What is plant The Systematic Section systematics? Plant systematics is the study of plants’ biological diversity, their Welcome to the Systematic Section of the Bergius Botanic Garden. Here some 1400 angiosperms are cultivated evolutionary history and their rela- tionships. Other important parts are with the purpose of showing the diversity among the flowering plants of the world and how they are related to classification and taxonomy, i.e. each other. identification and name giving. STAMEN THE FLOWERING PLANTS OF THE WORLD STIGMA SELECTED EXAMPLES OF PLANT FAMILIES SUB-AREA THE SYSTEMATIC SECTION WITH THE The Systematic Section ORDERS FROM RESPECTIVE ORDER ON THE MAP DIFFERENT SUB-AREAS 1-9 PETAL PISTIL consists of nine sub-areas, which Amborellales OVARY are shown on the adjacent map. Here SEPAL Illustration: Grön Idé Nymphaeales Water-lily family ▲ some 1400 angiosperms are cultivated to FLOWERING present the diversity of the nearly 250 000 Pepper family, Birthwort family PLANTS MAGNOLIIDS Piperales known species of flowering plants. The purpose What is a (angiosperms) Magnoliales Custard apple family, Magnolia family ▲ 9 is to show variation and similarities and how flowering plant? Laurales Laurel family 9 9 plants are related to each other. Those who MONOCOTYLEDONS Commelinales Dayflower family, Water-hyacinth family Plants with flowers, that is with COMMELINIDS 88 closely related are placed together. Plants sepals and petals, stamens and Zingiberales Ginger family, Banana family 77 from the Rose family (Rosaceae) are pistils, and seeds enclosed in fruits, Poales Pineapple family, Grass family ▲ 1 are called flowering plants (angio- Arecales Palm family represented with for example roses, sperms means “hidden seeds”). lady’s-mantles, pearl bushes,
Asparagales Asparagus family, Orchid family ▲ There are about 250 000 known apples, and cinquefoils. species of flowering plants in Trillium family, Lily family the world. Liliales ▲
Alismatales Water-plantain family, Lords-and-Ladies family 6 4 66 1 1 Acorales Sweet flag family 5 3 22 From stamens and pistils to DNA 3 Poppy family, Buttercup family ▲ N Ranunculales Illustration: Veronica Lendel Scientific classification can be said to have started in 1735 Proteales Protea family, Plane family 2 with the sexual system created by Carl Linnaeus. In his Buxales Box family system, plants were placed in classes depending on the Systematic Section since the 19th century number and arrangement of stamens and pistils. It did not, Saxifragales Saxifrage family, Stonecrop family ▲ 3 Shortly after the Bergius Botanic Garden’s move in 1885, the work to however, reflect relationships, something Linnaeus was Vitales Grape-vine family ▲ aware of. In the middle of the 19th century, the theory of establish a systematic section was started. The then Professor Bergianus Veit Cucurbitales White Bryony family,0 20 Begonia40 60 family80 100 m Wittrock arranged the plants after the view of how plants were classified at evolution gave an explanation for relationships among FABIDS Fagales Birch family, Beech family 4 plants and their evolutionary history (phylogeny). Rosids Nettle family, Rose family the time.
Rosales ▲ Fabales Milkwort family, Pea family Plant systematists have for a long time classified plants In later years we have acquired more knowledge about the phylogeny of mainly according to their external forms and build. In the Malvales Mallow family, Mezereon family flowering plants, mainly due to modern DNA techniques, which showed that Brassicales Cabbage family, Mignonette family 5 there was a great need to update the Section. During the years 2007-2014, a last 30 years, systematics has been revolutionized by the MALVIDS Geraniales Crane’s-bill family ▲ possibility to sequence DNA from plants in a simple way. rearrangement has therefore been made of the Systematic Section, and the
Pigweed family, Pink family ▲ plants are now placed in accordance with the system presented by the inter- DNA data give much more information, which can contribu- Caryophyllales 6 te to a better understanding of relationships among plants. Santalales Bastard-toadflax family national research team “Angiosperm Phylogeny Group” (APG) in 2009. Birgitta Cornales Dogwood family, Mock-orange family Bremer, Professor Bergianus 2002-2014, participated in APG. 7 ORDER FAMILY GENERA SPECIES Ericales Primrose family, Heather family ▲ (-ales) (-aceae) Anemone nemorosa LAMIDS Gentianales Bedstraw family, Gentian family Evolution of land plants Wood Anemone Anemone Asterids Lamiales Bear’s-breech family, Deadnettle family ▲ 8 Liverworts Ranunculaceae Anemones Solanales Nightshade family, Bindweed family Green Anemone ranunculoides Mosses Buttercup family algae Yellow Anemone Hornworts Ranunculales Asterales Bellflower family, Daisy family ▲ Clubmosses Papaveraceae Dipsacales Honeysuckle family, Moschatel family 9 Ferns, horsetails Poppy family CAMPANULIDS Apiales Carrot family, Aralia family EUDICOTYLEDONS Seed Coniferous trees, cycads plants Angiosperms
Carl Linnaeus implemented the binary nomenclature for plants and animals, i.e. that The tree presented above is a simplified version of the phylogeny of flowering plants published by ”The Angiosperm Phylogeny 500 millions of years ago Present times a scientific name should be made up of a generic name and a specific epithet, such Group” in 2009 (APG III). This diagram shows a selection of all existing orders. In some cases a number of orders are parts of a larger as Anemone nemorosa for Wood Anemone. In his sexual system Linnaeus arranged unit, such as monocotyledons and commelinids. To each order examples are given on families that are included. The oldest known The diagram above shows the evolution of land plants. The closest species into genera, and genera into classes. fossils of flowering plants are from the Cretaceous period about 130 million years ago. relatives of the flowering plants are other seed plants, such as conifer- Later botanists have added more ranks, such as families and orders. Wood Anemone ous trees and cycads. and Yellow Anemone are both included in the genus Anemone, which is included in Further back in time, ferns and mosses parted from the branch that the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). The Buttercup family is included in the order The Systematic Section In the Systematic section around 1400 plants are cultivated in order to present the great variety would lead to the angiosperms. All green land plants are related to Ranunculales, together with the Poppy family (Papaveraceae). of the roughly 250,000 known species of flowering plants. For an English version, go to www.bergianska.se/systematicsection aquatic green plants such as charophytes and green algae, and every- thing indicates that the ancestors of the land plants lived in fresh water.