DOES IT WORK?

[Les at]

Re practical applications of `interactive methods' in the world at large, I
have never compiled a list of references, although it may be worth doing so.
Meanwhile, here is a recent testimonial for our `Grass Genera of the World'
package from an expert on the family (forwarded with Dr. Veldkamp's permission).

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Dear Leslie & Mike,
   Just thought you might like to hear this:
   Around 1980 a grass was collected in the Netherlands, and although
4 of our people looked at it extensively (short of doing anatomical
preparations), we had no clue to even its subfamilial position.
   A few days ago one of our Dutch florists came to me and asked
whether in the past 16 years my knowledge might have increased, and
did I perhaps NOW know what it was. I didn't, but thought to give
INTKEY a try. Well, as you no doubt expect, it took me 10 minutes
to score some salient details, 5 minutes to punch them in and at
TOL 0 I got a name, Snowdenia, which didn't mean anything to me,
as it is African. A quick check in the herbarium confirmed the generic
identity, a revision was found and it is S. polystachya!
  This turns out to have been found in Europe before, introduced with
wool: 'well established in Yeovil, Somerset, UK' (but not in Stace!),
and in No"rdinge, Va"stergo"tland, Sweden.

   I am quite pleased with this, for a number of people here are
rather disparaging about DELTA and don't want to use it, even with
Eric Gouda's shell (I haven't tried the new DIANA, yet), and plan
to write a short notice about this (and DELTA) in our botanical
rag.
   Cheers,

JeF Veldkamp
Rijksherbarium / Hortus Botanicus
POB 9514, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
tel. + 31 (0) 71 527 35 49  --- fax. + 31 (0) 71 527 35 11

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INTKEY and WWW versions of the above and other DELTA packages are available
at:

      ftp.keil.ukans.edu (directory /pub/delta/)
                    and
      http://www.keil.ukans.edu/delta/






Les Watson
78 Vancouver Street                     Email: lesw at albanyis.com.au
Albany, WA 6330, Australia              Phone: +61 98 41 6181