Recently Dr. Chadwell concluded through a post "Geranium pratense from Kashmir - now Geranium clarkei" *https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/indiantreepix/Kashmir$20Geranium$20Pratense$20is$20G.$20clakei%7Csort:relevance/indiantreepix/smqM32wWMbo/Ln1IwoqsBQAJ <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/indiantreepix/Kashmir$20Geranium$20Pratense$20is$20G.$20clakei%7Csort:relevance/indiantreepix/smqM32wWMbo/Ln1IwoqsBQAJ>*
, to which I wrote Perhaps it may be too early to make general statement because eFlora of India, updated 2014 records both G. pratense (NW Himalayas, Pakistan, Nepal at altitude 3000-4500 m) and G. clakei (Endemic to Kashmir, 2100-4200 m), with well defined key and clear illustration of G. pretense with condensed flowers on short pedicels: http://efloraindia.nic.in/efloraindia/taxonList.action?id=2968&type=3 Agreed that most of my specimens may fit G. clarkei with pedicels clearly longer than calyx, immature fruits slightly nodding and flowers up to 48 mm across. We have to scrutinize all Himalayan specimens from NW Himalayas with compact infl. with pedicels shorter than calyx, slightly smaller up to 45 mm across flowers and reflexed immature fruits to fit into G. pratense. At this stage it would be too early to discard G. kashmirianum, especially when both The Plant List and GRIN regard it as accepted name. I am trying to procure the original publication to decide and comment on distinguishing characters especially G. pratense. G. clarkei was published only one year earlier so authors may not have known about it when they sent their manuscript for publication. Since inception of this group we have been correcting identifications based on reasoning and evidence. Let us avoid sweeping remarks about species which we have not seen. We will have ample time to make considered conclusions then. Till then let us follow the established databases. This as I learnt later, did not go well with Dr. Chadwell, but for me it was fairly reasonable. The next thing I did was to procured description and holotype of G. kashmirianum, and immediately ordered a copy Hardy Geraniums by Yeo, which arrived today and I was relieved with what I found in the book: Both G. pratense and G. clarkei occur in Kashmir separable by characters enumerated in eFl of India and enumerated by me above. The Kashmir form of G. pratense is Gernanium pratense var. stewartianum (G. Pratense subsp. stewartianum in eFl Pak). There is an interesting Multiaccess key in the book according to which G. pratense and G. clarkei differ in rostrum with stylar portion less than 4 mm in former and more than 4 mm in latter The key also has var. stewartianum placed nearer to G. clarkei in that Floral axis is is above the horizontal (flowers upwardly inclined or erect) in both, whereas in true var. pratense floral axis is horizontal or below horizontal (flowers directed horizontally or nodding. And these two Paragraphs should clinch all issues *Chadwell No. 31 from Sonamarg represents this variety (var. stewartiana) * *I received three samples of seed of this from S K Raina in 1981 an 1982. all the plants raised were distiguishable in leaf size, flower colour and subtle variations in leaf segments * Since he raised plants in cultivation he named the plant sent by S K Raina as Geranium pratense 'Raina'. Sapru and Raina while publishing the species G. kashmirianum have clearly mentioned that they had sent specimens to Dr. Yeo for scrutiny. This is a good pointer for new researchers. Since the plant grows wild in Gulmarg and above, following Yeo, it could be proposed as new forma (with of course proper epithet following the Code). I have just got the book. Perhaps it will help me in helping with other specimens in our database, and of course the crucial job of sifting our G. pratense specimens into G. clarkei and G. pratense var. stewartiana, and cultivar (till some one proposes as forma (or some other rank) 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/ -- 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 indiantreepix+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send an email to indiantreepix@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
