Bentham & Hooker's Classification. along with the merits and demerits of the systemdf
- 1. PLANT CLASSIFICATION A Presentation by Dr. N.Sannigrahi, Associate Professor, Department of Botany, Nistarini College, Purulia (W.B) India BENTHAM & HOOKER’S CLASSIFICATION Tribute of Bentham & Hooker
- 2. CLASSIFICATION AND HISTORY Study of plant classification and its systematic approaches nourishes a long history since the time immemorial. Before the Christian era, the Indian subcontinent has been cultivating this domain initiated by Vrikshayurveda. Charaka & Sushrut were the two pioneers in this field particularly in the field of traditional knowledge of plants and health care system. In the middle ages, Islamic scholars in general and Persian writer, Abu Mansur in particular wrote a book on medicinal plants along with Ibn Sina during 980-1037 A.D. From time of Theophrastus (370-285 B.C) called father of Botany took an approach to classify plants. Broadly three main types of classification are found in this domain- Artificial system, Natural system & Phylogenetic system of classification.
- 3. BENTHUM & HOOKER’S SYSTEM Natural system of classification gives emphasis on important characters and their related families. Among natural system of classification, Benthum and Hooker’s system of classification deserves special attention for its realistic approach. The system of classification of seed plants was proposed by Bentham and Hooker. It’s the most well developed natural classification system , it was published in 3 volume work Genera plantarum (1862-83). Bentham, a talented botanist published Handbook of British Flora (1858) and Flora Australiensis in 7 volumes ( 1863-78) They described 97,205 species of seed plants belonging to 7,569 genera of 202 families starting from Ranunculaceae up to Gramineae.
- 4. CLASSIFICATION The delimitation of genera was based on natural affinities and was pre-Darwinian in concept. • The system divided all the seed plants into three classes – Dicotyledons (165 families) – Gymnosperms (3 families) and – Monocotyledons (34 families). Seed with 2 cotyledons Dicots are further subdivided into 3 sub classes-Polypetalae, Gamopetalae and Monochlamydeae according to the presence or absence of petals and their fusion. Flowers with pentamerous or tetramerous Subclasses are divided into series, cohorts (orders) and natural orders ( families) Monochlamydeae has no cohorts.
- 5. CLASSIFICATION POLYPETALAE: sepals and petals distinct, petals free (14 series, 25 orders and 165 families) – Thalamiflorae: flowers hypogynous, stamens many, disc absent • 6 Orders: Ranales, Parietales, Polygalineae, Caryophyllineae, Guttiferales and Malvales , Disciflorae: flowers hypogynous, disc present below the ovary 4 Orders: Geraniales, Olacales, Celastrales and Sapindales – Calyciflorae: flowers perigynous or epigynous 5 Orders: Rosales, Myrtales, Passiflorales, Ficoidales and
- 6. CLASSIFICATION GAMOPETALAE: Sepals and petals distinct, petals fused – Inferae: ovary inferior • 3 orders: Rubiales, Asterales and Campanales – Heteromerae: Ovary superior, stamens in one or two whorls, carpels more than 2 • 3 orders: Ericales, Primulales and Ebenales – Bicarpellatae: Ovary superior, stamens in one whorls, carpels 2 • 4 orders: Gentianales, Polemoniales, Personales and Lamiales MONOCHLAMYDEAE: flowers apetalous, perianth lacking or if present not differentiated into sepals and petals – Curvembryeae: embryo coiled, ovule usually 1 – Multiovulate aquaticae: aquatic plants, ovules many , syncarous ovary Multiovulate terrestress: terrestrial plants, ovules many Microembryeae: embryo minute , ovary syncarpus, small embryo, Surrounded by endosperm Daphnales : carpel 1, ovule 1, perianth perfect, sepaloid, perigynous Achlamydosporae: ovary inferior, unilocular, ovules 1-3 , seed without testa Unisexuales: flowers unisexual , ovary syncarpus, perianth much reduced Ordines anomali: Relationship uncertain
- 7. CLASSIFICATION Ovules naked – 3 families MONOCOTYLEDONS: Embryo with one cotyledon, stem with closed vascular bundle, parallel venation, trimerous flowers with 7 series Microspermae : ovary inferior, seeds minute – Epigynae: ovary inferior, seeds large – Coronarieae : ovary superior, carpels united, perianth colored – Calycinae: ovary superior, carpels united, perianth green – Nudiflorae: ovary superior, perianth absent – Apocarpae: ovary superior, carpels more than 1, free – Glumaceae : ovary superior, perianth reduced, flowers enclosed in glumes
- 9. MERITS OF CLASSIFICATION Each plant has been described either from the actual specimen or preserved herbarium sheets so that the descriptions are detailed as well as quite accurate. The system is highly practical and is useful to students of systematic botany for easy identification of species. The flora describes geographical distribution of species and genera. The generic descriptions are complete, accurate and based on direct observation with high degree of practical attainments. Larger genera have been divided into sub genera, each with specific number of species. Three series Thalamiflorae, Disciflorae and Calyciflorae show gradual evolutioary advancement from hypogyny to epigyny. Dicots begin with the order Ranales which are now universally considered as to be the most primitive angiosperms. Placing of monocots after the dicot is again a natural one and according to evolutionary trends. The placing of series disciflorae in between thalami florae and calyciflorae is quite natural. The placing of gamopetalae after polypetalae is justified since union of petals is considered to be an advanced feature over the free condition
- 10. DEMERITS Keeping gymnosperms in between dicots and monocots is anomalous. Subclass monochlamydeae is quite artificial. Placing of monochlamydeae after gamopetalae does not seem to be natural. Some of the closely related species are placed distantly while distant species are placed close to each other. Certain families of monochlamydeae are closely related to families in Polypetalae, e.g. Chenopodiaceae and Caryophyllaceae Advanced families, such as Orchiadaceae have been considered primitive in this system by placing them in the beginning. Placing of Orchiadaceae in the beginning of monocotyledons is unnatural as it is one of the most advanced families of monocots. Similarly, Compositae (Asteraceae) has been placed near the beginning of gamopetalae which is quite unnatural. Liliaceae and Amaryllidaceae were kept apart merely on the basis of characters of ovary though they are very closely related. There were no phylogenetic consideration as it was published before Darwinian concept of evolution.
- 11. IN NATURAL SCIENCE, THE PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH OUGHT TO BE CONFIRMED BY OBSERVATION”- LINNAEUS REFERENCES: Plant taxonomy- O.P. Sharma Text Book of plant Systematics-C.R. Mohanty Advanced plant taxonomy- A.K. Mondal Taxonomy of Angiosperms-P.C. Vasistha Plant taxonomy-Theory & Practice- G. Singh Google for images Different WebPages for study materials Disclaimer: This PPT has been developed to enrich online study resources for academic fraternity without any financial interest.
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