Introduction to the Principles of Plant Taxonomy

Fully updated and revised, this new edition is an introduction to the theoretical principles that underlie the practice of plant taxonomy. Intended for all students of botany, this book views existing classification systems objectively, reflecting the rapid advances that have occurred in the field of plant taxonomy since the publication of the original text. A disproportionate emphasis on the practice of plant taxonomy has to some extent caused the science to be seen solely as the activity of plant identification. This book attempts to redress the balance by providing an introduction to the taxonomic theory upon which the identification is based.