXPERIENCE.
Most botanists in the UK seek the help of those with specialist knowledge and
experience of the genus.
Taraxacum is NOT well enough known in the Himalaya to do more than HIGHLY
PROVISIONALLY name specimens.
Perhaps there is a current specialist who can be consulted but even if they
exist, may well NOT be able to reliablyidentify from just one or two general
photos.
Best Wishes,
Chris Chadwell
81 Parlaunt Road
SLOUGH
SL3 8BE
UK
www.shpa.org.uk
--
With regards,
J.M.Garg'Creating awareness of IndianFlora & Fauna'Winner of Wipro-NFS Sparrow
Awards 2014 for efloraofindia.
For identification,learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, please
visit/ joinour EfloraofindiaGoogle e-group (largestin the world- around 2700
members & 2,40,000 messages on 31.3.16) orEfloraofindia website (with a species
database of more than11,000 species & 2,20,000 images). 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). You can
also use them for free as per Creative Commons license attached with each
image.Also author of 'APhotoguide 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 an email to [email protected].
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
