Dear Dr. Pankaj, I too used internet for lot of background checking of the 365 species we carried in local media for International year of Biodiversity 2010 in Sikkim. You are so right. The same text, often word for word is the same in several websites like the ones you mention. It makes one doubt most of them when it comes to correct identification. And that is when these egroup discussions become so important for amateurs like us. The same picture is seen simultaneously by all, experts and amateurs' replies are seen by all, we all learn and unlearn together! Its wonderful. Kind regards, Usha
On Jan 14, 3:19 pm, Pankaj Kumar <sahanipan...@gmail.com> wrote: > Many websites, have this bad habit of copying and pasting informations > from other sites or links and if there is a wrong information on one > site then it gets transfered to another and so on, at the end, what we > get is wrong information on most of the sites. Its not easy for anyone > to choose which is wrong and which is right. Hence most of the links > and websites cant be reliable. > > To give you an example, I am just searching for one orchid on google, > Cymbidium aloifolium. This plant name is randomly selected. > I will select the 20 links from top on google and check if they are correct!! > > 1http://orchids.wikia.com/wiki/Cymbidium_aloifolium- CORRECT > 2http://www.orchidspecies.com/cymaloeifolium.htm- INCORRECT > 3http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60070/- INCORRECT > 4http://www.orchids.co.in/orchid-plant/cymbidium-aloifolium.shtm- IF > THATS THE IMAGE, THEN ITS ABSOLUTELY INCORRECT > 5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbidium_aloifolium- INCORRECT > 6http://www.orchidboard.com/community/cymbidium-alliance/37102-cymbidi... > - NO IMAGE OR DESCRIPTION > 7http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cymbidium_aloifolium- > MULTIPLE PICTURES ALL OF WHICH SEEMS TO BE INCORRECT > 8http://www.kidsfortigers.org/index.php?view=detail&id=16&option=com_j... > - INCORRECT > 9http://www.sborchid.com/plantdisplay.php?ocode=CYM000010- THEY HAVE > GIVEN INCORRECT NAME FOR A CORRECT PLANT > 10http://www.globinmed.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id... > - INCORRECT > 11http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Aloe%20Leaf%20Cymbidium.... > - CORRECT, IDENTIFIED BY ME > 12http://www.flickr.com/photos/b_inxee/4550849819/- INCORRECT, MAY > BE AN ALBINO OF CORRECT PLANT > 13http://orchidscare.blogspot.com/2010/12/cymbidium-aloifolium.html- INCORRECT > 14http://www.orchidsonline.com.au/node/3785- INCORRECT > 15http://www.orchisasia.org/genre/Cymbidium/Cymbidium%20aloifolium/inde... > - DOUBTFUL, SEEMS TO BE INCORRECT > 16.http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=117670&flora_id=2 > - INCORRECT > 17http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchidtalk/orchids-other-genera-bloom/1... > - INCORRECT > 18http://b-and-t-world-seeds.com/carth.asp?species=Cymbidium%20aloifoli... > - INCORRECT > 19http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/orchidspecies/message/2939- NO > IMAGES OR DESCRIPTION > 20http://www.jstor.org/stable/4110039- INCORRECT (THIS WAS MOST > UNEXPECTED FOR ME!!) > > CORRECT - 2; INCORRECT - 16; NOT HELPFUL - 2 > So 80% of the links have incorrect identification including JSTOR and EFLORA. > > Claiming that 100 of sites on internet and may even some reference > books, designate this plant as Cymbidium aloifolium doesnt make this > plant Cymbidium aloifolium. For me in one word such an explanation is > RIDICULOUS. The main issue is, some one misidentified the plant and > then described the incorrect plant as Cymbidium aloifolium. Ironically > it has been followed in eflora and other links, just because its > started with copying and pasting the informations from here and there. > > Now the big time question, where to check ? > > Cymbidium aloifolium (L.) Sw. in Nov. Act. Soc. Sci. Ups. 6: 73 (1799); > > Type: Illustration in Rheede, Hort. Malab. t. 8 (1703) (Lectotype). Plate > 26A.. > > Anyone at Xavier's college may check for this reference to check the > plate and they will know the mistakes in the identity. I am also > forwarding this mail to Shinde sir and his students for help. It would > be great if any one of you can share an image of the plate available > in Hortus Malabaricus. > > Very interestingly, a good news for Ms. Rashida Atthar will be that, > Dr. Almeida's plate in his Flora of Maharastra seems to be correct. > One of the main reasons could be as simple as the fact that he had an > access to this book, Hortus Malabaricus at BLAT. Unfortunatley, I cant > say this for all his orchids though!! > > Moral of the story: JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A REFERENCE OF AN AUTHENTIC > OR NON-AUTHENTIC SITE or BOOK, DOESNT MAKE DETERMINATIVE OF ANY TAXA > CORRECT. PLEASE RELY ON ORIGINAL SOURCES FOR IDENTIFICATION. > > Regards > Pankaj > > -- > *********************************************** > "TAXONOMISTS GETTING EXTINCT AND SPECIES DATA DEFICIENT !!" > > Pankaj Kumar Ph.D. (Orchidaceae) > Research Associate > Greater Kailash Sacred Landscape Project > Department of Habitat Ecology > Wildlife Institute of India > Post Box # 18 > Dehradun - 248001, India
