Takhtajan system

Key takeaways

Takhtajan system belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Takhtajan system to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Takhtajan system from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A system of plant taxonomy, the Takhtajan system of plant classification was published by Armen Takhtajan, in several versions from the 1950s onwards. It is usually compared to the Cronquist system. It admits paraphyletic groups.

Systems The first classification was published in Russian in 1954, and came to the attention of the rest of the world after publication of an English translation in 1958 as Origin of Angiospermous Plants. Further versions appeared in 1959 (Die Evolution der Angiospermen) and 1966 (Sistema i filogeniia tsvetkovykh rastenii). The latter popularised Takhtajan's system when it appeared in English in 1969 (Flowering plants: Origin and dispersal). A further revision appeared in 1980.

1966 system Magnoliophyta (Angiospermae) p. 51 Class: Magnoliatae (Dicotyledones) p. 51 Class: Liliatae (Monocotyledones) p. 461 Subclass A: Alismidae p. 461 Subclass B: Liliidae p. 473 (was nom. nov.) Superorder Lilianae p. 473 (was nom. nov.) Order Liliales p. 473 Family Liliaceae p. 474 Family Xanthorrhoeaceae p. 476 Family Aphyllanthaceae p. 476 Family Alliaceae p. 477 Family Agavaceae p. 478 Family Amaryllidaceae p. 480 Family Alstroemeriaceae p. 481 Family Haemodoraceae p. 482 Family Hypoxidaceae p. 483 Family Velloziaceae p. 483 Family Philesiaceae p. 484 Family Tecophilaeaceae p. 484 Family Cyanastraceae p. 485 Family Asparagaceae p. 486 Family Smilacaceae p. 487 Family Stemonaceae p. 487 Family Dioscoreaceae p. 488 Family Taccaceae p. 489 Family Phylydraceae p. 491 Family Pontederiaceae p. 490 Order Bromeliales p. 492 Order Iridales p. 494 Order Zingiberales p. 498 Order Orchidales p. 505 Superorder Juncanae p. 510 Subclass C: Commelinidae p. 461 Subclass D: Arecidae p. 525

1997 system As published in Diversity and Classification of Flowering Plants

Division Magnoliophyta (2 classes, 17 subclasses, 71 superorders, 232 orders, 589 families Class Magnoliopsida Brongn. (1843) (Dicotyledons) 11 subclasses, 55 superorders, 175 orders, 458 families Subclass Magnoliidae Novak ex Takht. (1967) Subclass Nymphaeidae J.W. Walker ex Takht. (1997) Subclass Nelumbonidae Takht. (1997) Subclass Ranunculidae Takht. ex Reveal (1992) Subclass Caryophyllidae Takht. (1967) Subclass Hamamelididae Takht. (1967) Subclass Dilleniidae Takht. ex Reveal & Tahkt. (1993) Subclass Rosidae Takht. (1967) Subclass Cornidae Frohne & U. Jensen ex Reveal (1994) Subclass Asteridae Takht. (1967) Subclass Lamiidae Takht. ex Reveal (1993) Class Liliopsida Batsch (1802) (Monocotyledons) 6 subclasses, 16 superorders, 57 orders, 131 families Subclass Liliidae Takht. (1967) Superorder Lilianae Takht. (1967) 14 orders Order Melanthiales R. Dahlgren ex Reveal (1992) Order Colchicales Dumort. (1829) Order Trilliales Takht. (1996) Order Liliales Perleb (1826) Family Liliaceae Juss., nom. cons. (1789) Family Medeolaceae (S. Wats.) Takht. (1987) Order Alstroemeriales Hutch. (1934) Order Iridales Raf. (1815) Order Tecophilaeales Traub ex Reveal (1993) Order Burmanniales Heintze (1927) Order Hypoxidales Takht., nom. inval. (1997) Order Orchidales Raf. (1815) Order Amaryllidales Bromhead (1840) Order Asparagales Bromhead (1838) Order Xanthorrhoeales Takth., nom. inval. (1997) Order Hanguanales R. Dahlgren ex Reveal (1992) Superorder Dioscoreanae Takht. ex Reveal & Doweld (1999) Subclass Commelinidae Takht. (1967) Subclass Arecidae Takht. (1967) Subclass Alismatidae Takht. (1967) Subclass Triurididae Takht. ex Reveal (1992) Subclass Aridae Takht. (1997)

2009 system As published in Flowering Plants

Phylum Magnoliophyta (flowering plants) Cronquist, Takht. & Zimmerm. ex Reveal (1996) Class Magnoliopsida Brongn. (1843) (Dicotyledons) p. 7 Subclass I. Magnoliidae p. 11 Superorder Nymphaeanae Superorder Magnolianae Superorder Lauranae Superorder Piperanae Superorder Rafflesianae Subclass II. Ranunculidae p. 69 Superorder Proteanae Superorder Ranunculanae Subclass III. Hamamelididae p. 101 Superorder Hamamelidanae Superorder Juglandanae Subclass IV. Caryophyllidae p. 129 Superorder Caryophyllanae Superorder Polygonanae Superorder Nepenthanae Subclass V. Dilleniidae p. 167 Superorder Dillenianae Superorder Ericanae Superorder Violanae Superorder Capparanae Superorder Malvanae Superorder Euphorbianae Subclass VI. Rosidae p. 293 Superorder Rosanae Superorder Myrtanae Superorder Fabanae Superorder Rutanae Superorder Celastranae Superorder Santalanae Superorder Balanophoranae Superorder Rhamnanae Subclass VII. Asteridae p. 435 Superorder Cornanae Superorder Asperanae Subclass VIII. Lamiidae p. 511 Superorder Lamianae Class Liliopsida Scop. (1760) (Monocotyledons) p. 595 Subclass I: Alismatidae p. 589 Superorder Petrosavianae Superorder Alismatanae Superorder Aranae Subclass II: Liliidae Takht. (1966) p. 625 Superorder Lilianae Takht. (1966) Order Melanthiales R. Dahlgren ex Reveal (1992) Order Trilliales Takht. (1996) Order Liliales Perleb (1826) 1. Family Campynemataceae 2. Family Colchicaceae 3. Family Tricyrtidaceae 4. Family Scoliopaceae p. 634 5. Family Calochortaceae p. 634 6. Family Liliaceae Juss., nom. cons. (1789) p. 634 7. Family Medeolaceae (S. Wats.) Takht. (1987) p. 634 Order Burmanniales Order Alstroemeriales Hutch. (1934) Order Smilacales Order Orchidales Order Iridales Order Amaryllidales Order Asparagales Superorder Pandananae Superorder Dioscoreanae Takht., nom. inval. (1997) Superorder Arecanae Subclass III: Arecidae p. 693 Superorder Arecanae Subclass IV: Commelinidae p. 699 Superorder Bromelianae Superorder Zingiberanae Superorder Commelinanae Superorder Juncanae Superorder Poanae

References

Bibliography

External links Takhtajan system at CSDL, Texas Archived 2008-11-02 at the Wayback Machine. Also, at the Norton Brown Herbarium, Maryland (with an extensive listing of synonyms, both nomenclatural and taxonomic, for each name in the system): 1, 2, 3 Angiosperm Classification according to Armen Takhtajan, 1966

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Takhtajan system

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Takhtajan system claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Takhtajan system before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Takhtajan system ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Takhtajan system

In research: Takhtajan system appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Takhtajan system in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Takhtajan system is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Systems of plant taxonomy, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Takhtajan system outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Takhtajan system in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Takhtajan system means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Takhtajan system out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Takhtajan system in simple terms?

A system of plant taxonomy, the Takhtajan system of plant classification was published by Armen Takhtajan, in several versions from the 1950s onwards. It is usually compared to the Cronquist system.

Why does Takhtajan system matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Takhtajan system?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Takhtajan system.