How Accomplished are we for Writing our National Flora?

This article deliberates upon expertise availability and material limitations which are considered as core hurdles in writing a comprehensive flora for India. The efforts carried out so far by the Botanical Survey of India and multiple and diverse technical impediments for permission to collect biological materials in Reserve Forests and other Protected Areas are detailed. Constraints to access type specimens and authenticated materials housed in European herbaria are elaborated. Digitization and database development to build an Indian virtual herbarium are to be taken up on priority basis for expeditious completion. Multinational collaborative projects promoting joint explorations/scrutiny of specimens/old literature/correspondence related to Indian flora would facilitate a full grasp and a clear presentation on the taxa reported from the country. This will boost the pace of publishing a national flora with the desired excellence.