Plant Systematics for the 21st Century (Wenner-Grun International)

This work provides a treatment of what is known about plant systematics, covering topics ranging from morphology to molecules. It provides insight into the biology and evolution of flowering plants as a whole. The first part of the book deals inter alia with an updated classification of the monocotyledons, phylogenetic nomenclature and a new ordinal system for the angiosperms (flowering plants), and an overview of the plant kingdom from a molecular perspective. The study of pollen and its contribution to systematic and evolutionary studies is one of the themes of the second part, which also focuses on areas of plant anatomy and biological significance of floral odours. The book ties together different lines of research and shows how such an approach can provide new insights on plant evolution and classification in an integrated and verifiable context. This text should provide a basis for further investigations, one of the goals being to produce a well founded evolutionary classificatory system for all plants within the next decade(s). The book should be of value to anyone interested in systematics of flowering plants and their evolution. It provides information for researchers in the fields of plant taxonomy, pollen morphology, plant anatomy, and chemical ecology.