Book Description
The family Gentianaceae is found in almost every part of the World. Plants of this family have a high degree of polymorphism. The distinguishing characters among genera and species are there but due to plasticity of the characters the identification is very difficult. For overcoming this difficulty, a critical taxonomic study is necessary. Taxonomic revision of Indian Gentianaceae has not been done since C.B. Clarke’s work in Flora of British India, which is now more than a century old. This is the first book of its kind, presenting correct names, synonyms and world distribution of 196 species and varieties, grouped into 17 genera of this family found in India. Out of these taxa the detailed taxonomic study of 14 genera and 82 species and varieties was done by the author and published in her book entitled ‘Gentianaceae of North-West Himalayas’. However, to complete the revision of total Indian Gentianaceae, study on double the number of species and varieties was wanted. The present checklist does not deal with the descriptions etc., of the plants but to present correct nomenclature some new combinations and new citations have been made. A list of endemic species is also given. An elaborate bibliography is appended at the end. This check-list of plant names in alphabetical order would be very useful for the taxonomists, working on this family in particular, and on Indian Flora, in general. This will also be useful for botanists of other countries.
