Circumscription (taxonomy)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
Look up circumscription in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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.
An example of a taxonomic group with unstable circumscription is Anacardiaceae, a family of flowering plants. Some experts favor a circumscription[1] in which this family includes the Blepharocaryaceae, Julianaceae, and Podoaceae, which are sometimes considered to be separate families.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Anacardiaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants.
- ^ Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 [and more or less continuously updated since].
 |
This biology article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
