Hi Gang,
The World Checklist of Monocotyledons is online at:
http://www.kew.org/wcsp/home.do
The big advantage for bulb growers who are also interested in taxonomic
accuracy is that all the accepted names are provided. Also provided are
synonyms. I did some quick browsing and found that Homeria is no longer an
accepted genus, the various species seem to have been placed into Moraea. I
knew that revisions had taken place, but I didn't know what was "accepted"
or mainstreamed.
To test the database I looked up Cooperia drummondii, and the database
rightly informed me that the correct name is really Zephyranthes
chlorosolen. The list of synonyms for Z. chlorosolen is impressive. The
various synonyms are:
a.. Cooperia drummondii Herb., Edwards's Bot. Reg. 22: t. 1835 (1836).
b.. Cooperia mexicana Herb., Amaryllidaceae: 182 (1837).
c.. Amaryllis drummondii (Herb.) Steud., Nomencl. Bot., ed. 2, 1: 71
(1840).
d.. Zephyranthes herbertiana D.Dietr., Syn. Pl. 2: 1176 (1840).
e.. Cooperia kansensis W.C.Stevens, Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci. 40: 95 (1937
publ. 1938).
f.. Cooperia brasiliensis Traub, Herbertia 12: 38 (1947).
g.. Zephyranthes brasiliensis (Traub) Traub, Pl. Life 7: 42 (1951).
h.. Zephyranthes brazosensis Traub, Pl. Life 7: 42 (1951), nom. illeg.
i.. Zephyranthes kansensis (W.C.Stevens) Traub, Pl. Life 7: 42 (1951).
One interesting aspect of this Web resource (provided by Kew) is that
they place amaryllids in the Alliaceae. I suppose they are employing the
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II recommendations.
Grasses are included in a separate Web site for now but are scheduled to
be included in the Web site above. You can find grasses at:
http://www.kew.org/data/grasses-syn.html .
Who can say if "accepted names" are biologically accurate, or how the
database will look in 10 years (revisions and additions will happen).
However, I think the database is a brilliant achievement in using the WWW
for botanical purposes.
Cordially,
Joe
Conroe TX