Can't add a new Genus

Dave, something has changed in the Add a New Plant feature in the PlantFiles.
I have just attempted to add three new plants to the database.
The first was Juncus planifolius, a member of a large genus with many plants already in the database and the addition was made quite normally.

I then attempted to add :
Wing-fruited Lecocarpus
Lecocarpus pinnatifidus
in the Asteraceae.

Lecocarpus is a genus of about 3 species, endemic to the Galapagos Islands.
When I tried to insert the new species, the system replied with

Ken, this is a new feature Dave put in today, in an effort to cut down on a lot of misspelled entries. I'll see what we can do about letting people add new plants once they've seen a warning that the name is not among our validated names - or alternatively, I or one of the editors can add it for you.

Thanks Terry. That makes sense, but there does need to be a way round it. I am sure I will be adding a large number of new genera as I wrok my way through my libarary of colour slides. I have certainly added a lot of new genera in the past. It will be tedious and slow if I have to get each one created by an editor, as well as making a lot of new work for the editors.
In the short term can you create entries for the two species above and then I will add some details and my pictures.

Ken

I have run into the same thing today, trying to add some new plants... tried to add Calymmanthium (correct spelling, by the way)... but the site says no go. But then I tried to add several other plants and the site wouldn't take them, either... and they belong to genera already in the plant files, just new species. What gives? Three attempts to add new plants and nothing is working. Don't like this new set up!

Well this seems ridiculous, but I think Dave has also added a requirement that all new entries have a common name, as I was able to add the new species by just making up a common name. Then I just went back to edit and deleted it once I had entered the plant. At least 90% of all the plants I have entered have no common name, and common names are often frowned upon in the scientific community as they are usually misleading and erroneous. But it is sort of fun to just make up something if forced to .... I just have to make sure I delete it before it ends up being part of the permanent plant files.

However, still haven't figured a way around this new genus problem. Any ideas?

A little explanation is in order.

I asked Dave for these edits (although they aren't working exactly as we envisioned they would.) Why? because we're seeing a lot of duplicate entries that slide in because the family and genus fields aren't properly completed - they're either blank or completed wrong (and either way, the system can't look for duplicates with any accuracy.)

That's why there's an edit requiring all entries to have those fields filled out with "recognized" names. Unfortunately, it's halting some legitimate new entries from being added, so I've asked Dave to consider a couple ways to resolve this problem (one would be a warning message that you're entering "uncharted territory" with a new entry; the other would be that it would send a report to us, and we could add the new genus and/or family name to a list of validated names.)

We should probably take off the requirement to complete the common name field. But in most cases, we do go back and enter a common name (the generic name) if there are no commonly-used vernacular names. Having that field completed helps people searching for a plant. (The scientific community frowns on common names - but the vast majority of our users are gardeners, not botanists or taxonomists. And the typical gardener doesn't always know the botanical name. One of the ways they can learn it is to find the entry in PlantFiles under its common name, then see the botanical name within the entry.)

Ken, please try once more to add one of the new entries you listed out last night. You *should* be able to add them now; please let me know if you can't.

Palmbob, I'll get your generic name added to the list ASAP; when I do I'll post back here so you can try again.

Dave also removed the common name field from the required fields, so hopefully that will take care of most of the problems. If you still find it won't take a specific epithet (and you've confirmed the spelling and proper capitalization of the family and genus names) please report them here - I'll need the genus and species name(s) you're trying to add (family is nice-to-have but not necessary for me to investigate the problem.)

Thanks Terry, I just successfully inserted Lecocarpus pinnatifidus, so I should be OK for a month now!!

Considering the requirements and qualifications for our special folks who are Ubers, perhaps a special moderator/admin group needs to be initiated. One in which those who are the 'protectors' of the PlantFiles may ensure that additions to special categories (like genus and species) are done swiftly and correctly... especially if those are roadblocks they're facing enroute. :)

Donna

I wish to enter this genus with only one species.
Common name:Cabega
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Espostoopsis
Species: dybowskii
(and some synonyms)

Thanks.

I've added Espostoopsis to the comparison list - please let me know if you have any problems submitting the species entry.

Everything entered OK. Thanks.

I would like to add the genus Luckhoffia (in particular, my L beukmanii cristata plant). How do I go about doing that.. the plant files wont accedt it?

palmbob, I added it for you, so you should be all set now. Just let Terry or me know anytime you need a new genus added.

Thanks... I think. I just looked for it inthe plant files and it wasn't there.. so I tried to add it and the files did its usual 'run around' thing where the screen just returns to the one you just tried to add... what now?

This is so frustrating.. now I want to add Leymus condensatus (Giant wild rye), but the files want me to add it under the old synonym Elymus, or at least thats what it looks like. . should I just do that, and then correct the spelling later on?

well this time I answered my own question.. already added under its old synonym... can you find out for me it that truly is the old synonym, or if the Leymus is an old name (Google sources say otherwise).

Both Elymus and Leymus are current depending on species. According to RHS Leymus condensatus is the current name for the species, if you don't want to take their word for it I will look into it further for you.

Grass nomenclature is always a mess, too many species, not enough botanists interested in further research unless they are of aggie value or pest of ag land.

Thanks.. now I am still having troubles... need to add a Turbinicarpus species, and an Afrocarpus species... but PF says both genera mispelled.. any ideas how to get by this in the future, or do I have to plead my case each time?

Leymus, Turbinicarpus and Afrocarpus have all been added. I'll ask Dave to reconsider this option (I had originally proposed two alternatives - one was to halt a new entry until an editor intervenes; the other is to issue a strong warning that the name is not recognized, but permit the entry to pass through.)

I realize it is an inconvenience, but it *has* significantly reduced the number of incorrect entries (and many of them duplicates because they were incorrect) from being submitted.

I made a comment on June 13th regarding this. Not pushing, just a suggestion in case it was missed in the evaluation of alternatives. :)

Now I can't even add a species to a genus that is already in the PlantFiles.
There are 3 species of Aciphylla in the PlantFiles in the family Apiaceae.
I am trying to add Aciphylla glacialis and every time I try I get told that the genus is misspelled!!!

Ken, please try it again now.

Thanks Terry, it worked this time. What was the problem?

Long story short, the genus names now in PlantFiles are not necessarily included in the comparative list. (Most are, but there are a few that somehow slipped through from a while back.)

So even if you find existing entries with a particular genus, you *may* (hopefully it will be rare) run into a system snag when trying to add a new species. Anytime the system rejects a name, let me know and I'll make it a top priority to get it added to the list.

Please add this to the list
"Cumulopuntia"
Thanks.

Done - thanks for letting me know!

I had a problem adding the genus Phaedranassa. I'm going to be adding two species in this genus, Dubia and Carmiolii

Terry, here is another list of species in unrepresented genera that I shall be adding to the PlantFiles over the next month or so. Could you please add these to the acceptable genera:
Australian Carraway Apiaceae Oreomyrrhis eriopoda
Shrubby Platysace Apiaceae Platysace lanceolata
Orchidaceae Rhynchostylis retusa
Green Rock Orchid Orchidaceae Rimacola elliptica
Orchidaceae Schomburgkia fimbriata
Ken

Please add these genera:
"Maihueniopsis, Miqueliopuntia & Pereskiopsis"
Thanks.

Please add these 2 genera to the list also
Quiabentia & Tacinga
Thanks.

I would like to add the orchid Rhynchostylis retusa. Do a google search and you'll see that it is a real thing.

Thank you to all of you for your patience up to this point, and please bear with me just a little while longer. I've been out for a week with very limited access to the site, and I'm now "making the rounds" and prioritizing the problems and qeustions I can help resolve.

Adding these genera is high on my list of todo's and should be completed later today or early tomorrow - I'll post here when they're all done.

Terry, can I make a suggestion for improving the process of adding a new genus (it is a suggestion for Dave to implement really).
It would be good if when attempting to add a plant in a new genus, that when the add a new plant failed, in addition to reporting that the genus was unknown, a link was provided to request the addition of a new genus. This could lead to a form similar to the new species form for entry of the request and the requests could then be queued for you to process "at your leisure" (LOL).
Ken

The following generic names have been added:

Maihueniopsis
Miqueliopuntia
Mutisia
Oreomyrrhis
Pereskiopsis
Phaedranassa (see note below)
Platysace
Quiabentia
Rhynchostylis
Rimacola
Schomburgkia
Tacinga

(Note to jessmerritt - please be sure when you enter a species entry the specific epithet is not capitalized - for example, Phaedranassa dubia should be entered as dubia in the species field.)

Please add Acharagma to the genus list. Thank you.

Done!

Terry, I have accidentally discovered a way of getting round the block on adding a new genus, which Dave might want to fix.
I added the species Pterostylis aphylla to the PlantFiles. I then checked the web for additional information on it and found that it was recently (2002), renamed to Speculantha aphylla.
I therefore went to change this entry and amended the genus to Speculantha and it accepted the change (I then added Pterostylis aphylla as a synonym).
I am sure that Speculantha is not on your accepted genera list (you may now want to add it), but the chnage of genus was not exposed to the same chacks that would apply to adding the species with that name from scratch!
Ken

Ahhhh, good point. Hopefully those who are aware of their ability to edit an entry wouldn't use it to circumvent what *should* be good edit checks that help us all do a better job of adding correctly-spelled names.

I just found this thread after getting a series of errors when trying to enter a series of new plants. I send and error report on the first one. Is there a way to fix this problem? I have a long list of plants that I would like to add but none of them are in the list of accepted genus.

Before I enter any plant, I make sure that the name is correct by researching it in several books and websites. I'm not too happy with this as it makes it very difficult and time consuming for everybody to add new plants. When I subscribed I understood that it was Ok for users to add new plants to the PF, and that it was actually encouraged. I understand that Dave may want to reduce the number of misspelled entries, but this new format makes it almost impossible to add new plants. Also, it creates a burden for the editors because everytime a new genus needs to be added, one needs to contact them to do it.

I hope that a better system is implemented in the near future.

Thanks.

jnana