List of systems of plant taxonomy
Encyclopedia
This list of systems of plant taxonomy presents “taxonomic systems” used in plant classification.
A taxonomic system is a coherent whole of taxonomic
judgments on circumscription
and placement of the considered taxa. It is only a “system” if it is applied to a large group of such taxa (for example, all the flowering plants).
There are two main criteria for this list. A system must be taxonomic
, that is deal with a large number of plants, by their botanical name
s. Secondly it must be a system, i.e. deal with the relationships of plants. Although thinking about relationships of plants had started much earlier (see history of plant systematics
), such systems really only came into being in the 19th century, as a result of an ever increasing influx from all over the world of newly discovered plant species. The 18th century saw some early systems, which are perhaps precursors rather than full taxonomic systems.
A milestone event was the publication of Species Plantarum
by Linnaeus
which serves as the starting point of binomial nomenclature
for plants. By its size this would qualify to be on this list, but it does not deal with relationships, beyond assigning plants into genera.
Note that a system is not necessarily monolithic and often goes through several stages of development, resulting in several versions of the same system. When a system is widely adopted, many authors will adopt their own particular version of the system. The Cronquist system
is well-known for existing in many versions.
A taxonomic system is a coherent whole of taxonomic
Alpha taxonomy
Alpha taxonomy is the discipline concerned with finding, describing and naming species of living or fossil organisms. This field is supported by institutions holding collections of these organisms, with relevant data, carefully curated: such institutes include natural history museums, herbaria and...
judgments on circumscription
Circumscription (taxonomy)
In taxonomy, circumscription is the definition of the limits of a taxonomic group of organisms. One goal of taxonomy is to achieve a stable circumscription for every taxonomic group. Achieving stability can be simple or difficult....
and placement of the considered taxa. It is only a “system” if it is applied to a large group of such taxa (for example, all the flowering plants).
There are two main criteria for this list. A system must be taxonomic
Alpha taxonomy
Alpha taxonomy is the discipline concerned with finding, describing and naming species of living or fossil organisms. This field is supported by institutions holding collections of these organisms, with relevant data, carefully curated: such institutes include natural history museums, herbaria and...
, that is deal with a large number of plants, by their botanical name
Botanical name
A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar and/or Group epithets must conform to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants...
s. Secondly it must be a system, i.e. deal with the relationships of plants. Although thinking about relationships of plants had started much earlier (see history of plant systematics
History of plant systematics
The history of plant systematics—the biological classification of plants—stretches from the work of ancient Greek to modern evolutionary biologists. As a field of science, plant systematics came into being only slowly, early plant lore usually being treated as part of the study of...
), such systems really only came into being in the 19th century, as a result of an ever increasing influx from all over the world of newly discovered plant species. The 18th century saw some early systems, which are perhaps precursors rather than full taxonomic systems.
A milestone event was the publication of Species Plantarum
Species Plantarum
Species Plantarum was first published in 1753, as a two-volume work by Carl Linnaeus. Its prime importance is perhaps that it is the primary starting point of plant nomenclature as it exists today. This means that the first names to be considered validly published in botany are those that appear...
by Linnaeus
Carolus Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
which serves as the starting point of binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
for plants. By its size this would qualify to be on this list, but it does not deal with relationships, beyond assigning plants into genera.
Note that a system is not necessarily monolithic and often goes through several stages of development, resulting in several versions of the same system. When a system is widely adopted, many authors will adopt their own particular version of the system. The Cronquist system
Cronquist system
The Cronquist system is a taxonomic classification system of flowering plants. It was developed by Arthur Cronquist in his texts An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants and The Evolution and Classification of Flowering Plants .Cronquist's system places flowering plants into two...
is well-known for existing in many versions.
- de Jussieu systemDe Jussieu systemAn early attempt at a system of plant taxonomy, the de Jussieu System recognises as the main groups:*I. Acotyledones*::Classes: 1, with as families: Fungi, Algae, Hepaticae, Musci, Filices, Najades*II. Monocotyledones...
- (available online at Gallica)
- de Candolle systemDe Candolle systemAn early taxonomic system,the de Candolle system was originally published in :and followed up by the very extensive Prodromus:The system recognises the following groups of vascular plants:* classis I. DICOTYLEDONEÆ...
- (available online at Gallica)
- Bentham & Hooker systemBentham & Hooker systemAn early taxonomic system, the Bentham & Hooker system for seed plants was published in :The system recognises the following main groups:*DICOTYLEDONUM POLYPETALARUM*: Series 1. THALAMIFLORÆ*: Series 2. DISCIFLORÆ*: Series 3. CALYCIFLORÆ...
- (available online at Gallica)
- Baillon system
- Eichler systemEichler systemA system of plant taxonomy, the Eichler system is an early phylogenetic or evolutionary system. It was published by August W. Eichler inAccording to Oudemans it divides plants into the following groups:* A. Cryptogamae*: phylum I. Thallophyta...
- Engler systemEngler systemOne of the prime systems of plant taxonomy, the Engler system was devised by Adolf Engler.According to Engler, Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien the main groups of plants are:* I. divisio Schizophyta* II. divisio Phytosarcodina...
(also see Phylogenetic System) - Dalla Torre & Harms system
- Bessey systemBessey systemA system of plant taxonomy, the Bessey system was published inBessey considered Spermatophyta as having a polyphyletic origin, being composed by three different phyla, of which he only treated Anthophyta ....
- Wettstein systemWettstein systemA system of plant taxonomy, the Wettstein system recognised the following main groups, according to* I. phylum Schizophyta*::: 1. classis Schizophyceae*::: 2. classis Schizomycetes* II. phylum Monadophyta* III. phylum Myxophyta...
- Hutchinson systemHutchinson systemA system of plant taxonomy, the Hutchinson system was published inThis classification is according to the 1st Edition in 2 volumes, 1926–1934, Volume 1: Monocotyledonae and Volume 2:Dicotyledonae....
- Melchior systemMelchior systemThis is the named Melchior system, "a reference in all taxonomic courses", detailing the taxonomic system of the Angiospermae according to A. Engler's Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien 1964 ....
- (also known as modified Engler system, in Angiospermae)
- Takhtajan systemTakhtajan systemA system of plant taxonomy, the Takhtajan system of plant classification was published by Armen Takhtajan, in several versions from the 1950s onwards. It is usually compared to the Cronquist system. Key publications:-External links:* Takhtajan system at...
- Cronquist systemCronquist systemThe Cronquist system is a taxonomic classification system of flowering plants. It was developed by Arthur Cronquist in his texts An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants and The Evolution and Classification of Flowering Plants .Cronquist's system places flowering plants into two...
- Goldberg systemGoldberg systemA system of plant taxonomy, the Goldberg system was published in: Aaron Goldberg treats the Angiosperms, in which he recognizes 334 families and 59 orders of Dicotyledons and accept 57 familiesand 18 orders of Monocotyledons:*::: classis Dicotyledoneae*::::ordo Trochodendrales*::::::...
- Dahlgren systemDahlgren systemOne of the modern systems of plant taxonomy, the Dahlgren system was published by monocot specialist Rolf Dahlgren. His wife Gertrud Dahlgren carried on after his death.According to the extensive listing by Professor Reveal One of the modern systems of plant taxonomy, the Dahlgren system was...
- Thorne system (1992)Thorne system (1992)A modern system of plant taxonomy, the Thorne system of plant classification was drawn up by the botanist Robert F. Thorne . He replaced it in 2000 with a new system. These two systems were published in:...
(also see, Thorne system, 2000)
- Kubitzki systemKubitzki systemA system of plant taxonomy, the Kubitzki system is the product of an ongoing survey of vascular plants, entitled The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants....
(1990- ) - Reveal systemReveal systemA modern system of plant taxonomy, the Reveal system of plant classification was drawn up by the botanist J.L. Reveal , professor emeritus at the Norton Brown Herbarium, Maryland .The last update of the system was made in 1999...
(?)
- APGAngiosperm Phylogeny GroupThe Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, or APG, refers to an informal international group of systematic botanists who came together to try to establish a consensus on the taxonomy of flowering plants that would reflect new knowledge about plant relationships discovered through phylogenetic studies., three...
system- 'APG I'APG systemThe APG system of plant classification is the first, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in 1998 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. It was superseded in 2003 by a revision, the APG II system, and then in 2009 by a further...
(1998) - APG IIAPG II systemThe APG II system of plant classification is the second, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in April 2003 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. It was a revision of the first APG system, published in 1998, and was superseded in 2009...
(2003)- (Available online: Abstract | Full text (HTML) | Full text (PDF))
- APG IIIAPG III systemThe APG III system of flowering plant classification is the third version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy...
(2009)- (Available online: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122630309/abstract)
- 'APG I'
- Shipunov system (2005)
- (Available online: Full text PDF )
Other systems
- LindleyJohn LindleyJohn Lindley FRS was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.-Early years:Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley was a nurseryman and pomologist and ran a commercial nursery garden...
system - EndlicherStephan Ladislaus EndlicherStephan Ladislaus Endlicher was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna. He was born in Pressburg and died in Vienna....
system - SkottsbergCarl SkottsbergCarl Johan Fredrik Skottsberg was a Swedish botanist and explorer of Antarctica.Skottsberg was born in Karlshamn, began his academic studies at Uppsala University in 1898 and received his doctorate and a docentship there in 1907...
system - Gundersen system
- Hallier system
- Benson system
- LotsyJohannes Paulus LotsyJohannes Paulus Lotsy was a Dutch botanist, specializing in evolution and heredity.Lotsy was born in Dordrecht.Lotsy died in Voorburg.- Publications :...
system - van TieghemPhillippe Édouard Léon van TieghemPhilippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem was a French botanist who was a native of Baillleul in the département of Nord....
system - RendleAlfred Barton RendleAlfred Barton Rendle FRS was an English botanist.Rendle was born in Lewisham and studied at St John's College, Cambridge...
system - Mez system
- Tippo system
- PulleAugust Adriaan PulleAugust Adrian Pulle was a Dutch professor and botanist. He made important contributions to knowledge of the Flora of Suriname and the island of New Guinea.-Education:...
system - Soó system
- NovákJosef NovákJosef Novák is a retired football defender.During his club career, Novák played solely for Dukla Prague. He also amassed 12 caps for the Czech national team, scoring 2 goals.-External links:*...
system - Deyl system
- Stebbins system
- Rouleau system
See also
- Lindley, John (1846):The Vegetable Kingdom [In English, with list of systems since 1703 (John RayJohn RayJohn Ray was an English naturalist, sometimes referred to as the father of English natural history. Until 1670, he wrote his name as John Wray. From then on, he used 'Ray', after "having ascertained that such had been the practice of his family before him".He published important works on botany,...
) until 1845] (available online at Gallica) - List of systems on a russian server, by Alexey Shipunov