Taxonomy Prof.(Dr.

) Punam Jeswal
Head
M.Sc semester ll Botany Department

Takhtajan's System of Classification of

Angiospermic Plant

Takhtajan's System

Armen Takhtajan, a Russian taxonomist of Komarov Botanical Institute,

Department of Higher Plants, Leningrad presented a phylogenetic system of classification of
angiosperms in 1966 under the title "System et Phylogenia Magnoliophytorum". This system
with some modifications appeared in english edition in a book entitled "Flowering Plants :-
Origin and Dispersal " (1969).

Salient Features -

 For the origin of angiosperms Takhtajan (1959) pleaded the phenomenon of

Neoteny, defined as the attainment of reproductive stage at a juvenile stage.

 In his opinion, the transitional groups between gymnosperms and angiosperms

existed as small populations where evolution took place at an accelerated rate.
These populations provide the combination of genetic drift and selection, which
are most effective in promoting rapid evolution.

 The evolution in the immediate ancestors of angiosperms must have been very rapid
and facilitated the production of large adaptive modifications. Under such
conditions, one of the ancient branches of gymnosperms must have initiated a more
progressive group of seed plants that possessed high adaptability and plasticity. This
group was unusually plastic, because it developed through neoteny.

 He considered angiosperms to be monophyletic which arose from some very

ancient group of gymnosperms ( like Bennettitales) and monocots to have
originated from primitive dicots with apocarpous flowers presumably something
like the present day Nymphaeales.
Evolutionary Thoughts of Takhtajan -
While evaluating the evolutionary trends, he considered that :-

1. Woody plants are primitive than herbaceous ones.

2. Simple pinnately net veined leaves are primitive than pinnately lobed, pinnatifid
and pinnatisect leaves with palmate venation. Alternate leaf arrangement is
primitive and opposite or whorled types are derived from it.
3. Mesogenous and paracytic stomata are primitive than perigenous anomocytic ones.
4. Tri-multilacunar nodes with a double trace at the median leaf gap are primitive,
from which all other types have arisen.
5. Primitive wood is vessel less and the tracheids have scalariform bordered pits.
6. Solitary and terminal flowers are primitive and probably represent the surviving
member of the reduced inflorescence.
7. The primitive flowers have a moderately elongated floral axis on which large
number of distinct floral leaves are arranged spirally. The elongated axis
shortened and there was gradual transition from spiral to cyclic arrangement
of floral leaves in advanced taxa.
8. Actinomorphic flowers are more primitive than zygomorphic ones.
9. The primitive stamens are leaf like showing no differentiation of filament and
connective and microsporangia are present on the abaxial or adaxial side of the
microsporophyll.
10. Monocolpate pollen grains are primitive and tricolpate and others are derived.
11. Bitegmic ovules are primitive from which unitegmic ovules arose; among
various types, anatropous ovules are considered most primitive from which
others are derived.
12. Primitive flowers are entomophilous. Anemoplily arose from entomophily.
13. Seeds of primitive angiosperms are large with abundant endosperm and
undifferentiated embryo. In advanced taxa, the seeds are non-endospermic or
with reduced endosperm and the embryo differentiated.
14. Follicular fruits developing from multicarpellary apocarpous gynoecia are
primitive.
Based on above evolutionary conceptions Takhtajan (1969) divided
the angiosperms (Magnoliophyta) into two subclasses viz. Magnoliate (Dicots) and
Liliatae (Monocots); the former being further divided into 7 subclasses ; 15 superorders
and 74 orders and the latter into 4 subclasses, 5 superorders and 20 orders.
 Magnoliophyta

2 classes

Magnoliopsida Liliopsida
(Dicotyledones) (Monocotyledones)
7 Subclasses 3 Subclasses

Magnoliidea Ranunculidae Hamamelidae Caryophyllidae Dilleniidae Rosidae Asteridae

1.Magnolianae 1.Ranunculanae 1.Hamamelidane 1.Caryophyllanae 1.Dillenianae 1.Rosanae 1.Gentiananae

(5 Orders) (3 Order) (12 Orders) (2 Orders) (8 Orders) (6 Orders) (4 Orders)
1.Magnoliales 1.Trochodendrales 1.Caryophyllales 1.Dellieniales 1.Sxifiragales 1.Gentianales
2.Polygonales
2.Plumbaginanae
5.Arstolochiales 12. Leitneriales (1 Order)
2.Rafflesianae 2.Juglandalnae 1.Plumbaginales 8.Salicales 6.Nepenthales 4.Loasales
(1 Order) (2 orders) 2.Ericanae 2.Myrtanae 2.Lamialnae
3.Nymhaeanae (3 Orders) (1 Order) (3Orders)
(2 Orders) 3.Malvanae 3.Rutanae 3.Asteranae
(3 orders) (4 Orders) (3 Orders)
4.Aralianae
(2 orders)
5.Celastranae
(5 Orders)
6. Proteanae

Alismatidae Liliidae Arecidae

1.Alismatanae 1.Triuridanae 1.Arecanae

(2 Orders) (1 Orders) (4 Orders)
2. Lilianae 2. Aranae
(5 Orders) (1 Order)
3. Juncanae
(2 Orders)
4. Commelinane
(5 Orders)
5. Zingiberanae
(1 Order)

Fig : Outline of System of Classification of Takhtajan

Critical Comments -

Merits -

1. Families Myristicaceae and Monimiaceae are kept under orders Magnoliales and
Laurales.

2. Canellaceae which was placed among families of Parietales is shifted to

Magnoliales.

3. Family Lauraceae is placed under Laurales which was formerly treated as member
of Monochlamydeae.

4. Genera Eupomatia and Lactoris which were treated as members of families

Annonaceae and Piperaceae respectively are given family rank and placed
Magnoliales and Laurales.

5. Ceratophyllaceae, has been put amongst primitive aquatic families of

Nymphaeales.

6. Families Illiciaceae and Schizandraceae which were formerly included in

Magnoliaceae, are treated as separate families.

7. Urticales and constituent taxa of Amentifere e.g. Casuarinales, Fagales,

Leitneriales etc. are treated as to be advanced and derived from Hamamelidales.
8. Cactaceae is included in Caryophyllales.

9. Paeonia has been separated from Ranunculaceae and placed in an unigeneric

family Paeoniaceae.

10. Trapaceae is separated from Onagraceae, similarly Cuscutaceae is treated as

separate family from Convolvulaceae.

11. Callitrichaceae is placed under Lamiales.

12. Compositae (Asteraceae) is placed at the top of the dicotyledons.

13. Alismatales are regarded as basal order of monocots.

14. Cyperaceae and Gramineae (Poaceae) are placed under separate orders.
Demerits -

1. The family Papaveraceae is kept far apart from Capparales comprising families
Capparaceae, Brassicaceae etc. Serologically these families are closely allied and
the Rhoeadales from a natural group. In this system, Papaverales are kept under
Ranunculidae and the Capparales under Dillinidae.

2. In Malvales, ten families have been placed, But pollen structure and embryological
characters show that the order can be conveniently split in to two orders. viz.
Malvales and Tiliales (Hutchinson, 1959), the former comprising only of Malvaceae
and latter of rest other families. Moreover, family Scytopetalaceae is more allied to
Tiliales rather than to Malvales.

3. In Gentianales, among other families, Rubiaceae is included. This family is more

allied to Dipsacales.

4. The Arecidae, have been kept in the last which are in no case, more evolved than
Orchidaceae and Zingiberaceae.