Umbelliferae for The Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra
Introduction
The Umbellifereae account for The Flora
of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra will be written at Royal
Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Initially research is focussed on the Socotran
Archipelago and the unusual umbellifers that are found on these remote
islands. Currently we are investigating new gatherings (representing new
genera and species) from these island, and preparing a revision of the
umbellifers in the light of these findings. This data is being used in
the preparation of the Ethnoflora of Scotra and in the UNOPS Master Plan
for the Deveopment of Socotra.
Language
English.
Authors
Mark
Watson (Coordinator), Edinburgh, U.K.
Emma
Barclay, Edinburgh, U.K.
Scheduling
The volume of the Flora including
Umbelliferae does not yet have a publication schedule, and it is likely
to be several years before the work is complete. In the short term the
results of the umbellifer research will be published in journals, the Ethnoflora
(due to be published in 1999), and other publications associated with the
RBGE Socotran Project.
Publications arising from this work
Barclay, E L. & Watson, M.F. (accepted for
publication). A revision of Carum and Trachyspermum (Umbelliferae)
in the Socotran Archipelago. Kew Bulletin.
Abstract: Herbarium collections of annual umbellifers from the Socotran Archipelago have been variously attributed to species in Carum (C. calcicolum Balf. f., C. kuriense Vierh., C. pimpinelloides Balf. f., and C. trichocarpum Vierh.), or the corresponding combinations in Trachyspermum. Recent gatherings have been examined alongside the historic material, using fruit anatomy, scanning electron microscopy and classical morphology. Results show that this endemic species complex should best be treated as one variable species Trachyspermum pimpinelloides (Balf. f.) H. Wolff.