A morphological classification of plants, with special reference to the New Zealand alpine flora

Abstract

Abstract. A plant is a complex of integrated systems (leaves, leaf groups, stems, roots, inflorescences), coexisting side by side or superimposed on each other to produce the life form (orphysiognomy) of the individual. The classic Raunkiaer classification based fundamentally on one character (apex position) is insufficient for the purpose of a functional classification. Five keys are given to determine the categories of: the plant silhouette or general shape resulting from a combination of other systems, with 11 categories proposed; the leaf group, with 14 categories; the stem, with 27 categories; the root, with 5 categories; and the inflorescence, with 3 categories. Each plant can be named according to the category or model of each of the five different systems that they most resemble, or by using only the name(s) of systems which are more conspicuous than others. Characters are selected primarily for their influence on form and secondarily on size.This scheme allows for detailed studies of a flora in terms of morphological characteristics (alone or in systems), expressed as frequency of occurrence of each character in the flora. Characters can be analysed separately (e.g. entire margined leaves), as a combination of characters (e.g. leaf groups) or as a combination of systems (e.g. rosettes without stems). Thus correlations between environmental variables and plants canbe made with more precision than in previous classification schemes.The classification also serves as the framework for including additional morphological data and incorporating new models.The New Zealand alpine flora is used as a test case and to exemplify the classification.