Chapter Plant Name Resources

Plant names are the key to communicating and managing information about plants. This paper considers how providers of high quality technical plant name information can better meet the requirements non-botanical audiences who also rely on plant names for elements of their work. The International Plant Name Index, World Checklist of Selected Plant Families and The Plant List are used as examples to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of plant name resources from a non-expert user’s perspective. The above resources can be thought of as botanists pushing data at audiences. Without closer engagement with users, however, there is a limit to their relevance and impact. The need to cover common names is a frequent criticism of existing resources. The Medicinal Plant Names Services (MPNS, www.kew.org/mpns) is an example of how plant name resources can be adapted to better address the needs of a non-botanical audience. Some of the major challenges are outlined and solutions suggested

Towards a new online species-information system for legumes

The need for scientists to exchange, share and organise data has resulted in a proliferation of biodiversity research-data portals over recent decades. These cyber-infrastructures have had a major impact on taxonomy and helped the discipline by allowing faster access to bibliographic information, biological and nomenclatural data, and specimen information. Several specialised portals aggregate particular data types for a large number of species, including legumes. Here, we argue that, despite access to such data-aggregation portals, a taxon-focused portal, curated by a community of researchers specialising on a particular taxonomic group and who have the interest, commitment, existing collaborative links, and knowledge necessary to ensure data quality, would be a useful resource in itself and make important contributions to more general data providers. Such an online species-information system focused on Leguminosae (Fabaceae) would serve useful functions in parallel to and different from international data-aggregation portals. We explore best practices for developing a legume-focused portal that would support data sharing, provide a better understanding of what data are available, missing, or erroneous, and, ultimately, facilitate cross-analyses and direct development of novel research. We present a history of legume-focused portals, survey existing data portals to evaluate what is available and which features are of most interest, and discuss how a legume-focused portal might be developed to respond to the needs of the legume-systematics research community and beyond. We propose taking full advantage of existing data sources, informatics tools and protocols to develop a scalable and interactive portal that will be used, contributed to, and fully supported by the legume-systematics community in the easiest manner possible

The Prometheus Taxonomic Model: a practical approach to representing multiple classification.

A model for representing taxonomic data in a flexible and dynamic system capable of handling and comparing multiple simultaneous classifications is presented. The Prometheus Taxonomic Model takes as its basis the idea that a taxon can be circumscribed by the specimens or taxa of a lower rank which are said to belong to it. In this model alternative taxon concepts are therefore represented in terms of differing circumscriptions. This provides a more objective way of expressing taxonomic concepts than purely descriptive circumscriptions have been published. Using specimens as the fundamental elements of taxon circumscription also allows for the automatic naming of taxa based upon the distribution and priority of types within each circumscription, and by application of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. This approach effectively separates the process of naming taxa (nomenclature) from that of classification, and therefore enables the system to store multiple classifications. The derivation of the model, how it compares with other models, and the implications for the construction of global data sets and taxonomic working practice are discussed

Cytotaxonomic studies on some Vicia L. species growing in the eastern Mediterranean and southern Aegean regions II.

In this study, some natural Vicia L. species growing naturally in eastern Mediterranean and southern Aegean Regions have been investigated morphological and cytotaxonomic point of view. Morphology, chromosome number and morphometries of the 9 taxa belonging to the Vicia L. genus including Vicia peregrina, V. lutea var. hirta, V. anatolica, V. hybrida, V. grandiflora var. grandiflora, V. grandiflora var. dissecta, V. cuspidata, V. sativa subsp. sativa, V. sativa subsp. nigra var. segatalis have been studied by using karyological and numerical taxonomic techniques. Data obtained chromosome measurements were analysed by using cluster analysis. The chromosome number of studied Vicia species have been found as 2n = 10, 12 and 14. The member of Vicia section, related taxa were compared with respect to their chromosomal and morphological characteristics. Some karyological relationships among the studied Vicia taxa were discussed with help of taxonomic history and evolutionary data

State of the world’s plants and fungi 2020

Kew’s State of the World’s Plants and Fungi project provides assessments of our current knowledge of the diversity of plants and fungi on Earth, the global threats that they face, and the policies to safeguard them. Produced in conjunction with an international scientific symposium, Kew’s State of the World’s Plants and Fungi sets an important international standard from which we can annually track trends in the global status of plant and fungal diversity

Chapter Communicating safely & effectively using plant names

This paper describes a new initiative to provide information services in support of professionals, including legislators, that work in health, pharmacovigilance, the herbal and pharmaceutical industries or that undertake pharmaceutical research. The services are being designed to help these audiences to use plant names appropriately and navigate safely the rich information sources that already exist for medicinal plants. Input from the user community is sought to ensure that the services built meet practical needs and are sustainable

Chapter Useful Plants

Plant

Chapter Communicating safely & effectively using plant names

This paper describes a new initiative to provide information services in support of professionals, including legislators, that work in health, pharmacovigilance, the herbal and pharmaceutical industries or that undertake pharmaceutical research. The services are being designed to help these audiences to use plant names appropriately and navigate safely the rich information sources that already exist for medicinal plants. Input from the user community is sought to ensure that the services built meet practical needs and are sustainable