Download Excel File List of Largest Genera of Flowering Plants

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Submitted by editor on 12 March, 2014 - 15:03


This contains list of 57 genera of flowering plants.
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There are 57 genera of flowering plants estimated to contain at least 500 described species. The largest of these is currently the legume genus Astragalus (milk-vetches), with over 3,000 species. The sizes of plant genera vary widely from those containing a single species to genera containing thousands of species, and this disparity became clear early in the history of plant classification. The largest genus in Carl Linnaeus' seminal Species Plantarum was Euphorbia, with 56 species; Linnaeus believed that no genus should contain more than 100 species. Part of the disparity in genus sizes is attributable to historical factors. According to a hypothesis published by Max Walters in 1961, the size of plant genera is related to the age, not of the taxon itself, but of the concept of the taxon in the minds of taxonomists. Plants which grew in Europe, where most of the early taxonomy was based, were therefore divided into relatively small genera, while those from the tropics were grouped into much larger and more heterogeneous genera. Likewise, plants which shared common medicinal properties, such as the many species of Euphorbia, were united into a single genus, while plants of diverse uses, such as the grasses, were split into many genera.
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Rank,Genus,Species,Family,1,Astragalus,"3,270",Fabaceae / Leguminosae,2,Bulbophyllum,"2,032",Orchidaceae,3,Psychotria,"1,951",Rubiaceae,4,Euphorbia,"1,836",Euphorbiaceae,5,Carex,"1,795",Cyperaceae,6,Begonia,"1,484",Begoniaceae,7,Dendrobium,"1,371",Orchidaceae,8,Acacia,"c. 1,353",Fabaceae / Leguminosae,9,Solanum,"c. 1,250",Solanaceae,10,Senecio,"c. 1,250",Asteraceae / Compositae,11,Croton,"1,223",Euphorbiaceae,12,Pleurothallis,"1,120+",Orchidaceae,13,Eugenia,"1,113",Myrtaceae,14,Piper,"1,055",Piperaceae,15,Ardisia,"1,046",Myrsinaceae,16,Syzygium,"1,041",Myrtaceae,17,Rhododendron,"c. 1,000",Ericaceae,18,Miconia,"1,000",Melastomataceae,19,Peperomia,"1,000",Piperaceae,20,Salvia,945,Lamiaceae / Labiatae,21,Erica,860,Ericaceae,22,Impatiens,850,Balsaminaceae,23,Cyperus,839,Cyperaceae,24,Phyllanthus,833,Phyllanthaceae,25,Allium,815,Amaryllidaceae,26,Epidendrum,800,Orchidaceae,27,Vernonia,"8001,000",Asteraceae / Compositae,28,Lepanthes,c. 800,Orchidaceae,29,Anthurium,789,Araceae,30,Diospyros,767,Ebenaceae,31,Ficus,750,Moraceae,32,Silene,700,Caryophyllaceae,33,Indigofera,700+,Fabaceae / Leguminosae,34,Oxalis,700,Oxalidaceae,35,Crotalaria,699,Fabaceae / Leguminosae,36,Centaurea,695,Asteraceae / Compositae,37,Cassia,692,Fabaceae / Leguminosae,38,Eucalyptus,681,Myrtaceae,39,Oncidium,680,Orchidaceae,40,Galium,661,Rubiaceae,41,Cousinia,655,Asteraceae / Compositae,42,Ipomoea,650,Convolvulaceae,43,Dioscorea,631,Dioscoreaceae,44,Cyrtandra,622,Gesneriaceae,45,Helichrysum,600,Asteraceae / Compositae,46,Ranunculus,600,Ranunculaceae,47,Habenaria,600,Orchidaceae,48,Justicia,600,Acanthaceae,49,Schefflera,584,Araliaceae,50,Ixora,561,Rubiaceae,51,Berberis,556,Berberidaceae,52,Quercus,531,Fagaceae,53,Pandanus,c. 520,Pandanaceae,54,Panicum,500+,Poaceae / Gramineae,55,Eria,500,Orchidaceae,56,Polygala,500,Polygalaceae,57,Potentilla,500,Rosaceae,,,,,For other more formats kindly visit : www.downloadexcelfiles.com,,,,,,,,Original source : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_genera_of_flowering_plants,,,,