Plant taxonomy and biosystematics

the long version

This book presents a concise, up-to-date and fully-integrated discussion of present-day plant taxonomy. It emphasises the dynamic nature of taxonomy which results from it being a fundamental discipline and a synthesis of all biological knowledge. Since publication of the first edition there have been many developments in the subject. Perhaps the most important of these has been the rise in popularity of cladistics, and the author fully discusses this controversial methodology. Stace provides an excellent, contemporary presentation of the science of plant taxonomy. The major changes in this second edition (1st ed., London, 1980) include the introduction and discussion of the principles of cladistics and the use of molecular biological information, especially in the chapter on chemotaxonomy. The line drawings and other illustrations are quite helpful, as is the boldfacing of significant terms within the text. The reference section is an exceptionally good resource for both older and new literature on the topics presented. With its lucid style, Stace's book will be particularly useful in undergraduate and graduate libraries. -L. M. Baird, University of San Diego--Choice Review.