User:Plantdrew/Vital

Biggest families by species

• Counts of 30 largest families pulled some time ago from [1], but not currently available.

Rubiaceae is the only one in top 10 not Vital listed, (and one of 2 in top 14, with Cyperaceae). After #14 (Ericaceae), of these 30, only Rosaceae, Campanulaceae and Arecaceae are listed. Some smaller families (and arguably less vital) are also on the list. I'd add Rubiaceae, Apiaceae and Brassicaceae (with A&B added, all but Guttiferae of the 8 classical families are listed), with grounds beyond species count alone. Then looking at remove some families not in top 30 (e.g. Ulmaceae, Primulaceae)

I don't think number of species by itself is a good enough argument for importance, but since Rubiaceae contains some notable species that otherwise wouldn't be represented on the list, it could be worth adding. Cobblet (talk)

Yes, species count shouldn't be sole criteria. Just a possible useful guideline. Plantdrew (talk)

• Asteraceae 22,750 (vital listed)
• Orchidaceae 21,950 (vital listed)
• Fabaceae 19,400 (vital listed)
• Poaceae 10,025 (vital listed)
• Rubiaceae 10,000+ (vital listed)
• Lamiaceae 7,175 (vital listed)
• Euphorbiaceae 5,735 (vital listed)
• Melastomataceae 5,005 (vital listed, possible remove?)
• Myrtaceae 4,625 (vital listed)
• Apocynaceae 4,555 (vital listed)
• Cyperaceae 4,350 (vital listed)
• Malvaceae 4,225 (vital listed)
• Araceae 4,025 (vital listed)
• Ericaceae 3,995 (vital listed)
• Gesneriaceae 3,870
• Apiaceae 3,780 (vital listed)
• Brassicaceae 3,710 (not listed, propose add?)
• Piperaceae 3,600
• Acanthaceae 3,500
• Rosaceae 2,830 (vital listed)
• Boraginaceae 2,740
• Urticaceae 2,625
• Ranunculaceae 2,525
• Lauraceae 2,500
• Solanaceae 2,460 (not listed, possible add with for edible importance?)
• Campanulaceae 2,380 (vital listed, propose remove?)
• Arecaceae 2,361 (vital listed)
• Annonaceae 2,220
• Caryophyllaceae 2,220
• Orobanchaceae 2,060

Other families on vital list not in top 30. Some of these would be good to remove:

• Zosteraceae
• Iridaceae
• Liliaceae (pretty important as previously circumscribed)
• Pandanaceae
• Bromeliaceae
• Convolvulaceae
• Theaceae
• Primulaceae
• Cucurbitaceae (pretty important vegetable wise)
• Ulmaceae
• Oleaceae
• Fagaceae
• Juglandaceae
• Proteaceae
• Moraceae

Candidates to add to vital article list (bold entries are top candidates)

Extinction and/or Endangered species

For production statistics (which I don't have time to check right now) FAOSTAT is the best source I know Cobblet (talk). That's where I was planning to check.Plantdrew (talk)

Trees

* Maple Cobblet (talk) * Willow Cobblet (talk) Good candidates, but doesn't help with northern temperate bias. But could swap these in with hornbeam and hazel out (we've got hazelnut, so hazel doesn't seem worth keeping). Plantdrew (talk)

Agree, and we've also got both pine and pine nut Cobblet (talk)

• Ficus definitely looks like a good choice Cobblet (talk)
• See list of woods, from which I spotted Ochroma pyramidale (balsa), ebony/Diospyros and sandalwood as three very different representative examples of tropical woods. Also I have no idea about ecologically important plants, but noticed that mangrove is listed under Earth science—maybe move that here Cobblet (talk)

Ornamentals, etc.

• For global diversity, how about Saintpaulia Cobblet (talk) I haven't put much thought into houseplants. Good choice. Plantdrew (talk)
• Paeonia (plant) Cobblet (talk)
• Jasmine Cobblet (talk)

* Ivy Cobblet (talk)

• Just for fun (but this doesn't necessarily have to go under organisms): carnivorous plant Cobblet (talk)
• Another curiosity: Rafflesia Cobblet (talk)

* Is kelp not a plant anymore? Probably worth including anyway though Cobblet (talk) * Cactus ought to be vital Cobblet (talk) 18:42, 3 October 2013 (UTC)

Kelp isn't a plant, but I agree that it would be a good candidate. Plantdrew (talk)

Non food crops

*Jute (one of 3 most important fiber plants; cotton already listed, flax nominated)

• Alfalfa important forage crop; maybe just include forage or fodder in Agriculture list?
• Clover another forage, also very common weed, some symbolic importance

Veggies and seeds

• Allium fistulosum (swap with Scallion?)
• Brussels sprouts

*Eggplant (already nominated)

• Fonio
• Pistachio
• Xanthosoma (=Yautia/Malanga)
• Yerba mate (or add Herbal tea to Food list)

Fruits

• Mandarin orange
• Pomelo
• Ribes (currant genus. swap with Blackcurrant? or add Redcurrant?) My nomination to remove Ribes, redcurrant and white currant passed not too long ago—having all three plus blackcurrant seemed like undue weight at the time Cobblet (talk)
• Tamarind
• Is there a list of New World crops spread around the globe by the Spanish? Because things like jicama and especially chayote are known in both Asia and Latin America and I don't know if I'm forgetting others Cobblet (talk) New World crops (pretty stubby, but I'm not seeing any major omissions). I'd go with Xanthosoma (on my list above) over Jicama. Chayote maybe yes. Plantdrew (talk)

Oil crops

Going off my gut instinct with bold entries. Would be good to check production statistics *Oil palm *Olive *Rapeseed

• Safflower

*Sesame

• Shea nut
• Sunflower seed/sunflower oil (Sunflower already listed in the non-monocot section. Move to food section?)

Pulses

Not sure about relative importance of non-bold entries. Check production stats.

• Adzuki bean

*Chickpea

• Cowpea
• Hyacinth bean
• Mung bean this is a good one IMO Cobblet (talk).
• Pigeon pea
• Vigna (genus for mung bean, cowpea, adzuki bean) but this also looks like a good idea; your call, guys Cobblet (talk)

Herbs/spices

• Allspice
• Chives

*Clove I'd prioritize this because of the spice trade Cobblet (talk)

• Coriander
• Dill

*Nutmeg in the same boat as clove Cobblet (talk)

• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Star anise
• Turmeric we're pretty heavy on western herbs/spices; I'd even prioritize nutmeg, clove and this over sage for example Cobblet (talk)

*Vanilla Asian spices? Asafoetida, Fenugreek, Lemon grass, Sichuan pepper? *Ginseng for sure, if we're also nominating vanilla Cobblet (talk) Ginseng isn't really a spice, more of a medicinal (though that distinction can be a little blurry). We could include a few more medicinals though and ginseng is a good one.Plantdrew (talk) 04:27, 1 October 2013 (UTC)

Articles on plants with products already listed as vital (except rice, these products are listed elsewhere)

• Brassica juncea (most important mustard species)
• Camellia sinensis (= tea)
• Coffea arabica (most important coffee species)
• Gossypium hirsutum (most important cotton)
• Oryza sativa (most important rice)
• Papaver somniferum (opium poppy) if we already have opium, maybe poppy is the better choice Cobblet (talk)
• Saccharum officinarum/Sugar beet (sugar)
  • why not sugarcane instead? Cobblet (talk). Oops. Good catch. Sugarcane a better choice.Plantdrew (talk)

***Sugarcane is a must add. Among the top ten produced and valuable crops in the world according to FAOSTAT. It could fit in even at Level 3 comparing it to the other crops there. Gizza ^(t)(c)

• Theobroma cacao (= chocolate)
• Hevea brasiliensis (most important rubber source)

Highly viewed articles from Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants/Popular pages

• Aloe vera (swap out Aloe?)

*Seaweed (not really a plant, but probably vital)

• Hibiscus
• Acacia (good article about (formerly) widely distributed tropical tree genus. Content may change, but still significant in Australia)
• Weed
• Pitaya
• Henna
• Rhubarb
• Coca
• Peyote
• St John's wort
• Poppy
• Kava
• Valerian (herb)
• Echinacea
• Plumeria (important tropical ornamental)
• Momordica charantia
• Chamomile
• Jasmine
• Atropa belladonna
• Persimmon
• Passionfruit
• Poison ivy/Stinging nettle (important hazardous plants)

Except Aloe vera and seaweed, I'm not very strongly inclined to add any of these. Good list of possibly vital drugs though (both recreational/medicinal).

Removal candidates (bold entries are top candidates)

Fruits

• Blackberry
• Blueberry
• Cantaloupe, Honeydew (melon) I take it this is because we have muskmelon Cobblet (talk) Yes. Plantdrew (talk)
• Cranberry
• Kiwifruit
• Kumquat
• Raspberry
• Tomatillo
• Zucchini (swap with Summer squash?)

Seeds

• Legume (bean is better as a broad concept article)
• Spelt
• Pecan
• Phaseolus coccineus

Leaf veggies

• Eruca sativa (Arugula)
• Endive
• Portulaca oleracea (Purslane)

Root veggies

• Arrowroot (product, not a plant; Maranta arundinacea is primary species)
• Daikon
• Jerusalem artichoke
• Rutabaga
• Cyperus esculentus (Tiger nut)
• Water chestnut

Other veggies and spices

• Celtuce
• Chicory
• Horseradish
• Lavender (maybe keep as an ornamental/aromatic, but not as a spice)
• Liquorice
• Paprika
• Cyperus papyrus (in the Monocots section; we've got Papyrus under Technology, which is of pretty minor importance. Don't need the plant too)