Systematic Botany 4th Edition

About the Book:
The term systematic botany encompasses the domain not only of the higher plants, but also of the lower plants. Since it is not possible to treat adequately the various plant-groups under a single volume, this edition is restricted to a discussion of the angiosperms. It has been designed as a textbook for the undergraduate students (Pass & Honours) of all the Indian universities and it will be helpful to postgraduate students in Botany as well as to the study of Agriculture and allied subjects. The author has abandoned Bentham-Hookers system and presented a new scheme of angiosperm-classification. Although the latter scheme, like any other envisaged before, has its shortcomings, it represents the most probable natural relationship among flowering plants.

Almost all the taxa prevalent in the Indian flora have been dealt with, covering 44 orders and 193 families. Generally, each order has been discussed in the light of phylogeny and with emphasis on its general features, circum inter-relationship, origin and means of identification of various families (by bracketed keys). Those families prominent in the countrys flora have been described under six or seven different heads, depending on the available information. Though the inconspicuous ones have not been categorised likewise, one can even find in them the array of items under each family being suitably treated. Moreover, the nomenclature of plants have been checked and brought up-to-date as far as possible. Part One is an expose of taxonomic principles, while Parts

Three and Four, deal with the dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants respectively. Under Part Two, there are certain specialised topics which have a bearing on the study of the systematic botany of angiosperms. A list of important books and papers is inserted at the end of each Part. In brief, the author has made an attempt to give a complete picture of angiosperm systematics.


About the Author:
Subhash Chandra Datta was born in 1931. He received his early education in Rangoon and Dhaka. In 1953, he obtained his M. Sc. in Botany from the University of Calcutta and majored in plant physiology. His Ph. D. is on Botany from the University of New Hampshire (USA), 1957, with specialisation in plant ecology and plant physiology. He was UGC Professor of Botany at the University of Calcutta and was in charge of teaching and research in environmental biology of higher plants.

Earlier he also served as Associate Professor of Botany, Vincennes University (USA); Assistant Professor of Botany, University of Baghdad (Iraq); Professor and Head of Botany at Visva-Bharati (India) as well as Co-coordinator, School of Life Science, at the same institution. He is the author of An Introduction to Gymnosperms and Plant Physiology. He has over 100 papers to credit, some of which were published in Acta Agron. Hungaricae, Acta Bot. Poloniae, Biologia, Broteria, Econ. Bot., Flora, Isr. Bot., Planta, Vegetatio, Weeds, etc. He was Vice-President of the National Botanical Society and Secretary of the Indian Science News Association as well as Member of the Editorial Board of Science and Culture.


Contents:

Part One: Principles and Practices of Taxonomy
Selected Bibliography
Part Two: Special Topics on Angiosperms
Selected Bibliography
Part Three: Systematic Survey of the Dicotyledonous
Selected Bibliography
Part Four: Systematic Survey of the Monocotyledonous
Selected Bibliography.