This book , Perspectives of Plant Biodiversity, is the proceedings of the National Seminar on Plant Biodiversity – Systematics, Conservation and Ethnobotany, which was held in November 2000 in the Department of Botany, University of North Bengal. Over a hundred scientists from different corners of India including a few from other countries attended the seminar. As we believe, just the floristic explorations and naming newly recognised taxa are not the only duties of taxonomists. So, the present volume covered a much wider area including floristic studies, nomenclature, systematics and phylogeny, distribution and conservation, ethnobotany, etc. The first article, from the plenary lectures, by Prof. Sunirmal Chanda on the origin of life has rightly created a broad base for the presentation of topics in other branches. The present volume incorporated 51 articles covering different aspects of plant biodiversity. Articles from personalities like Drs. N.P. Singh, P. Pushpangadan, P.S. Roy, K.N. Gandhi, K.S. Manilal, R.S. Tripathi and many other senior and reputed scientists are certainly made the book informative and useful for the readers. Problems of nomenclature, conservation, ethnobotanical informations from remote areas, detailed systematic works, etc will certainly find interest among the readers. The articles in many sections are providing informations from outside the arena of conventional taxonomy, which include remote sensing, molecular biology, computer herbarium, etc. There are two articles that are also dealing with the lower group of plants. Articles are selected and presented in such a manner so that readers can trace an article of his/her choice quite easily. Quite a good number of colour photographs, maps, imageries etc. have certainly made the book more informative and useful.
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