Overview for Strobilanthes Blume (Acanthaceae): In Peninsular India
It is often assumed and truly so that a viable and practical option to achieve near completion of the flora of India is by giving a serious stress to revisions of certain major genera under different families. They are pretty small in number, between 50 and 80, and Strobilanthes of the Acanthaceae is one such genus under and represented by ca 150 species in the mountainous region of Peninsular India and the Himalayas of northeast and northwest India. This is quite a good proportion (ca 50%) when compared to world distribution (ca 300 spp.). I developed interest in the genus while I was doing the tribe Ruelliae for the flora of Kerala. The state of Kerala alone is represented by 36 species of Strobilanthes. Revisions are considered serious propositions particularly when undertaken for larger genera. They pose problems of various kinds and the study of each genus is an experience by itself. The pattern of variation in certain features and the consistency in others paves the way to make a better assessment of evolutionary pattern in the taxon under investigation. The day we finish revisions of all major genera, their outputs positively contribute towards greater comprehension to these evolutionary trends...
Bagchee
