OK "invalid" may not be the correct term, would you prefer "unresolved"? certainly the synonymy isn't universal around the world. I have always failed to understand how 2 different plants can have 2 different names which are considered synonyms. B. alba var. rubra could be a synonym of B. rubra, but B. alba = B. rubra ???? The ARS GRIN database used to have many of those, years ago. Today they have a more logical approach (except in this case). If I am wrong, so be it, I'll plead guilty to being an "ignoramus", I am certainly not a taxonomist. My problem is matching common names with 2 different bot. names considered synonyms. One ends up with contradictory names which cannot be synonyms since they mean different things... like "Red-stemmed vine spinach" vs "White-stemmed vine spinach". Names with similar meaning exist in French, German, Spanish etc. for both. My approach is to find a bot. name that suits the horticultural rules. * Basella* *alba *L. '*Rubra*' for all the names referring to the colour red appears logical to me. Looking quickly at my favourite references: GRIN has B. alba = B. rubra Flora Europaea ignored B. rubra Flora of China considered both as different species, and so do many of the Indian scholars.
On Friday, March 16, 2012 2:45:41 PM UTC+11, Gurcharan Singh wrote: > > I have never cone across the statement that Basella rubra L. is an invalid > name. It is only that differences are not strong enough to recognize it an > independent species. Since both species were described on the same date in > Species Plantarum of Linnaeus, the author who merged these two species > chose B. alba L. as correct name and B. rubra L. as synonym. > > > -- > 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://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ > http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ > > > > On Fri, Mar 16, 2012 at 12:45 AM, OZmic wrote: > >> Hi Alastair, >> Catalogue of Life is fine but it contains things that bother me - >> unresolved taxonomic issues. For example they state that Basella alba and >> Basella rubra are synonyms. This is obviously not correct if you have ever >> seen both plants. Have you ever read anywhere that the reddish variety >> could be a cultivar of B. alba? I haven't, except on the M.M.P.N.D. I would >> say that Basella rubra is an invalid name but not a synonym of B. alba. >> Moreover Indian scholars use* *Basella alba L. var. rubra (L.) Stewart. >> * *Are they wrong? or are they ignored? >> >> >> On Tuesday, March 6, 2012 7:19:12 PM UTC+11, Plant Diversity wrote: >>> >>> You might also try the Catalogue of Life web site for names and >>> synonyms. It does not have a complete coverage of names, but the ones it >>> has are usually current, give synonymy and often links to further >>> information. http://www.sp2000.org/ >>> >>> Alastair >>> http://www.facebook.com/**PlantDiversity<http://www.facebook.com/PlantDiversity> >>> >> > > >
