Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming plant and animal species,
and organising them into systems of classification. Taxonomy deals with
identification, nomenclature and classification of objects of biological origin.
Though Taxonomy is an age old profession, Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist
is regarded as Father of Modern Taxonomy.
Plant taxonomy is a branch of botany that is concerned with the
identification, nomenclature and classification of plants. Plant taxonomy is
the science that finds, describes, classifies, identifies, and names plants.
Plant taxonomy is sometimes referred to as Systematic botany.
Those who specialize in this field are called as Plant Taxonomists. Plant Taxonomists
study about plant species. Plant taxonomists are botanists who work to
identify, describe, classify and name plant species. Plant taxonomists
identify new plant species previously unknown to the field. They also
produce new source of plant genes. Plant taxonomists collect and study
groups of plants, focusing on the ways species arise, relationships among
them, and selective forces that have molded their characteristics. They
are the scientists who classify the plant species and collect information
about the species prior to its extinction. Plant Taxonomist plays a pivotal
role in preserving the plant resources available in the nature.
Two goals of plant taxonomy are the identification and classification
of plants. Plant identification is the determination of the identity
of an unknown plant by comparison with previously collected specimens
or with the aid of books or identification manuals. Plant classification
is the placing of known plants into groups or categories to show some
relationship.
Plant taxonomy is considered as 'Mother of Plant sciences' as it is the basis
for all the applied disciplines of plant sciences such as Agriculture, Horticulture,
Forestry, Pharmacognosy, Biotechnology and so on. It focuses on how
plants diversify and relate to each other over time. This is both a creative and
scientific process that uses scientific classification to divide plants into
taxonomic ranks.
