| Flowering Plants - Dicotyledons: Magnoliid, Hamamelid and Caryophyllid Families Contributor(s): Kubitzki, Klaus (Editor), Rohwer, Jens G. (Editor), Bittrich, Volker (Editor) |
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ISBN: 364208141X ISBN-13: 9783642081415 Publisher: Springer OUR PRICE: $237.49 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: January 2011 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Science | Life Sciences - Botany - Science | Life Sciences - Biological Diversity - Nature | Plants - General |
| Dewey: 583.012 |
| Series: Families and Genera of Vascular Plants |
| Physical Information: 1.33" H x 8.25" W x 11" (3.24 lbs) 653 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This volume - the first of this series dealing with angiosperms - comprises the treatments of 73 families, representing three major blocks of the dicotyledons: magnoliids, centrosperms, and hamamelids. These blocks are generally recognized as subclasses in modern textbooks and works of reference. We consider them a convenient means for structuring the hundreds of di- cotyledon families, but are far from taking them at face value for biological, let alone mono- phyletic entities. Angiosperm taxa above the rank of family are little consolidated, as is easily seen when comparing various modern classifications. Genera and families, in contrast, are comparatively stable units -and they are important in practical terms. The genus is the taxon most frequently recognized as a distinct entity even by the layman, and generic names provide the key to all in- formation available about plants. The family is, as a rule, homogeneous enough to conve- niently summarize biological information, yet comprehensive enough to avoid excessive re- dundance. The emphasis in this series is, therefore, primarily on families and genera. |
