• Eras of plant classification
• Theophrastus (370-285 B.C.)- Major Contributions
• Gaspard Bauhin (1560-1624)- Major Contributions
• Jean BAUHIN (1541-1613)- Major Contributions
2. ERA’S OF PLANT CLASSIFICATION
There are 3 main era’s of plant classification :-
1. Ancient Era : This era starts with Theophratus (370-285 B.C.) and ends with Cesalpino.
Classification based on gross morphology.
2. Modern Era : This era starts with Carolus Linnaeus and ends with Hutchinson.
The main taxonomist are Bentham & Hooker and Engler & Prantl.
This era is based on artificial classification.
3. Current Era : This era begins with Cronquist.
This era based on phylogenetic classification.
3. THEOPHRASTUS (370-
285 B.C.)
Greek naturalist
A pupil of Plato and Aristotle,
who became head of the Lyceum
in Athens
His original was Tyrtamus, but
later Aristotle named him as
‘Theophrastus’
Father of Botany
4. MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS
He is credited with having authored more than 200 works.
He described about 500 kinds of plants, classified into four major groups :
the trees, shrubs, subshrubs and herbs.
He recognized the differences between flowering plants and non –
flowering plants, superior ovary and inferior ovary, free and fused petals and
also fruit types.
Two of his botanical works have survived intact, available in English are :-
1. Enquiry into plants (1916)
2. The Causes of plants (1927)
5. GASPARDBAUHIN (1560-
1624)
Also known as Caspar Bauhin –
Legislateur en botanique
Swiss botanist
Born at Basel in 1580
Studied medicine at Padua,
Montpellier and in Germany.
Appointed to Greek professorship,
to the chair of anatomy and botany.
6. MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS
He formed a herbarium of 4000 specimens.
He published Phytopinax (1596), Prodromus theatri botanici (1602) and
lastly, Pinax theatri botanici (1623), containing 6000 species of plants giving
synonyms and introducing the binomial nomenclature for several species.
He sought to clarify in a single publication the confusion regarding
multiplicity of names for all species known at that time.
Although he did not describe genera, and did not recognize difference
between species and genera.
7. JEANBAUHIN(1541-1613)
Also named as Johann Bauhin
French and Swiss physician
Born at Basel on 12
December,1541
Studied botany in Tübingen
Elected professor of Rhetoric.
8. MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS
He compiled a description of 5000 plants with more than 3500 figures, a work
published under the name Historia plantarum universalis in 1650-51 in 3
volumes, several years after his death.
He nurtured several botanic gardens and also collected plants during his
travels.
In 1591, he published a list of plants named after saints called De Plantis a
Divis Sanctisve Nomen Habentibus.
Linnaeus named the genus Bauhinia (family Caesalpiniaceae) for brothers.