Yes Shrikant ji, it can be done by individual efforts. Some time back I had prepared and posted a similar simple key for Species of Solanum. (Small steps towards eFlora of India). This idea of your can be slowly developed and imlemented.
-- 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 6:45 PM, Rashida Atthar <atthar.rash...@gmail.com>wrote: > 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 < > le...@rediffmail.com> 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 <singh...@gmail.com> 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 < >> atthar.rash...@gmail.com>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 <singh...@gmail.com >> >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 < >> atthar.rash...@gmail.com >> > >> > wrote: >> > >> > >>> Thanks Tanay ! >> > >> > >>> regards, >> > >>> Rashida. >> > >> > >>> On Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 10:33 AM, tanay bose < >> tanaybos...@gmail.com>wrote: >> > >> > >>>> The write-up is a nice one >> > >>>> Tanay >> > >> > >>>> On Sun, Mar 6, 2011 at 7:54 PM, Rashida Atthar < >> > >>>> atthar.rash...@gmail.com> 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) >> > >>>> ta...@interchange.ubc.ca >> > >>>> *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 - > > >
