To understand plant biodiversity involves chronicling evolutionary origins (processes), interpreting evolutionary patterns (phylogeny), and ordering the diversity into classifications (taxonomy). This book offers insight to these three major aspects of the plant world. Five chapters provide an overview of the many evolutionary mechanisms that have been operative in the production of plant biodiversity. Six chapters contain information on the concepts and methods of modern phylogenetic reconstruction. Five chapters deal with issues of classification, including historical perspectives and comparisons among phenetic, cladistic, and evolutionary (phyletic) approaches. Three chapters also present types of data, from the morphological to the molecular, which are routinely used in plant systematics research programs. This book, designed for use at the upper undergraduate and graduate levels, contains extensive literature citations that open avenues to topics for further study or analysis."--Back cover.