| Author: |
Divya darshan Pant
|
| Published in: | Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany |
| Release Year: | 2002 |
| ISBN: | 81-86382-01-1 |
| Pages: | 400 |
| Edition: | First Edition |
| File Size: | 76 MB |
| File Type: | |
| Language: | English |
Description of An Introduction to Gymnosperms, Cycas, and Cycadales
Two of my earlier books on "Cycas" and "Cycas and Cycadales" were published in 1962 and 1973. They are
both out of print. However, during the past quarter of this century, our knowledge of these plants has expanded enormously and expanded in many previously unknown or little known directions. Cycadology owes a great deal to the fillip it received from the Cycad Societies of America and South Africa as well as the Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia and New Zealand. These societies publish their own journals like the Cycad Newsletter from the U.S.A., Encephalartos from R.S.A. and Palms & Cycads from Australia. These journals are veritable sources of the latest information on cycads. In addition during the past decade, cytologists have organized triennial International Cycad Conferences in Cycad Biology which started with the first Cycad Conference held in 1987 at Beaulieu Sur Mer in France followed by the publication of its Proceedings in the New York Botanical Garden Bulletin in 1990. The Second International Conference was held in 1990, in Townsville, Australia. Its proceedings have been published in 1993 by the Palm and Cycad Society of Australia. The Third Cycad Conference was held in August 1993 at Pretoria in the Republic of South Africa and the Fourth Conference on Cycad Biology was held in May 1996 in Panzhihua City in South China. Earlier, international conferences were held on the toxicity of cycads and they too contributed a good deal towards the advancement of our knowledge of the cycads. However, since their scope was limited to the toxicity of cycads, they made only minor contributions in the study of other aspects of cycads. In contrast, the multi-sided character of the new cycad conferences has greatly helped in advancing our knowledge of different aspects of Cycadology.
It is also important to mention that after the publication of the second edition of my book in 1973 quite a few publications have come out on plants of this group. These include a very useful Bibliography of Living Cycads by R.w. Read and M.1. So It published in Lyonia Vo\. 2. No. 4 in 1986. These authors have, for the first time, most comprehensively and extensively covered the literature on cycads. In the meantime, a book illustrated with beautiful color photographs entitled Cycads of South Africa was published by Cynthia Giddy in 1974 and its second edition appeared in 1984. Another book by Douglas Goode published in 1989 is Cycads of Africa, it contains drawings and colour paintings and accounts of all African species. Another recent addition to books on cycads is Cycads of the World by D.L. lones published in 1993. The scope of An Introduction to Gymnosperms, Cycas, and Cycadales book is similar to that of the books by Giddy and Goode but worldwide. Two more books on cycads have appeared in 1996, these are entitled Cycads of China edited by Guan Zhongtian, Zhou Lin and others and Cycads in China edited by Faxing Wang, Huibo Liang, Tanquing Chen, and Dingyue Wang. As the titles of these books indicate, they deal mainly with the Chinese species of Cycas. The first of these books has a Chinese text with only the last twenty-eight pages of an English summary followed by halftone and 18 color plates. The second book has the distinct advantage of a bilingual text. An Introduction to Gymnosperms, Cycas, and Cycadales book too is illustrated with the line, halftone and color illustrations. Both the books attempt a multi-sided coverage of Chinese cycads but their information also tends to supplement each other although the second book is generally more accurate particularly in citations. The latest book on cycads is the Biology ofCycads by Norstog & Nicolls (1997).
both out of print. However, during the past quarter of this century, our knowledge of these plants has expanded enormously and expanded in many previously unknown or little known directions. Cycadology owes a great deal to the fillip it received from the Cycad Societies of America and South Africa as well as the Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia and New Zealand. These societies publish their own journals like the Cycad Newsletter from the U.S.A., Encephalartos from R.S.A. and Palms & Cycads from Australia. These journals are veritable sources of the latest information on cycads. In addition during the past decade, cytologists have organized triennial International Cycad Conferences in Cycad Biology which started with the first Cycad Conference held in 1987 at Beaulieu Sur Mer in France followed by the publication of its Proceedings in the New York Botanical Garden Bulletin in 1990. The Second International Conference was held in 1990, in Townsville, Australia. Its proceedings have been published in 1993 by the Palm and Cycad Society of Australia. The Third Cycad Conference was held in August 1993 at Pretoria in the Republic of South Africa and the Fourth Conference on Cycad Biology was held in May 1996 in Panzhihua City in South China. Earlier, international conferences were held on the toxicity of cycads and they too contributed a good deal towards the advancement of our knowledge of the cycads. However, since their scope was limited to the toxicity of cycads, they made only minor contributions in the study of other aspects of cycads. In contrast, the multi-sided character of the new cycad conferences has greatly helped in advancing our knowledge of different aspects of Cycadology.
It is also important to mention that after the publication of the second edition of my book in 1973 quite a few publications have come out on plants of this group. These include a very useful Bibliography of Living Cycads by R.w. Read and M.1. So It published in Lyonia Vo\. 2. No. 4 in 1986. These authors have, for the first time, most comprehensively and extensively covered the literature on cycads. In the meantime, a book illustrated with beautiful color photographs entitled Cycads of South Africa was published by Cynthia Giddy in 1974 and its second edition appeared in 1984. Another book by Douglas Goode published in 1989 is Cycads of Africa, it contains drawings and colour paintings and accounts of all African species. Another recent addition to books on cycads is Cycads of the World by D.L. lones published in 1993. The scope of An Introduction to Gymnosperms, Cycas, and Cycadales book is similar to that of the books by Giddy and Goode but worldwide. Two more books on cycads have appeared in 1996, these are entitled Cycads of China edited by Guan Zhongtian, Zhou Lin and others and Cycads in China edited by Faxing Wang, Huibo Liang, Tanquing Chen, and Dingyue Wang. As the titles of these books indicate, they deal mainly with the Chinese species of Cycas. The first of these books has a Chinese text with only the last twenty-eight pages of an English summary followed by halftone and 18 color plates. The second book has the distinct advantage of a bilingual text. An Introduction to Gymnosperms, Cycas, and Cycadales book too is illustrated with the line, halftone and color illustrations. Both the books attempt a multi-sided coverage of Chinese cycads but their information also tends to supplement each other although the second book is generally more accurate particularly in citations. The latest book on cycads is the Biology ofCycads by Norstog & Nicolls (1997).
Content of An Introduction to Gymnosperms, Cycas, and Cycadales
Part 1- General Introduction to Gymnosperms
Chapter 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1
Chapter 2 Origin and evolution of seeds and cupules ........................................................ 12
Chapter 3 Classification ...................................................................................................... 35
Part 11 - Cycas
Chapter 4 Distribution and diversity ................................................................................. 45
Chapter 5 External morphology of vegetative parts .......................................................... 72
Chapter 6 Vegetative anatomy ........................................................................................... 83
Chapter 7 Reproduction and life cycle ............................................................................... 118
Chapter 8 Economic importance and toxicity of chemical constituents........................... 165
Part III -Cycadales
Chapter 9 Diversity, distribution and interrelationships ................................................. 175
Chapter 10 Vegetative characters ...................................................................................... 198
Chapter 11 Reproduction and life cycles ........................................................................... 216
Chapter 12 Hybrids, economic uses, and toxicity ............................................................. 245
Chapter 13 Karyology and cytotaxonomy ......................................................................... 252
Chapter 14 Fossil history and phylogeny ......................................................................... 267
Chapter 15 Ecology ........................................................................................................... 308
Chapter 16 Conservation .................................................................................................. 319
Chapter 17 Propagation and cultivation .......................................................................... 328
Chapter 18 Chemistry of the Cycadales by Dr. Roy Osborne .......................................... 335
Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 343
Photographs of Cycadologists ......................................................................................... 369
Subject Index ................................................................................................................... 373
0 comments: