Question

"Genera Plantarum" was written by
(a) Engler and Prantl
(b) Hutchinson
(c) Carl Linnaeus
(d) Bessey

Answer 1

Genera Plantarum is one of the most important books in the nomenclature field. The modern taxonomic nomenclature of algae, fungi, and plants uses a reference to this book, especially the 5th edition which had the complementary volume of Species Plantarum.

Complete step by step answer:
The book "Genera Plantarum" was written by Carl Linnaeus in 1737. The first edition was published in 1737 whereas the fifth one which had a complementary volume, was published in 1753. It is considered as the most important book of Linnaeus for the nomenclature of genera of plants.

Additional Information: Carl Linnaeus, known as the “father of modern taxonomy", wrote his famous book named Genera Plantarum in 1737. The fifth edition of this book served as the complementary volume to species Plantarum. Article 13 of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants also refers to the Species Plantarum and Genera Plantarum. The first edition contains a description of 935 plant genera. Linnaeus dedicated this book to the Leiden physician named Herman Boerhaave. Boerhaave introduced him to George Clifford and the medico-botanical Dutch establishment. The Genera Plantarum was his first stepping stone towards the universal standardized biological nomenclature which was established by Linnaeus himself. The sixth edition was the last one which was edited by Linnaeus himself in 1764.
In the book, Linnaeus divided the whole kingdom of plants into 24 classes, all based on the sexual traits like number and arrangement of stamens in the flower. The first 10 classes were named according to the number of stamens. First was Mondaria with one stamen and the flower having ten stamens Decandria. The 11th one was Dodecandria and had 12-19 stamens. In dividing the following classes, the position of stamens also came into consideration.
The fifth edition of the book had the most importance in nomenclature as it had the Species Plantarum edition.
So, the correct answer is ‘Carl Linnaeus’.

Note: The importance of the book Genera Plantarum is acknowledged by many great scientists of the time. William Stearn, the famous British Botanist, and another Dutch botanist named Frans Stafleu stated good words for the Genera Plantarum. Stafleu even considered this book better than the Systema Naturae with respect to the practical introduction of his ideas. Systema Naturae is also a creation of Linnaeus based on the Linnaean taxonomy.