Research Projects

The genus Geranium L. (Geraniaceae), commonly known as cranesbills, is a taxonomically complex group distributed in temperate and montane regions of India, particularly in the Western Himalayas. Despite their ecological importance and medicinal potential, the Indian species of Geranium remain poorly understood in terms of their phylogenetic relationships, species boundaries, and conservation status. Traditional taxonomy based solely on macromorphological characters have limitations is resolving the taxonomic complexes due to high morphological plasticity and overlapping traits among closely related taxa. Preliminary herbarium studies and field observations indicate the presence of several taxonomic complexes and potential cryptic species within Indian Geranium. Additionally, many species lack modern taxonomic treatments that incorporate molecular and micromorphological evidence. With the advent of molecular systematics and integrative taxonomic approaches, there is an opportunity to resolve these complexities using DNA barcoding and phylogenetic analyses supported by micromorphological traits such as seed coat sculpturing, trichome diversity, and pollen morphology. Through the partnership of natural history biologists, computer scientists, nanotechnologists, and bio informaticists, the accessibility to the taxonomic information on digital portals has made it possible not only for the field taxonomists but for other research areas to conduct the expeditions, discovering and describing the natural world, compare the collected specimens with type specimen and reference collections from thousands of miles away at a fast-track mode (Agarwal, 2006). In view of that, an updated e-monograph dedicated to the Indian Geranium species is proposed here that will bring together all information about the genus, including artificial keys, species descriptions, nomenclature, ecological, ethnobotanical, distributional and specimen data along with molecular barcodes relating to the 32 taxa. This will be the first taxonomic monograph of Geranium entirely published online. The data will be an invaluable resource for taxonomists, conservationists, and policymakers. This proposal thus emerges from a recognized need to revise and update the taxonomy of Geranium in India using integrative approaches and to develop a comprehensive, accessible digital monograph that supports identification, conservation, and future research.