Misinterpretations and plagiarism in a publication about Himalayan Impatiens: polemics with the paper of Singh R.K. et al. 2021

• Published in: Biodiversity research and conservation 2021-09, Vol.63 (1), p.1-30
• Main Authors: Gogoi, Rajib, Adamowski, Wojciech, Sherpa, Norbu, Sharma, Ashutosh, Borah, Souravjyoti
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Authorship; Balsaminaceae; determination; Documentation; ethics; Flowers & plants; Himalaya; Impatiens; lectotypification; Morphology; New combinations; Pictures; Plagiarism; Pseudoscience; reinstatement; Seeds; Taxa; Taxonomy
• ISSN: 2080-945X; 1897-2810; 2080-945X
• DOI: 10.2478/biorc-2021-0005

In the publication “Typifications, new combinations and new synonyms in Indian (Balsaminaceae)” by Singh, R. K. . (2021), the authors used pseudoscientific theoretical background, utilized material collected by other persons without citing the source of data in support of their claims, and made serious errors in the determination and delimitation of taxa occuring in Himalayas and adjacent areas. They proposed new combinations and statuses without sufficient field and literature studies and failed to show convincing evidences in their treatments. Their documentation lacks important details, like authorship of the published pictures, locations and dates of pictures, or measurements of plant parts; the whole documentation has geographically biased gaps – in case of Western Himalayan or Sikkimese taxa, there is almost no original illustrative material. Finally, they falsely claimed extensive field studies in Western Himalaya. This paper reinstates 19 species and 1 variety synonymised by Singh . (2021) with scientific evidences based on illustrations from types and colour photographs from fresh collections.