[Taxacom] Lumping and Splitting

[Peter Stevens]

But if you look at how the erstwhile Loiseluria procumbens grows it  
is a) very distinctive - no bud scales, etc, even if it may grow in  
distinctly inclement conditions, and b) it is identical in this  
respect to some, although not all species of Kalmia.  Yes, it is  
derived from within Kalmia, but vegetative morphology is in agreement  
with this, and the flowers are different, but that is "simply" a  
matter of understanding development, pollinators, etc.

P.

Back to work.

On Sep 7, 2007, at 12:08 PM, Adolf Ceska wrote:

>
> This discussion started as a problem with lumping and splitting at  
> the GENUS
> level. I believe that this kind of splitting can be understood by any
> botanist, since it does not take too much to understand various  
> genus names.
>
> One thing that bother me, though, is mixing generic splitting with  
> generic
> lumping in one major work, such as in the Flora of North America  
> (FNA). My
> gut feeling tells me that Schoenoplectus subterminalis is rather  
> odd in its
> assigned genus Schoenoplectus (in this case an unlucky split from  
> the genus
> Scirpus), and I feel reluctant to call Loiseleuria procumbens "Kalmia
> procumbens" (lumping for the sake of lumping). I guess that the FNA  
> editors
> face the impossible task to deal with a large group of the  
> contributing
> authorities.
>
> Adolf Ceska, Victoria, BC, Canada
>
>
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