I agree that identification may be doubtful in many cases when no clear understanding of the species is there. Soroseris gillii (S.Moore) Stebins was described based on the specimen collected from Gangotri area by Keshavanand in 1897. Holotype is at Kew and Isotype is at Dehradun (DD) and I believe authors must have compared their specimens collected from same area of Gangotri (Kedar Kharak, 4150-4300m) with easily accessible isotype at DD. Inclusion of S. glomerata (Decne.) Stebbins in Flora of Gangotri National Park is based on the Stebbins (1940) who have mentioned the probable distribution in Jad Ganga valley (4000-5400m) of this park. Until some revision study the identification based on comparison with type specimens should be considered closest in my opinion and therefore may not always require validation by expert to whom specimens can not be sent.
DSRawat Pantnagar On Saturday, February 25, 2017 at 9:07:55 AM UTC+5:30, JM Garg wrote: > > Thanks a lot, Chadwell ji. > I do not find any single match in efi site for Soroseris > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: C CHADWELL <[email protected]> > Date: 24 February 2017 at 18:39 > Subject: Soroseris hookeriana - a NEW genus for eFI?? > To: "J.M. Garg" <[email protected]> > > > I do not know which tribe Soroseris belongs to, so may have missed this > genus > amongst the listings for Asteraceae on eFI- repeat that I find the > sub-division of Asteraceae > (large though the family is) into tribes does not help me. > > I have always operated primarily with GENERA. When I come across a plant > in the UK or > the Himalaya that I do not immediately recognise which SPECIES it belongs > to, I start thinking > which genus? Failing that, which family? I do not think in terms of > tribes. I have found very few > people think in terms of families and almost none of tribes. > > In the past, both floras and guides (such as Flowers of the Himalaya) were > arranged 'Systematically' > by supposedly related families. I NEVER found this helpful, so rapidly > adopted a ALPHABETICAL > approach, which I encourage (although as one can see on eFI) there have > been many name changes > of families in recent decades. Nowadays in the UK, very few people learn > about plant families or even > if they know lots of them, think in terms of which other families are > closely-related. > > *Regardless of whether the genus or species is new to eFI, I doubt if > there will have been many* > *postings - as like, Fritillaria delavayii, which I have just posted > about, this species is another* > *'high' alpine. Not many botanists or other members of this group from > India have reached such* > *elevations particularly if major treks are required.* > > The image below was scanned in from a slide taken in the early 1990s when > I was working as a consultant > to The Royal Government of Bhutan. The pressed specimen was collected for > the mini-herbarium at the > National Institute of Traditional Medicine, Thimphu on stony slopes at > some 4400m on Yak La, Lingshi district > in July 1990. > > Soroseris hookeriana is illustrated in 'Flowers of the Himalaya' recorded > on stony slopes & screes in drier > areas from Himachal Pradesh to SE Tibet @ 4300-5500m. *Is this known > from Uttarakhand, I wonder?* > > Flora of Bhutan records this from among boulders and on screes @ > 3650-4720m in Sikkim, Chumbi and Bhutan. > Populations in NE Bhutan and the Sikkim/Chumbi border do not fit well > within this species, seeming to be > intermediate between this species and S.hirsuta. > > This flora also records S.erysimoides from Bhutan & Chumbi on screes @ > 4-4600m. The authors observe that > few populations correspond well with this species. Some appear close to > S.hookeriana. > > *Such taxonomic uncertainty is beyond the scope of eFI plus I do not > envisage too many formal botanical* > *expeditions exploring much in these regions in the coming years and even > if they do, it is unlikely that any* > *images will be shared with this site. So we need not concern ourselves > too much with these matters, except* > *to be aware that even the world's leading taxonomists at the top > institutions find it difficult to be certain as to* > *which species some specimens belong to.* > > > 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.
