This book is the culmination of more than five years of intensive taxonomic studies on the malvaceous plants of southern peninsular India, covering Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. A lot of field and laboratory work have gone into it along with exhaustive coverage of literature. The anxiety that it might end up as a repetition of the revision of the family published as late as in 1988 has been belied. The treatise has broken new grounds and have shed much better light on the taxonomy of the peninsular Indian representatives of this family, especially problematic ones like Sida. The fact that live specimens in living communities are the anchor sheets of this work sets this book apart from similar publications. Herbarium specimens have been used only for the purpose of documentation and authentication of taxonomic conclusions. The book provides, among other things, a bird’s eye-view of the history and classification of the family and its constituent taxa. Altogether 78 species and seven infraspecific taxa of 19 genera coming under 5 different tribes are described. Taxonomy and nomenclature have been checked with types and authentic specimens. Copious notes on their ecology, phenology and distribution are also provided. These and the extensive bibliography provided at the end, would render it a valuable reference book for future students while the illustrations and photographs would render it useful for non-taxonomists as well.
There are no reviews yet.