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VERIFICATION GROUP

This group of fields indicates the degree of confidence that can be placed in the identification of a record.

Identification Qualifiers

The following comments on 'Identification Qualifiers' are relevant to the HISPID3 fields Identification Qualifier and Rank Qualified Flag.

The degree of uncertainty of identification may be indicated by adding various terms, such as '?', 'cf.' and 'aff.', to the name of a plant. The qualifying term applies to the part of the name that immediately follows the qualifier, and they can be placed in front of any element of the name. In a HISPID3 transfer file, taxa qualified in this way are treated as positively identified only to the level one above the rank qualified, for example, a record of Cypripedium aff. candidum is treated not as a valid record of the threatened plant Cypripedium candidum but only as a record for the genus Cypripedium that requires further checking to confirm whether the plant is really C. candidum or another species.

With infraspecific taxa and cultivars, no distinction is made between whether the term (eg. 'aff.') is added before the rank of the qualified part of the name or after it. In other words, the Prunus maritima aff. var. gravesii and Prunus maritima var. aff. gravesii are regarded as referring to the same taxon.

Verification Level Flag

Transfer code: vlev

Description: The level to which the identification of the record has been verified.

Relevant standards: ITF

Domain/Range/Values: Integer; the entry must be one of the values in the table below:

Comments: If it is not known whether the name of the record has been verified by an authority, then this field must not be filled.

Verifier's Name

Transfer code: vnam

Description: The name of the person or persons who verified the identification of the plant, as qualified in the Verification Level field (above). Their institutional affiliation may be cited, too.

Relevant standards: ABIS, ITF

Domain/Range/Values: Alpha; the full name of the verifier(s).

Comments: If it is not known whether the name of the record has been verified (that is, the Verification Level field has not been filled), then this field must not be filled.

1. The verifier's family name (surname; with initial letter uppercase) followed by comma and space (, ) then initials of given names (in uppercase and each followed by a full stop, without spaces). Titles should be omitted.

2. If two names are needed, the names (formatted as in point 1 above) are separated by a comma and a space. If several names are needed, then the first name (as formatted in point 1 above) may be followed by 'et al.'

3. The verifier's institution may also be cited (as a code) in round brackets.

Notes: If necessary, the first and or other given names should be spelt out when there is a known chance of confusion. For example, to distinguish between Wilson, Paul G. and Wilson, Peter G. (with a space after the given name; no punctuation, except as separator between two names - refer point 2 above).

Verification Date

Transfer code: vdat

Description: The date on which the name of the plant was verified.

Domain/Range/Values: Integer; year (4 digits) followed by month (2 digits) and the day (2 digits), without spaces between them.

Guidelines: The HISPID3 transfers the year as a full 4-digit number to facilitate the use of the system in the next century, as well as to track verifications from the previous century.

Text Verification Date

Transfer code: texvdat

Description: The date on which the name of the plant was verified when the date is not in a form which satisfies the international date data format (as required in Verification Date field, above).

Domain/Range/Values: Alpha; free text.

Comments: This field will probably not be used very frequently, but it may be useful when the verification date on a determinavit slip is not completely legible. For example, the day and month may be decipherable, but not the year. Therefore, the interpreted information can be transferred, even though not complete.

Verification Literature

Transfer code: vlit

Description: Citation of literature used for identification.

Domain/Range/Values: Alphanumeric; free text field; cite each author, journal or book title, followed by volume, year and pages (as relevant); each component separated by comma and space.

Comments: Where multiple references are used, the most useful reference should be mentioned first, and each reference separated by semicolons ';'.

Verification History

Transfer code: vhist

Description: Chronological listing of previous identifications, stating plant name, verifier, date, and reference.

Domain/Range/Values: Alphanumeric; free text field.

Comments: This field would be a concatenation of information from previous Family Name, Genus Names, Species Epithet, Species Author, Infraspecific Epithet, Infraspecific Author, Verifier's Name and Verification Date fields for this record.

Some institutions may choose to keep:

• the last few identifications;
• the complete identification history;
• just the prior name.
  

Determinavit

Transfer code: det

Description: A field to indicate the nature of the taxonomic verification

Domain/Range/Values: Alpha; the entry must be one of the values in the table below:

Rank Qualified Flag

Transfer code: rkql

Description: The rank of the lowest name/epithet of the taxon qualified by the entry in Identification Qualifier field (see below).

Relevant standards: ITF

Domain/Range/Values: If the Identification Qualifier field is filled, then the entry in this field must be one of the values in the table below:

Comments: In each of these cases, the entry in the field that is qualified (eg. Species, Cultivar) must be filled.

If the Identification Qualifier Field is not filled, then this field must not be filled. That is, this field should only be used for plants not confidently and/or fully determined.

Identification Qualifier

Transfer code: idql

Description: A standard term to qualify the identification of the taxon when doubts have arisen while comparing the plant and the plant- description; refer introductory note under CULTIVATED PLANT NAME (above) and previous field.

Relevant standards: ITF

Domain/Range/Values: If the identification does not require qualification, then this field must not be filled.

If there is any doubt about the identification of the plant record, then this field must contain one of the following:

The above meanings are taken from Stearn, W.T. (1972). 'Botanical Latin' (David & Charles: Newton Abbot).

Comments:

1. The 'Incorrect' coding has been introduced into HISPID3 to mark an identification where the name applied is known to be incorrect, but a new name has not yet been assigned. This field may be used when a loan and their electronic records are returned to the host institution to indicate that although the researcher excluded the specimen from one plant group, he/she was unable to provide a positive identification.

2. 'Forsan' and 'near' are frequently used historically.

3. "Near' is an occasional alternative for 'cf.' and '?'.

4. At the generic level, the symbol '?' is normally the only identification qualifier used.

5. The symbol '?' is to be interpreted as 'possibly not' the correct name of the rank nominated in the Rank Qualified Flag field. The '?' clarifies which name or epithet is questioned (usually the lowest rank).

6. The '?' symbol is not to be used to express doubts concerning the lumping or splitting of certain taxa (refer Species Qualifier field, above).

Name Comments

Transfer code: namcom

Description: A description of any further qualifications to the identity of the name of the record.

Domain/Range/Values: Alpha; free text.