Introduction To Taxonomy Of Angiosperms

Taxonomy is one of the oldest biological disciplines. This book presents an account of general principles and aims of taxonomy in a comprehensive manner. It has been written mainly to cater the needs of undergraduate students pursuing courses in Botany/Life Sciences/Plant Sciences, but it will be useful for postgraduate students of these disciplines as well. The book gives a critical account of the important systems of classification and salient features of the APG II (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, 2003) system of plant taxonomy. It mentions the important rules of plant nomenclature, and various codes of nomenclature including the latest Vienna Code of 2006. Further, it discusses the usefulness of anatomy, embryology, palynology, chemistry, cytology and ecology under current trends in plant taxonomy. A thorough coverage of profusely illustrated 50 important dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous angiospermic families is the hallmark of this book. Each family is described covering the following points: Distribution, vegetative features, floral description, morphological nature of organs, further classification, affinities with other families, economic importance and description of common plant(s). Finally, the book covers the different aspects and theories related to the origin of angiosperms, and elucidates the methods and techniques of herbarium development and maintenance. KEY FEATURES: Presents a key to families described in the book. Provides a pro forma for the description of angiosperms. Includes a glossary of important technical terms. Lists the important Herbaria of India and the world.

A revised and fully updated edition encourages the reader to view existing classification systems objectively as it reflects upon the rapid advances that have occurred since the first edition's publication.

Plant taxonomists seek to learn as much as they can about the earth's plant knowledge and gather them into systematic plants. Due to the vastness of Earth's vegetation, knowledge cannot be gathered without first being organised. To begin, we must take an exhaustive tally of all plant life in a given region and, eventually, the whole planet. The initial step in taxonomy is the gathering and preparation of herbarium specimens for future research. Identification is the next step, and it requires identification descriptions, drawing pictures, and creating keys. Taxonomy's main aim is to accurately identify all plant plants, and its secondary goal is to order them according to a universally agreed categorization system. The process of identification entails deciding whether or not a taxon (plural taxa) is the same as or closely related to a previously known taxon. A plant may only be properly identified if it is placed in the correct taxonomic family, and only then can it be properly classified as a species. This may be done with the aid of floras, monographs, and herbaria, all of which are now in circulation. A plant is considered to be a new species when all attempts to identify it as a member of an existing species have been fruitless. Assembling plants into taxonomic groups based on their shared characteristics is known as classification. The result is a well-thought-out classification system in which any number of species may be placed in any given category. Strongly linked groups are grouped together in accordance with the principles underlying any current system of classification, which are based on their genetic link.

The roots of taxonomy. Systematics after darwin: Its modern basis. The units of classification. The concept of characters. Taxonomic evidence. Fiel, herbarium and library. Presentation of date. Modification of the phenotype. Variation within populations. Populations and the environment. Evolution and the differentiation of species. Hybridisation and taxonomy.