Thanks very much for drawing my attention to the article 'Death sentence on taxonomy in India' - BRAVO to the authors for "speaking up and out". Much Needed.
I shall be commenting further - on what is SUCH a serious situation, especially ON TOP OF 70 years of botanical isolation since Indian Independence. It is noteworthy that both Pakistan and Nepal have collaborated Internationally MUCH better than India, such that despite a FRACTION of the manpower and resources of India, their 'Himalayan Flora' is known to a higher standard than India's - the same can even be said for the decidedly isolated Kingdom of Bhutan! Those devising and implementing such "rules and regulations" have NO interest or concern about the study & conservation of Indian's flora - which can only suffer FURTHER. Looks like we are heading into an era when the likes of Donald Trump rule. IGNORANCE RULES OK!. The idea that such measures help PROTECT India's flora is a NONSENSE. Their ONLY concern is not MISSING OUT on their cut of any POTENTIAL PROFITS...... On Monday, January 30, 2017 at 7:36:31 AM UTC, JM Garg wrote: > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: C CHADWELL <[email protected] <javascript:>> > Date: 21 January 2017 at 01:21 > Subject: Re: [efloraofindia:261908] Fwd: Senecio chrysanthemoides DC. > (provisionally accepted name) ??? > To: "J.M. Garg" <[email protected] <javascript:>>, efloraofindia < > [email protected] <javascript:>> > Cc: Saroj Kasaju <[email protected] <javascript:>> > > > Further to my comments about the difficulties of identifying Senecio > chrysanthemoides and related > species, I attach an image of what I understand to be this species taken > for me in Ladakh as a slide > in the late 1980s/early 1990s, which has been scanned in. > > This was one of the first pressed specimens collected by my team during > the 1980 University of Southampton > Ladakh Expedition - gathered in triplicate, with a set deposited in the > herbarium of the University of Kashmir. > This was at 3300m, Panichar, Suru Valley on a grassy verge beside > irrigation stream and a barley field in moist > loam amongst Trifolium, grasses, Geranium himalayense with bright yellow > ray florets, disc florets brown. > > Stewart recorded S.chrysanthemoides as common, very variable with the > forms NEEDING TO BE STUDIED > in cultivation and chromosome counts should be made. Recorded from > Kashmir & Ladakh @ 1700-4000m. > Stewart recognised var. analogus and var. sisymbriiformis - saying this > was common on high pastures in Kashmir > as it is avoided by grazing animals. > > Flowers of the Himalaya state that S.chrysanthemoides is found in > shrubberies and open slopes, common & often > gregarious @ 2400-4000m from Pakistan to SW China. > > Flora of Lahaul-Spiti does not record S.chrysanthemoides but has S.laetus > with var. laetus common on moist slopes > and along glacial streams at Khoksar. Also var. sisymbriiformis (DC.) > Aswal comb.nov. (syn. Senecio chrysanthemoides > var. sisymbriiformis and obviously a mistake but rather glaring to be > printed, SISYMBRIUM sisymbriiformis) which the > authors say is common on moist slopes and along streams at Kirting. > > Collet in 'Flora Simlensis' found S.chrysanthemoides common at Shimla and > Mahasu. > > Himalayan Plants Illustrated has a photo of S.laetus Edgew. with > S.chrysanthemoides DC. as a synonym. > > BUT Dickore & Klimes do NOT list S.chrysanthemoides from Ladakh. although > the species remains an ACCEPTED name - at least > in 'The Plant List'. Nor do they list S.laetus. > > So which of the species listed by them was previously known as > S.chrysanthemoides - after all the specimens from the 1980 > expedition were named at Kew and thus we can assume was correctly > identified and in line with the thinking at that time - albeit > some 37 years ago. > > They list S.dubitabilis, which if the illustrations and specimen which can > be accessed through 'The Plant List' are correct, this cannot be confused > with what used to be S.chrysanthemoides and may be what Stewart knew as > S.desfontanei (common in dry areas from the plains to > 3000m in Ladakh). > > I CANNOT find any meaningful information about Senecio korschinskyi. which > Dickore & Klimes do list but have just > spotted Senecio ladakhensis Chowdhery, Uniyal, Mathur & Rao. *This > species was published in the Indian Journal of Forestry (* > *13[4] 366-67 in 1990*). If any members have ready access to this would > they share the information with us particularly how it is . I am > particularly interested > in which species of Senecio this NEW species might have been mistaken for > in the past? > > Strange that it was published back in 1990 yet Dickore & Klimes did not > include it in their check-list of Ladakh plants in 2005. > > *This is the first I have heard of S.ladakhensis.* Just goes to show > that unless one works at an International Institution, which has copies > of such publications as The Indian Journal of Forestry, such NEW species > are easily missed - for decades! And unless the species is covered > elsewhere, is virtually UNKNOWN...... This species may not be similar to > S.chrysanthemoides. > > Yes, it appears (with a VAST number of other species) in the List of > Senecio species but that appears to be it. *But it is 2017, some 27 > years AFTER publication that I have come across this name. There appear > to be no pressed specimens of S.ladakhensis at Kew or Edinburgh. SURELY, > it makes sense for those in a senior position in Indian botany to ensure > reference specimens of NEWLY described species in India are sent to the > major herbaria interested in Indian flora. Has this been happening? Kew > and Edinburgh have a tradition of interest in Himalayan Flora. IF NOT, it > contributes to isolation. Surely, after NEW species have been published a > team could be sent to gather more pressed specimens (and to access to > abundance or not of the species in the district it was found) which could > then be distributed abroad.... IF it has not been happening, then WHY > NOT? Surely, the nearest University or Institution with a herbarium, to > the location where the NEW species has been found, would wish to have > reference specimens for that Institution, so could undertake the collection > of fresh specimens. All this makes sense to me - any such > collections/surveys could readily be combined with other survey work. > AFTER all, GREAT significance seems to be attached to the 'discovery' of > 'NEW' species.... But IF the world knows nothing about such species.....* > > In this day age (not the case back in 1990) surely, some national > organisation in India could publish images and descriptions of ALL new > species recorded from India which THE WORLD could readily access for > COMPARATIVE purposes? In the past, species DESCRIBED in writing only > within journals or listed in floras - where it was impossible to check the > reliability of identifications, caused problems of INTERNATIONAL > validation, particularly if those publishing the species had NOT checked > with specialists in the West PRIOR to publication. > > > > > > > Best Wishes, > > > Chris Chadwell > > > 81 Parlaunt Road > SLOUGH > SL3 8BE > UK > > www.shpa.org.uk > > > > -- > With regards, > J.M.Garg > > 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna' > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1> > > Winner of Wipro-NFS Sparrow Awards 2014 for efloraofindia > <https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/award-for-efloraofindia>. > > For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, > please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group > <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/indiantreepix> (largest in the > world- around 2700 members & 2,40,000 messages on 31.3.16) or Efloraofindia > website <https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/> (with a species > database of more than 11,000 species & 2,20,000 images). > > The whole world uses my Image Resource > <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg> 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 '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 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.
