Phylogenetic system of classification

Charles Darwin's Origin of Species (1859) gave the direct stimulus for phylogenetic classification - arranging taxa specifically to reflect their evolutionary descent, rather than convenience (artificial) or overall similarity alone (natural).

Adolph Engler (1844-1930) and Karl A. Prantl (1849-1893), two German botanists, jointly proposed one of the earliest phylogenetic systems for the entire plant kingdom, published across 23 volumes as Die Naturlichen Pflanzenfamilien (1887-1915). They split the plant kingdom into 13 divisions: the first 11 are Thallophytes, the 12th is Embryophyta Asiphonogama (plants with embryos but no pollen tubes - Bryophytes and Pteridophytes), and the 13th is Embryophyta Siphonogama (plants with embryos AND pollen tubes - the seed plants). Within Siphonogama, Angiospermae splits into Class Monocotyledonae (11 orders, 45 families) and Class Dicotyledonae (44 orders), and Dicotyledonae in turn splits into Archichlamydeae/Apetalae (polypetalous corolla or single/double perianth; 33 orders, 201 families) and Metachlamydeae/Sympetalae (gamopetalous corolla, perianth in two whorls; 11 orders, 57 families). …