Thank you Shrikant ji for your inputs and ideas on developing keys which can be easily used in the field. I hope more suggestions come forward for the same and perhaps lead to the necessary keys ! I have a small booklet developed by Dr. Milind Sardesai and Dr Yadav titled 'Keys to the Families of flowering plants of Maharashtra.' A small booklet which can be carried around . Perhaps some of the aspects fits your thoughts.
regards, Rashida. On Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 6:23 PM, shrikant ingalhalikar <[email protected]>wrote: > Dear All, > > First of all I appreciate the concept of 'Family of the month' and > thank those who have taken efforts to compile. Many families have > already appeared. I do not know the sequence and the number of > families that are going to appear. I wish to make 'better late than > never' suggestions and request not to take these as interruption in > the current sincere efforts of the members. Pls excuse my ignorance if > whatever I am suggesting is already done. > > After years of field work I am able to place plants (by observing and > remembering obvious similarities between them) into just a few > families. The dichotomous keys for families are available in floras > but they can not be recollected and applied to so many families in the > field. If a simple key based on field characters (not on dissected > parts) is made which may lead to a single or a few families, that can > be very useful for a non-botanist like me in placing a plant in a > (single or a few) family for easy ID of species. We can begin by > making a short list of leading families based on the number of species > occuring in India. The list can be of 24 to 36 families to last for > 2-3 years' period. The brief features of these select leading families > can be tabulated and posted with each family. The sequence of families > can be as per the current system of classification. For every family, > before posting the plants an introduction to the family may be posted > so that members can look for those features appearing in plants being > posted. This can help to eradicate the apprehension about taxonomy and > will make the event interesting. > > For example (Pls ignore the incorrectness if any) the following > information (highlighted in the table) so that the current family can > be compared with other families. > > FAMILY Euphorbiaceae > COMMON NAME Spurge > EXAMPLE Castor > LEADING GENERA Euphorbia, Phyllanthus, Croton, Acalypha, Jatropha > COMPOSITION 300 genera, 5,000 species of herbs, shrubs and trees in > the world and .. genera, ..species in India > DISTRIBUTION Tropical > CLASSIFICATION Seeds containing 2 cotyledons, perianth 1-2 seriate in > unisexual flowers and absent in bisexual flowers, ovary superior, more > than 1 celled, inflorescence of a cyathium. > DIGNOSTIC FEATURES Leaves usually alternate, stipulate; plants with > milky latex; flowers usually unisexual on same or different plants, > > I have been trying to update myself (thogh not yet familiar) on 'How > to ID a family' for a long time which I think is an intrinsic feature > of field botany. I am sure we have experts to generate better ideas on > this subject. Regards, Shrikant > > > > On Mar 7, 3:45 pm, Gurcharan Singh <[email protected]> wrote: > > Yes Rashida ji > > > > -- > > 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: 9810359089http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ > > > > On Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 4:01 PM, Rashida Atthar <[email protected] > >wrote: > > > > > > > > > Yes Sir let us include genera Phyllanthaceae. So that includes all the > > > genera specified in the Kew Plant list which otherwise we have > included in > > > Euphorbiaceae in our database. We need to mention > > > Euphorbiaceae-Phyllanthaceae +(Genus + species name of the plant being > > > uploaded) in the subject line. Hope this is fine. > > > > > regards, > > > Rashida. > > > > > On Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 3:25 PM, Gurcharan Singh <[email protected] > >wrote: > > > > >> Yes Rashida ji, a nice write u > > >> I suggest that we also encourage the upload of genera of > Phyllanthaceae, > > >> because otherwise it may not be possible to have a separate episode > for > > >> Phyllanthaceae. > > > > >> -- > > >> 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://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ > > > > >> On Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 10:48 AM, Rashida Atthar < > [email protected] > > >> > wrote: > > > > >>> Thanks Tanay ! > > > > >>> regards, > > >>> Rashida. > > > > >>> On Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 10:33 AM, tanay bose <[email protected] > >wrote: > > > > >>>> The write-up is a nice one > > >>>> Tanay > > > > >>>> On Sun, Mar 6, 2011 at 7:54 PM, Rashida Atthar < > > >>>> [email protected]> wrote: > > > > >>>>> *As most of you are aware, this month for a week starting Monday 7 > > >>>>> March 2011 upto Sunday 13 March 2011 the family of focus on the > group is > > >>>>> Euphorbiaceae. It is a very important, large, interesting and > > >>>>> fascinating family!* > > >>>>> ** > > >>>>> *We have had very high standards of coordinating these family weeks > > >>>>> starting with Dr. Balkar ji, Dr. Ritesh ji, Dinesh ji and Mayur > ji. Being a > > >>>>> non-botanist I shall try to provide coordination to this episode > to the > > >>>>> best possible extent, within the constraints of time and my other > > >>>>> commitments. * > > >>>>> ** > > >>>>> *I shall also like to appeal to the many distinguished members who > > >>>>> have joined recently and also who are present since a long time to > > >>>>> participate and enrich this forum with their interactions and > inputs. There > > >>>>> are many new developments in the field which only experts can > enlighten us > > >>>>> on. Hoping for another great learning and enriching week on > efloraofindia, > > >>>>> here's my first very short write-up and pictures on Euphorbiaceae. > * > > >>>>> ** > > >>>>> *From the several postings we have had on the family in the past > > >>>>> years, 28 genus or so, the follwing have now been transferred to > the > > >>>>> Phyllanthaceae family as per Kew Plant LIst : Actephila, Antidesma, > Aporosa, > > >>>>> Baccaurea, Bridelia, Cleistanthus, Glochidion,, Phyllanthus, > Sauropus, > > >>>>> Securinega. These aspects will need more discussions, inputs.* > > >>>>> ** > > >>>>> ** > > >>>>> *regards,* > > >>>>> *Rashida. * > > > > >>>> -- > > >>>> *Tanay Bose* > > >>>> Research Assistant & Teaching Assistant. > > >>>> Department of Botany. > > >>>> University of British Columbia . > > >>>> 3529-6270 University Blvd. > > >>>> Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 (Canada) > > >>>> Phone: 778-323-4036 (Mobile) > > >>>> 604-822-2019 (Lab) > > >>>> 604-822-6089 (Fax) > > >>>> [email protected] > > >>>> *Webpages:* > > >>>>http://www.botany.ubc.ca/people/mberbee.html > > >>>>http://www.botany.ubc.ca/people/gradstud.html > > >>>>https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text -
