Q.52 Phylogenetic system of classification is/are proposed by
(A) Carolus Linnaeus
(B) John Hutchinson
(C) Engler and Prantl
(D) Bentham and Hooker

The correct answer is (C) Engler and Prantl, because they proposed a well-known phylogenetic system of plant classification based on evolutionary relationships.​

Introduction

The phylogenetic system of classification arranges organisms according to their evolutionary history and genetic relationships, rather than just superficial similarity. In plant taxonomy, competitive exams like CSIR NET, GATE, and NEET often ask which botanists proposed the phylogenetic system of classification, so understanding each classical system (artificial, natural, and phylogenetic) is essential.​

Question Restatement

Q.52 Phylogenetic system of classification is/are proposed by
(A) Carolus Linnaeus
(B) John Hutchinson
(C) Engler and Prantl
(D) Bentham and Hooker

Correct option: (C) Engler and Prantl.​

Why Engler and Prantl Is Correct (Option C)

• Adolf Engler and Karl Prantl developed a phylogenetic system of classification of plants, arranging groups according to presumed evolutionary relationships.​

• Their system, published from 1886 onward in “Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien,” considers monocots as more primitive than dicots and orders families from simpler to more advanced floral structures, which is a key feature of phylogenetic thinking.​

Thus, “phylogenetic system of classification is proposed by” → Engler and Prantl (C).​

Explanation of Each Option

Option (A) Carolus Linnaeus

• Carolus Linnaeus is famous as the “father of modern taxonomy” for introducing the binomial nomenclature system and compiling “Systema Naturae” and “Species Plantarum.”​

• However, his system of plant classification was artificial, mainly based on the number and arrangement of stamens and carpels (sexual system), and not on evolutionary relationships, so it is not phylogenetic.​

Conclusion for (A): Linnaeus proposed an artificial, not phylogenetic, system of classification → incorrect for this MCQ.​

Option (B) John Hutchinson

• John Hutchinson, an English botanist, proposed a later phylogenetic classification of angiosperms, with details published in “Families of Flowering Plants.”​

• His system is considered an improved phylogenetic arrangement of flowering plants, but it was developed after Engler and Prantl and is not the classical answer to “phylogenetic system of classification was proposed by” in standard MCQs.​

Conclusion for (B): Hutchinson did propose a phylogenetic classification for angiosperms, but exam-standard answer to this question is Engler and Prantl, not Hutchinson → incorrect in this context.​

Option (C) Engler and Prantl

• Engler and Prantl’s system is explicitly described in standard texts and exam resources as a phylogenetic system of classification, organizing plant groups from simpler to more complex forms.​

• Many exam-preparation sources directly state: “The phylogenetic system of classification was proposed by Engler and Prantl,” and MCQ keys consistently mark this pair as correct.​

Conclusion for (C): Engler and Prantl → correct answer.​

Option (D) Bentham and Hooker

• George Bentham and Joseph Dalton Hooker proposed a widely used natural system of classification of seed plants, published in “Genera Plantarum.”​

• Their system is “natural” because it uses many correlated characters (morphology, anatomy, sometimes embryology and chemistry) but it is pre-Darwinian and does not explicitly use evolutionary or phylogenetic criteria.​

Conclusion for (D): Bentham and Hooker gave a natural, not phylogenetic, system → incorrect for this question.​

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