The Family Rosaceae in India/Revisionary Studies on Potentilla L., Sibbaldia L. & Brachycaulos Dikshit & Panigr.) Vol. 4

Contents: Preface. Introduction. Materials & methods. Delimitation of the family Rosaceae Juss. Delimitation of the tribes and subtribes. Taxonomic treatment. I. Genus Potentilla L. 1. Origin of the genus. 2. Ancestral relationships of the genus. 3. Generic delimitation within Potentilla L. Sensu lato. 4. Significance of morphological characters. 5. Delimitation of infrageneric categories within Potentilla L. sensu stricto. 6. Systematic account. 7. Discussion. II. Genus Sibbaldia L. III. Genus Brachycaulos Dikshit & Panigrahi. Bibliography. Appendix. Subject index.

"The last great work on the taxonomy of the family Rosaceae Juss, sensu lato in the Indian region, was that of J.D. Hooker (1878). Wolfs (1908) monograph of the genus Potentilla L. comprising then 305 species in the world flora, did not include India, nor did the publications of J. Sojak of Czeckoslovakia, who meticulously studied the genus Potentilla over the last four decades and more. In this context, revisionary studies on as many as 24 of the 37 genera of the family within the political boundaries of India of today, published in four volumes, by G. Panigrahi and his Research Scholars, are of great significance and will of interest to all those interested in the flora of India and of the family Rosaceae in particular (see Robertson, 1991; Kalkman, 1993, 1996; Vaughan, 1993; Schmid 1993, 1997 and Sojak, 1997. Kalkman (1995) commends these studies as "thorough piece (s) of research" and which would "serve as model for regional revisionary" researches, both in India and abroad.

Volume 4 in the series deals with three genera:

1. Potentilla L. is taxonomically the most difficult genus, as it abounds in agamic complexes; 80 taxa recognised in India, are grouped into nine subgenera, with a hypothetical scheme visualising infrageneric evolutionary trends.

2. Sibbaldia L. with 14 taxa in India, which are also depicted in a dendrogram of affinities with the tools Numerical Taxonomy.

3. Monotypic genus Brachycaulos Dikshit & Panigrahi (1981), endemic to Sikkim, is viewed as a taxonomic puzzle to specialists abroad (see Brummit, 1992, Kalkman in lith, April, 1997).

"Volume 4, as the earlier volumes in the series, is profusely illustrated, with photographs of types, line diagrams depicting the diagnostic features of as many as 95 taxa and supplemented by a large number of tables and maps, discusses the phytogeography of the Indian taxa and sorts out the endemics. Nomenclature at different hierarchical levels is worked out, with reference to ICBN (1994)." (jacket)