sk2015sept02/02 - BSI checklist of Commelina

surajit koley

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Sep 8, 2015, 9:11:26 AM9/8/15

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This is no particular species photographs. It's an introduction to my next couple of threads.

We have BSI checklist of the genus now - http://efloraindia.nic.in/efloraindia/speciesList_PCL.action?resultType=genusWise&parent_Id=2431&parent_Name=commelina.

Interestingly, Commelina diffusa Burm. f. likely not to be found in our area. This is because Hooghly district (South of West Bengal) doesn't fall under the BSI specified regional distribution of the species http://efloraindia.nic.in/efloraindia/speciesDesc_PCL.action?species_id=2483.

Yet, Sir Prain thought it was distributed in the western & northern provinces of then Bengal. Haines also recorded the same in his book BoBO. lease check the attached literature.

So, I keep the species, C. diffusa Burm.f. in my following table -

	species	distribution	leaves	spathe	flower
1	C. diffusa Burm, f.	Peninsular, NE & NW India, E Himalaya, Andaman & Nicobar	lanceolate, 1.5-3 x 0.33-0.67 inch, ciliate	0.67-1 inch, acute, base rounded or cordate, striate Haines = 0.75-2 inch	smaller petals blue, outer pale or white Haines = flower blue 0.5 inch diam
2	C. longifolia Lam. = C. salicifolia Roxb.	Peninsular, E, NE India	linear lanceolate, 3-6 x 0.16-0.5 inch, nearly glabrous, sheaths ciliolate	1.5-2 inch, axillary, solitary, acute to acuminate, base rounded	small, dark blue Haines = smaller than diffusa
3	C. hasskarlii C.B.Cl.	throughout India	narrowly lanceolate, 1-3 x 0.5-0.67 inch, subacute to obtuse, sheaths short	0.5-1 inch, axillary, base rounded, longer than peduncle,
4	C. attenuata Koen. ex vahl	almost throughout India	linear or lanceolate, 1-2 (3 Haines) x 0.25-0.5 inch, obtuse or sub-acute	0.33-1.5 inch, acute or caudate-acuminate, longer than peduncles, base auricled, deeply cordate	small, blue Haines = very small, brownish sepal
5	C. apendiculata C.B.Cl.	E, NE India, E Himalaya	linear or linear-lanceolate, 4-6 x 0.17-0.67 inch, narrowed at both ends,	very long peduncled, 2-3 inch, caudate-acuminate, base cordate
6	C. benghalensis L.	throughout India
7	C. maculata Edgwe. = C. obliqua Buch-Ham. ex D. Don = C. paludosa Bl.	throughout India	lanceolate, 4-7 x 1-2 inch, acute or caudate-acuminate,	0.75-1.5 inch, usually in terminal heads, solitary or crowded, funnel shaped	blue
8	C. suffruticosa Bl.	C, N, E & NE India	lanceolate, 3-14 x 0.75-2 inch, acuminate, sheaths auricled	0.33-0.5 inch, panicled or clustered Haines = spathe funnel shaped
9

C. tuberosa L. also likely to be found in our region as per BSI. But that species is different than the usual ones I see around. So, I left the 9th space of my table blank.

Thank you

Regards

surajit koley

a non-botanist member of

efloraofIndia google group

Bengal_Plants.jpg

Botany_of_Bihar_and_Orissa.jpg

surajit koley

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Sep 16, 2015, 1:56:54 PM9/16/15

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I am very surprised that why both FBI and BoBo recorded flowers of C. salicifolia Roxb. are small while Roxburgh himslef noted flowers are large and petals are equal..!

Thank you

Regards

surajit koley

a non-botanist member of

efloraofIndia google group

FI.I.172.jpg

surajit koley

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Sep 19, 2015, 2:43:03 PM9/19/15

to efloraofindia

This is what Lamarck noted on C. longifolia - http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33349848#page/155/mode/1up. BSI informs the species is distributed in Peninsular, E & NE India. Isn't it surprising that till to date we have no representative in our database?

This is the only species I have ever come across which has larger flowers then the rest. I was very confused when Mayur Ji and Manudev Ji identified two of my threads, featuring this large flower, as C. diffusa Burm f. More so, because earlier Mayur Ji identified a smaller flower (where petals are not equal) a species as C. diffusa Burm.. f.

I have Mayur Ji's paper on C. beddomei and Manudev Ji's paper on C. andamanica with me. So. I still feel shaky while writing this.

I came to know that C. coelestis Willd. looks similar in another thread, but differs in some respect - https://groups.google.com/d/msg/indiantreepix/RaAjZgNORCA/74FO9kxJeTAJ.

Even the Bangladesh doc i uploaded in one of my recent threads is confusing!

With so many pseudobotanists (me too!) playing in the net there are only two pics of C. longifolia -

Where is Roxburgh's C. salicifolia, I thought!

As for C. hasskarlii C.B. Clarke, the docs and the links I shared in another my recent thread will tell that it is exceedingly similar to C. diffusa Burm. f. The description in efloras would tell the flowers are of the size of C. benghalensis.

BSi informs C. hasskarlii is distributed throughout our country yet we do not have it in our database!!!

Thank you

Regards

surajit koley

a non-botanist member of

efloraofIndia google group

J.M. Garg

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Oct 4, 2015, 4:25:39 AM10/4/15

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Forwarding again for any assistance in the matter please.

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surajit koley

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Oct 4, 2015, 9:47:31 AM10/4/15

to J.M. Garg, efloraofindia

Regarding flower size, whatever Haines might have recorded in his book BoBO, there is no question of confusing Commelina longifolia Lam. with C. diffusa Burm.f. (or that with C. hasskarlii C. B. Clarke / C. caroliniana Walter).

C. longifolia Lam. has the largest flower and equal petals I have ever seen.

The confusion is between C. hasskarlii C. B. Clarke (synonymous with C. caroliniana Walter) and C. diffusa Burm. f. and the discussion is open in https://groups.google.com/d/msg/indiantreepix/aulqw5hOoZk/C02DimNGFwAJ.

I think my pond species is C. caroliniana Walter (syn. C. hasskarlii C.B. Clarke), for its less or no falcate spathe.

Thank you

Regards

(simply) surajit koley

! no "Sir", no "Dr.", no "Ji" !

surajit koley

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Oct 4, 2015, 9:51:58 AM10/4/15

to J.M. Garg, efloraofindia

I paste a couple of links for more reading/viewing for my own reference -

Thank you

Regards

(simply) surajit koley

! no "Sir", no "Dr.", no "Ji" !

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