Syllabus of Plant Families, Volume 5, Part 1

Part 5/1 of Engler’s Syllabus of Plant Families: Subclass Magnoliidae p.p.: Lilianae p.p. (Arecales to Zingiberales), Ceratophyllanae. Subclass Rosidae p.p. (Ranunculanae to Berberidopsidanae) provides a thorough treatise of the worldwide morphological and molecular diversity of the Arecales to Zingiberales and Ceratophyllanae (subclass Magnoliidae) and the Ranunculanae to Berberidopsanae (subclass Rosidae). Especially the Poales, Ranunculales, Saxifragales, Fabales, Malpighiales and Brassicales are extremely diverse with a fascinating range of morphological and biological variation, distributed from the arctic tundra to the tropical rainforests. Many species and cultivars play an important role in human food and as ornamentals. The present volume is, like the formerly published volumes of the Syllabus, an updated synthesis of classical anatomical-morphological characters with modern molecular data, incorporating numerous new discoveries made during the last ten years, providing a comprehensive modern survey covering all families and genera with their distribution, including detailed family descriptions. Following the tradition of Engler, and incorporating the latest results from molecular phylogenetics and phylogenomics, the completely restructured and revised 13th edition provides an up-to-date evolutionary and systematic overview of the plant groups. It is a mandatory reference for students, experts and researchers from all fields of biological sciences, particularly botany, phycology and mycology.

Since its first publication in 1887 Engler’s Syllabus of Plant Families has aimed to provide both the researcher and particularly the students with a concise survey of the “plant” kingdom (including the fungi and prokaryotic algae), presenting all higher systematic units right down to families and genera of plants, algae and fungi. In 1954, more than 65 years ago, the 12th edition of the well-known Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien (Syllabus of Plant Families), set a standard. Now, the completely restructured and revised 13th edition of Engler’s Syllabus published in 5 parts for the first time also considers molecular data, which have only recently become available in order to provide an up-to-date evolutionary and systematic overview of all plant and fungal groups treated.

In our “molecular times” there is a vitally important and growing need to preserve the knowledge of the entire range of diversity and biology of organisms for coming generations, as there is a decline in “classical” morphological and taxonomical expertise.

Accordingly, the 13th edition of the Syllabus of Plant Families synthesizes both modern data and classical expertise, serving to educate future experts who will maintain our knowledge of the full range of Earth’s biodiversity.