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A comprehensive introduction to vascular plant phylogeny, the Third Edition of Plant Systematics reflects changes in the circumscription of many orders and families to represent monophyletic groups, following the most recent classification of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. The taxonomic evidence described includes data from morphology, anatomy, embryology, chromosomes, palynology, secondary plant compounds, proteins, and DNA. Molecular taxonomic methods are fully presented, as are the results of many recent studies, both molecular and morphological. A chapter on the history of plant classification puts current systematic methods into historical context. Issues relating to variation in plant populations and species, including speciation and species concepts, polyploidy, hybridization, breeding systems, and introgression are carefully considered. Appendices cover botanical nomenclature as well as field and herbarium methodology. The text is copiously illustrated, using in large part the informative analytical drawings developed as part of the Generic Flora of the Southeastern United States project.

New to the 3rd edition:
* Colour throughout the book, including more than two dozen plates illustrating morphological variation in the vascular plants
* New coverage of maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods
* Extensively revised treatments of 17 families that have undergone significant changes in circumscription. Revisions include the breakup of Polypodiaceae (resulting in treatments of eight additional fern families), consideration of Araliaceae and Hypericaceae, and addition of Loasaceae
* Updates to all chapters and to the many cladograms, taking into account recent taxonomic methods and hypotheses

Photo Gallery of Vascular Plants CD:
This much expanded CD, packaged with every copy of the book, showcases over 3,000 color photos illustrating the diagnostic characters of (and variability within) the vascular plant families covered in the text, including many images showing floral and fruit dissections. The CD includes an illustrated glossary of plant terminology.