List of systems of plant taxonomy

This list of systems of plant taxonomy presents “taxonomic systems” used in plant classification.

A taxonomic system is a coherent whole of taxonomic judgements 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 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 nineteenth century, as a result of an ever increasing influx from all over the world of newly discovered plant species. The eighteenth 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.

• de Jussieu system

  A.L. de Jussieu (1789). Genera Plantarum, secundum ordines naturales disposita juxta methodum in Horto Regio Parisiensi exaratam.

  (available online at Gallica)

• de Candolle system

  A. P. de Candolle (2nd edition, 1819). Théorie élémentaire de la botanique, ou exposition des principes de la classification naturelle et de l’art de décrire et d’etudier les végétaux. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

  A. P. de Candolle; et al. (1824–1873). Prodromus systemati naturalis regni vegetabilis sive enumeratio contracta ordinum, generum specierumque plantarum huc usque cognitarum, juxta methodi naturalis normas digesta. {{cite book}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |author= (help)

  (available online at Gallica)

• Bentham & Hooker system

  G. Bentham & J.D. Hooker (three volumes, 1862–1883). Genera plantarum ad exemplaria imprimis in herbariis kewensibus servata definita. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

  (available online at Gallica)

• Baillon system

  H. Baillon (thirteen volumes, 1867–1894). Histoire des plantes. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

• Eichler system

  Eichler (1883; 3rd edition). Syllabus der Vorlesungen über Phanerogamenkunde. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

• Engler system (also see Phylogenetic System)

  A. Engler & K. Prantl (1887–1915; 2nd edition, 1924–). Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

• Dalla Torre & Harms system

  K.W. von Dalla Torre & H. Harms (1900–1907). Genera Siphonogamarum, ad systema Englerianum conscripta.

• Bessey system

  Charles E. Bessey (1915). "The phylogenetic taxonomy of flowering plants". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 2: 109–164. doi:10.2307/2990030.

• Wettstein system

  R. Wettstein (in two volumes, 1901-1908; 2nd edition, 1911; 3rd edition, 1923-24; 4rd edition, 1933-35). Handbuch der systematischen Botanik. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

• Hutchinson system

  J. Hutchinson (two volumes, 1926–1934; 2nd edition 1959; 3rd edition, 1973). The families of flowering plants, arranged according to a new system based on their probable phylogeny. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

• Melchior system

  H. Melchior (1964). Adolf Engler (ed.). Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien (12th edition, II. Band ed.). (also known as modified Engler system, in Angiospermae)

• Takhtajan system

  A. Takhtajan (in Russian, 1966). A system and phylogeny of the flowering plants. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

  A. Takhtajan (1969, transl. from Russian by C. Jeffrey). Flowering plants: origin and dispersal. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

  A. Takhtajan (1980). "Outline of the classification of flowering plants (Magnoliophya)". Botanical Review. 46: 225–359. doi:10.1007/BF02861558.

  A. Takhtajan (1997). Diversity and classification of flowering plants.

• Cronquist system

  A. Cronquist (1968; 2nd edition 1988). The evolution and classification of flowering plants. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

  A. Cronquist (1981). An integrated system of classification of flowering plants.

• Goldberg system

  Aaron Goldberg (1986). "Classification, Evolution and Phylogeny of the Families of Dicotyledons". Smithsonian Contributions to Botany. 58: 1–314. (available online: Full text (PDF) here) [there is also a comparison among 11 Dicotyledons systems since 1960 until 1985]

  Aaron Goldberg (1989). "Classification, Evolution and Phylogeny of the Families of Monocotyledons". Smithsonian Contributions to Botany. 71: 1–73. (available online: Full text (PDF) here)

• Dahlgren system

  R.M.T. Dahlgren (1975). "A system of classification of angiosperms to be used to demonstrate the distribution of characters". Bot. Notiser. 128: 119–147.

  R.M.T. Dahlgren (1980). "A revised system of classification of angiosperms". Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 80: 91–124. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1980.tb01661.x.

  R.M.T. Dahlgren (1983). "General Aspects of Angiosperm Evolution and Macrosystematics". Nordic Journal of Botany. 3: 119–149. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.1983.tb01448.x.

  R.M.T. Dahlgren & al. (1985). The families of the monocotyledons: structure, evolution, and taxonomy.

  G. Dahlgren (1989). "An updated Angiosperm Classification". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 100: 197–203. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1989.tb01717.x.

• Thorne system (1992) (also see, Thorne system, 2000)

  R.F. Thorne (1968). "Synopsis of a putative phylogenetic classification of flowering plants". Aliso. 6(4): 57–66.

  R.F. Thorne (1983). "Proposed new alignments in the angiosperms". Nordic J. Bot. 3: 85–117. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.1983.tb01447.x.

  R.F. Thorne (1992). "Classification and geography of flowering plants". Botanical Review. 58: 225–348. doi:10.1007/BF02858611.

  R.F. Thorne (1992). "An updated phylogenetic classification of the flowering plants". Aliso. 13: 365–389.

  R.F. Thorne (2000). "The classification and geography of the flowering plants: dicotyledons of the class Angiospermae". Botanical Review. 66: 441–647. doi:10.1007/BF02869011.

• Kubitzki system (1990- )

  K. Kubitzki & al. (1990 ongoing). The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

• Reveal system (?)
• APG system (1998)

  APG (1998). "An ordinal classification for the families of flowering plants". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 85: 531–553. doi:10.2307/2992015.

  W.S. Judd & al. (1999; 2nd edition, 2002). Plant systematics: a phylogenetic approach. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

• APG II system (2003)

  APG (2003). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG II". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 141: 399–436. doi:10.1046/j.1095-8339.2003.t01-1-00158.x.

  (Available online: Abstract | Full text (HTML) | Full text (PDF))

• Shipunov system (2005)

  (Available online: Full text PDF )

Other systems

• Lindley system
• Endlicher system
• Skottsberg system
• Gundersen system
• Hallier system
• Benson system
• Lotsy system
• van Tieghem system
• Rendle system
• Mez system
• Tippo system
• Pulle system
• Soó system
• Novák system
• Deyl system
• Stebbins system
• Rouleau system

See also :

• Lindley, John (1846):The Vegetable Kingdom [In English, with list of systems since 1703 (John Ray) until 1845] (available online at Gallica)
• List of systems on a russian server, by Alexey Shipunov