Description
M/S Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Brachystelma R Br In India by Prasad K And P Venu
The members of the genus Brachystelma R. Br. exhibit narrow distribution ranges and many species found in India are narrow/point endemics. The group for the Indian subcontinent was first published with scant descriptions in the Hooker’s Flora of British India. Some species are truly rare as they never appeared after first description by taxonomists. Many focused publications on endemic and threatened species of India surprisingly omitted this genus entirely. The genus as a whole in fact fall in the most deserving zone for focused conservation. Given the fact that India exhibits greater diversity for Brachystelma, the whole group is now attempted primarily for fresh collections, improved descriptions especially with reference to coronal structures, taxonomic relationships and for assessing their distribution and conservation status. Few new species were proposed in this work. The book has 20 illustrations, 37 photo plates and 9 distribution maps and effectively provided clarity on the identities of many little-known species. This work contributes expressively in the revision of the family, Apocynaceae, for the Flora India program of the Botanical Survey of India.