This list of systems of plant taxonomy presents "taxonomic systems" used in plant classification.
A 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 many plants, by their botanical names. 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.
Chronological list of systems
Pre-Linnaean
- :Theophrastus classification
- ::Historia Plantarum (Enquiry into Plants), c. 300 BC
- ::Causes of Plants, c. 300 BC
- :Dioscorides classification
- ::De Materia Medica, c. 60 AD
- :Albertus Magnus classification
- ::De Vegetabilibus, c. 1256 https://archive.org/details/mobot31753000811098
- :Caesalpino classification
- ::De plantis libri XVI, 1583
- :John Gerard classification
- :: Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes, 1597
- :Gaspard Bauhin classification
- :: Pinax theatri botanici, 1623
- :John Ray classification
- :: Historia Plantarum, 1686âÂÂ1704
- :Tournefort classification
- :: ÃÂléments de botanique, 1694
From Linnaeus to Darwin (pre-Darwinian)
- Linnaean systems
- :Systema Naturae, 1st edition, 1735.
- :Systema Naturae, 10th edition, 1758 (vol. 1), 1759 (vol. 2). Starting point of zoological nomenclature.
- :Species Plantarum, 1753. Starting point of botanical nomenclature.
- :Genera Plantarum, 1737 (1st ed.), 1753 (5th ed.).
- :Philosophia Botanica, 1751.
- Adanson system
- : Familles naturelles des plantes, 1763.
- de Jussieu system
- :
- :(available online at Gallica)
- de Candolle system
- :A. P. de Candolle (1819). Théorie ÃÂlémentaire de la botanique, ou exposition des principes de la classification naturelle et de l'art de décrire et d'etudier les végétaux (2nd ed.).
- :
- :(available online at Gallica)
- Berchtold and Presl system
- : Berchtold and Presl. O Prirozenosti Rostlin 1820
- Dumortier system
- :
- Lindley system
- :
- :(available online at BHL)
- :
- :(available online at BHL)
- Bentham & Hooker system
- :
- :(available online at Gallica)
- Baillon system
- :
Post Darwinian (Phyletic)
Other systems
References
External links
- Minelli, Alessandro (1993). Biological Systematics. The State of the Art. Chapman & Hall, London. 387 pp. Appendices 2âÂÂ23, with major systematic works.
- Review of systems 1703âÂÂ1845, in Lindley, John (1846): The Vegetable Kingdom
- Rao M. M., Reddy, S.M. (2007), Plant Taxonomy: Systems of Classification, in Reddy S. M. et al. (eds.) University Botany â 3, New Age International, pp. 7âÂÂ32
Bibliography