Unlike a flora a revision provides more reliable information on various aspects particularly identity since typification of names is involved and overall distribution of a taxon in the whole country. The latter particularly on endemics is more desirable in the present scenario of fast-vanishing forests, depleting populations, disturbed habitats and disappearing species to adopt conservation measures. Such information is also needed to sensitise the conservation community at different levels which at times is believed to be fiddling while Rome burns. Hence, many workers continue to emphasize the overriding importance of revisions since enormous material has been added in Indian herbaria in the recent past. A taxonomic revision of a family with over one hundred species, however, can be a very daunting proposition in that there can be umpteen hurdles in getting types and other authentic specimens and old literature particularly that appeared in ephemeral periodicals more than two centuries ago from European herbaria. Old literature cannot be ignored since taxonomy is a discipline in which problems in most cases are history-linked. Besides help may not be forthcoming from all herbaria with the desired promptness to enable workers to complete such a task in time. Despite all these difficulties we have put in our best efforts to make the Indian Verbenaceae as up-to-date as possible both nomenclaturally and taxonomically. Included in this revision are 19 genera, 105 species and 11 varieties and 77 of them are illustrated. Ample notes have been added on different aspects wherever desirable. Rare and otherwise interesting species have been identified. Information on chromosome number and pollen grains wherever available is also provided.
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