A system of plant taxonomy, the Eichler system was the first

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

(phyletic) or

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

ary system. It was developed by

August W. Eichler August Wilhelm Eichler, also known under his Latinized name, Augustus Guilielmus Eichler (22 April 1839 – 2 March 1887), was a German botanist who developed a new system of classification of plants to reflect the concept of evolution. His au ...

(1839–1887), initially in his ''Blüthendiagramme'' (1875–1878) and then in successive editions of his ''Syllabus'' (1876–1890). After his death his colleague

Adolf Engler Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler (25 March 1844 – 10 October 1930) was a German botanist. He is notable for his work on plant taxonomy and phytogeography, such as ''Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien'' (''The Natural Plant Families''), edited with ...

(1844–1930) continued its development, and it became widely accepted. The system was based on dividing the

plant kingdom Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclude ...

into those plants with concealed reproductive organs (non-floral), the (

Cryptogamae A cryptogam (scientific name Cryptogamae) is a plant (in the wide sense of the word) or a plant-like organism that reproduces by spores, without flowers or seeds. The name ''Cryptogamae'' () means "hidden reproduction", referring to the fact ...

, = hidden reproduction) and those with visible reproductive organs (floral), the ( Phanerogamae, = visible reproduction). Moreover, Eichler was the first taxonomist to separate the Phanerogamae into

Angiosperms Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

and

Gymnosperms The gymnosperms ( lit. revealed seeds) are a group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, ''Ginkgo'', and gnetophytes, forming the clade Gymnospermae. The term ''gymnosperm'' comes from the composite word in el, γυμνό� ...

and the former into Monocotyledonae and Dicotyledonae. His primary ranks were Divisions (''Abtheilung''), followed by orders (''Reihe'').

''Blüthendiagramme'' (1875–1878)

Volume I (1875)

Contents pp. VI–VIII
Synopsis: * Division I Gymnospermae p. 54 * Division II Monocotyledoneae p. 73 * Division III Dicotyledoneae p. 187 (''part'')

Volume II (1878)

Contents pp. V–VIII
Synopsis: * Division III Dicotyledoneae p. 187 (''continued'')

''Syllabus'' (Fourth edition 1886)

The system (here taken from the 4th edition of the ''Syllabus'', 1886) divides plants into divisions, classes and groups. Groups were further divided into orders. * Note: ranks translated into Latin Engler in NYPL

Outline: p. 6. Page numbers refer to text * A. ''

'' *: division I. '' Thallophyta'' *:: classis I. ''

Algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

'' *::: group I.

Cyanophyceae Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blue ...

*::: group II.

Diatom A diatom (Neo-Latin ''diatoma''), "a cutting through, a severance", from el, διάτομος, diátomos, "cut in half, divided equally" from el, διατέμνω, diatémno, "to cut in twain". is any member of a large group comprising sev ...

eae *::: group III.

Chlorophyceae The Chlorophyceae are one of the classes of green algae, distinguished mainly on the basis of ultrastructural morphology. They are usually green due to the dominance of pigments chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b. The chloroplast may be discoid, p ...

p. 8 *::: group IV.

Phaeophyceae Brown algae (singular: alga), comprising the class Phaeophyceae, are a large group of multicellular algae, including many seaweeds located in colder waters within the Northern Hemisphere. Brown algae are the major seaweeds of the temperate and po ...

*::: group V.

Rhodophyceae Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), are one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta also comprises one of the largest phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 currently recognized species with taxonomic revisions ongoing. The majority ...

*:: classis II. ''

Fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

'' *::: group I.

Schizomycetes Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

*::: group II. Eumycetes *::: group III. '' Lichenes'' *: division II. '' Bryophyta'' *:: classis I. ''

Hepaticae The Marchantiophyta () are a division of non-vascular land plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of g ...

'' *:: classis II. ''

Musci Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hornw ...

'' *: division III. ''

Pteridophyta A pteridophyte is a vascular plant (with xylem and phloem) that disperses spores. Because pteridophytes produce neither flowers nor seeds, they are sometimes referred to as "cryptogams", meaning that their means of reproduction is hidden. Ferns, ...

'' p. 21 *:: classis I. '' Equisetinae'' *:: classis II. '' Lycopodinae'' *:: classis III. '' Filicinae'' * B. '' Phanerogamae'' *: division I. ''

Gymnospermae The gymnosperms ( lit. revealed seeds) are a group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, ''Ginkgo'', and gnetophytes, forming the clade Gymnospermae. The term ''gymnosperm'' comes from the composite word in el, γυμνόσ ...

'' p. 33 *: division II. ''

Angiospermae Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

'' p. 34 *:: classis I. '' Monocotyleae'' (7 orders) p. 34 *::: order I.

Liliiflorae Lilianae (also known as Liliiflorae) is a botanical name for a superorder (that is, a rank higher than that of order) of flowering plants. Such a superorder of necessity includes the type family Liliaceae (and usually the type order Liliales). ...

p. 34 *::: ordo II. Enantioblastae *::: ordo III. Spadiciflorae *::: ordo IV. Glumiflorae *::: ordo V.

Scitamineae Scitamineae is a descriptive botanical name. Historically it has been applied to a remarkably stable group of flowering plants, now referred to as Zingiberales: * at the rank of family in the Bentham & Hooker system (volume of 1883), placed in o ...

*::: ordo VI. Gynandreae *:: classis II. '' Dicotyleae'' p. 39 *::: subclassis I. ''

Choripetalae Choripetalae Eichler (1876), is a descriptive botanical name used in the Eichler and Wettstein systems for a group of flowering plants. It was one of two groups within the Dicotyledones, the other being the Sympetalae. The latter have fused pet ...

'' *::: subclassis II. ''

Sympetalae Sympetaly (fused petals) is a flower characteristic that historically was used to classify a grouping of plants termed Sympetalae, but this term has been abandoned in newer molecular based classifications, although the grouping has similarity to ...

'' p. 58

Class Monocotyleae

*: order I.

p. 34 (6 families) *:: 1.

Liliaceae The lily family, Liliaceae, consists of about 15 genera and 610 species of flowering plants within the order Liliales. They are monocotyledonous, perennial, herbaceous, often bulbous geophytes. Plants in this family have evolved with a fair ...

(3 subfamilies) *::: a.

Lilieae The Lilieae are a monophyletic tribe of monocotyledon perennial, herbaceous mainly bulbous flowering plants in the lily family (Liliaceae). Taxonomy The term has varied over the years but in modern classification constitutes either a broad ...

*:::: ''

Tulipa Tulips (''Tulipa'') are a genus of spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes (having bulbs as storage organs). The flowers are usually large, showy and brightly coloured, generally red, pink, yellow, or white (usually in war ...

Gagea ''Gagea'' is a large genus of spring flowers in the lily family. It is found primarily in Eurasia with a few species extending into North Africa and one species (''Gagea serotina'') in North America. The genus is named after the English natur ...

Fritillaria ''Fritillaria'' (fritillaries) is a genus of spring flowering herbaceous bulbous perennial plants in the lily family (Liliaceae). The type species, ''Fritillaria meleagris'', was first described in Europe in 1571, while other species from the ...

Lilium ''Lilium'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. M ...

Ornithogalum ''Ornithogalum'' is a genus of perennial plants mostly native to southern Europe and southern Africa belonging to the family Asparagaceae. Some species are native to other areas such as the Caucasus. Growing from a bulb, species have linear ba ...

Allium ''Allium'' is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants that includes hundreds of species, including the cultivated onion, garlic, scallion, shallot, leek, and chives. The generic name ''Allium'' is the Latin word for garlic,Gledhill, Davi ...

Hyacinthus ''Hyacinthus'' is a small genus of bulbous, spring-blooming perennials. They are fragrant flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae and are commonly called hyacinths (). The genus is native to the area of the eastern M ...

Asphodelus ''Asphodelus'' is a genus of mainly perennial flowering plants in the asphodel family Asphodelaceae that was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. The genus was formerly included in the lily family (Liliaceae). The genus is native to tempera ...

Aloë'' *::: b.

Melanthieae Melanthieae is a tribe of flowering plants within the family Melanthiaceae. Molecular phylogenetic studies in the 21st century have resulted in a large-scale reassignment of many of its species to different genera; in particular the genus '' Zi ...

*:::: ''

Colchicum ''Colchicum'' ( or ) is a genus of perennial flowering plants containing around 160 species which grow from bulb-like corms. It is a member of the botanical family Colchicaceae, and is native to West Asia, Europe, parts of the Mediterranean coas ...

Veratrum ''Veratrum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Melanthiaceae. It occurs in damp habitats across much of temperate and subarctic Europe, Asia, and North America. ''Veratrum'' species are vigorous herbaceous perennials with highly poiso ...

Tofieldia'' *::: c. Smilaceae *:::: ''

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Convallaria ''Convallaria'' is a genus of flowering plants. It is usually described as a monotypic genus with the single species ''Convallaria majalis'' (lily-of-the-valley), but now some botanists distinguish up to three species, also including ''Convallaria ...

Asparagus Asparagus, or garden asparagus, folk name sparrow grass, scientific name ''Asparagus officinalis'', is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus ''Asparagus''. Its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable. It was once classified in ...

Smilax ''Smilax'' is a genus of about 300–350 species, found in the tropics and subtropics worldwide. In China for example about 80 are found (39 of which are endemic), while there are 20 in North America north of Mexico. They are climbing flowering ...

'' *:: 2.

Amaryllidaceae The Amaryllidaceae are a family of herbaceous, mainly perennial and bulbous (rarely rhizomatous) flowering plants in the monocot order Asparagales. The family takes its name from the genus ''Amaryllis'' and is commonly known as the amaryllis fa ...

p. 35 *:::: ''

Galanthus ''Galanthus'' (from Ancient Greek , (, "milk") + (, "flower")), or snowdrop, is a small genus of approximately 20 species of bulbous perennial herbaceous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. The plants have two linear leaves and a single ...

Leucojum Narcissus

Agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for ...

'' *:: 3.

Juncaceae Juncaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the rush family. It consists of 8 genera and about 464 known species of slow-growing, rhizomatous, herbaceous monocotyledonous plants that may superficially resemble grasses and s ...

p. 35 *:: 4.

Iridaceae Iridaceae is a family of plants in order Asparagales, taking its name from the irises, meaning rainbow, referring to its many colours. There are 66 accepted genera with a total of c. 2244 species worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016). It include ...

p. 35 *:: 5.

Haemodoraceae Haemodoraceae is a family of perennial herbaceous flowering plants with 14 genera and 102 known species. It is sometimes known as the "bloodwort family". Primarily a Southern Hemisphere family, they are found in South Africa, Australia and New ...

p. 35 *:: 6.

Dioscoreaceae Dioscoreaceae () is a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants, with about 715 known species in nine genera. The best-known member of the family is the yam (some species of '' Dioscorea''). The APG system (1998) and APG II system (2003) both ...

p. 35 *:: 7.

Bromeliaceae The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain o ...

p. 35 *: ordo II. Enantioblastae p. 35 *: ordo III. Spadiciflorae p. 36 *: ordo IV. Glumiflorae p. 36 *: ordo V.

p. 38 *: ordo VI. Gynandreae p. 38

References

Bibliography

Works by Eichler

* *
Volume I: 1875
*
Volume II: 1878
* ''Syllabus der Vorlesungen über Phanerogamenkunde'' Lipsius und Tischer, Kiel 1876. ** Subsequent editions published as ''Syllabus der Vorlesungen über specielle und medicinisch-pharmaceutische Botanik'', 2nd ed. 1880, 3rd ed. 1883, 4th ed. 1886, 5th 1890 *** *** **** Outline: p. 1 *** ***

Other

* in volume 2(2). * * * * * * {{List of systems of plant taxonomy system, Eichler Systems of algal taxonomy Systems of fungus taxonomy