Berberis griffithiana (Berberidaceae) I spent a lot of time explaining about the difficulties of identifying Berberis. The images of this species were taken in Nepal. At the time I was blissfully unaware that Dr Adhikari, had, with Western taxonomists, completed a revision of the genus in Nepal, which had been published in the Edinburgh Journal of Botany in 2012 (see: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259425576_A_revision_of_berberis_SS_Berberidaceae_in_Nepal). The problem is that when contributors to efloraofIndia simply suggest a species name, not indicating whether it is a firm identification or speculative (which they are encouraged to do) and when they are in a position to explain why but do not do so, we can often be none the wiser. Those with expertise need to share it. Berberis is a difficult genus identification-wise, regardless of whether a revision has taken place. As I had said I thought it was not B.griffithiana (or at least what I understood to be this), Dr Adhikari should have told us why it was! His revision has reduced the number of species down to 20 including 2 new ones, from 30 (32). I shall gradually go through this revision and see what I think - my initial feeling is that it appears overly-simplified..... |