| Author | Content |
Zigur
Thousand Oaks, CA
February 03, 2008
03:31 AM Post #4489208
| Geoff,
You start off this article by saying that you know little about the genus, get most of what you know from the internet, and that most of that is unreliable. All you have done here is compound the errors with several mis-spelled names and incorrectly identified photographs.
I believe you have good intentions, but this doesn't help anyone.
T |
palmbob
Tarzana, CA
(Zone 9b)
 February 03, 2008
04:14 AM Post #4489300
| what photos are misidentified, if you don't mind telling me. Thanks |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
February 03, 2008
05:29 PM Post #4491186
| Hi palmbob. I appreciate the discussion about the difficulty of identifying
plants that don't fall neatly within an established nomenclature. I am having similar difficulty with other plants that I am researching.
Thanks,
gloria |
daylilydaddy
morehead, KY
(Zone 6a)
February 03, 2008
07:44 PM Post #4491724
| Sorry T or Zigur
I went and looked at what Geoff and you have contributed to the site and its like night and day. If he is wrong you will have to show some good evidence for me to believe it.
Geo |
judycooksey
Pocahontas, TN
(Zone 7b)
February 03, 2008
09:27 PM Post #4492149
| Zigur
Your posting is really rude and not of benefit to anyone.
Judy |
oldmudhouse
Las Cruces, NM
(Zone 8a)
February 04, 2008
01:45 PM Post #4494646
| Zigur, I have to agree. Information you believe is incorrect can be clarified without rudeness. If you have knowledge to share with others who love these plants, I'd encourage you to become a subscriber, roll up your sleeves, and contribute in a positive way.
Sheri |
Zigur
Thousand Oaks, CA
February 05, 2008
02:01 AM Post #4497378
| Well, E. rampressa for one. There is no such plant. The accuracy of E. venenata looks rather doubtful too.
It would have been good to point out the usefulness of the flowers in identifying species.
Also, there is much good literature on Euphorbia, including dedicated journals as well as specialised internet groups.
I would be the last person to believe a source simply because it was responsibe for placing a lot of material on the internet. |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
February 05, 2008
10:19 AM Post #4497883
| http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/E/Euphorbia_rampressa.asp
Here is a taxonomic classification of E. rampressa.
Apparently they were not informed that the plant did not exist. |
Terry
Murfreesboro, TN
(Zone 7a)
 February 05, 2008
11:17 AM Post #4498086
| Looking past the sweeping generalizations and less than constructive criticisms here, I'm afraid I'd have to discount zipcodezoo as a reliable reference - I find they tend to copy everyone (including PlantFiles. I've found mistakes we've made that have been replicated on that site.)
Better online sources for validating species include IPNI: http://www.ipni.org/ipni/plantnamesearchpage.do and ARS/GRIN: http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl and ITIS: http://www.itis.gov/ and - especially for older names - my tattered Gray's Manual of Botany and Hortus Third are still useful. |
palmbob
Tarzana, CA
(Zone 9b)
February 05, 2008
11:24 AM Post #4498118
| I prefer the Kew Gardens World checklist... very well recommended and respected site. By the way, Euphorbia ramipressa is listed as a valid species on it. I may have mispelled it in the article. So it IS a plant that exists (thank you Quail gardens!), though, as I said, I know little about it. Though it at least appears cold hardy enough to survive here in California in the warmer zones. Euphorbia venenata is also listed as a valid species, and that plant I know is correct having seen it in multiple botanical gardens as well as my stack of Euphorbia journals (yes I do have a number of those as well as over 100 other books on succulents). I do find the internet a confusing place, however, as many plants are often mislabeled (as some of mine may indeed be). E venenata just happens not be one of them, I can assure you.
http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/qsearch.do
This message was edited Feb 5, 2008 7:28 AM |
Terry
Murfreesboro, TN
(Zone 7a)
February 05, 2008
11:27 AM Post #4498126
| Palmbob, Kew is also an excellent reference -thanks for including it. And probably the misspelling is what kept me from finding it in the other checklists I mentioned. |
Zigur
Thousand Oaks, CA
February 05, 2008
12:57 PM Post #4498427
| Yes, I know there is an E. ramipressa, that is my point.
I think the zipcodezoo case of mistakes being propagated is a good example of why a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
It would be a good idea to correct that spelling. |
LarryR
South Amana, IA
(Zone 5a)
February 05, 2008
05:22 PM Post #4499381
| Zigur--It would have been a kindness to discuss your issues with Palmbob in a D-mail first, rather than posting in a public forum. If, after that discussion, you felt that there were some items that needed a public airing, you could still have done so. Please keep this option in mind in future postings. Thanks :-) Larry |
gloria125
Greensboro, AL
February 05, 2008
05:46 PM Post #4499460
| When I used Google to search E rampressa zipcodezoo was only one of several responses.
Ive had this happen before when I accidently misspelled something and google would come up with responses to the misspelled item
such as "find it on Ebay".
Lessons for everybody here, but the bottom line is preparation of an article is very hard work for very little compensation. It is a labor of love. If there is a problem I don't know any one of the writers team that would not be willing to discuss it by D Mail.
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