Over the past 50 years it has been pointed out with increasing frequency that our traditional Linnaean system of classification and nomenclature is incompatible with a phylogenetic system which recognises only monophyletic groups. Dividing up an evolutionary tree into mutually exclusive families, genera, and species which are all monophyletic is a logical impossibility. Darwin had emphasised that evolution is descent with modification. The rise of cladistic thinking in the last 40 years has promoted an obsession with monophyletic taxa, with classification based solely on descent at the expense of modification. Despite strong psychological pressures on a generation of biologists who have been brought up on the dogma of monophyly, the Hennigian view of classification is now increasingly seen as illogical and out-of-date. Some are therefore supporting the PhyloCode, which is based on a logical position but is impractical for general purpose classification and communication since it recognises no ranks and abandons binomials. Others still cling to the nonsensical concept of recognising families, genera, species, etc., and all being monophyletic. Linnaean classification is the optimal tool for cataloguing biodiversity and will inevitably be m aintained, but this requires recognition of paraphyletic taxa and some rethinking of the practice and purposes of biological classification. Those who want a classification to recognise only monophyletic taxa should adopt an appropriate nomenclatural system such as is offered by the PhyloCode. To do otherwise will tend to lead to bad taxonomy.

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Summary Brummitt, R. K., Castroviejo, S., Chikuni, A. C., Orchard A. E., Smith, G. F. & Wagner, W. L.: The Species Plantarum Project, an international collaborative initiative for higher plant taxonomy. – Taxon 50: 1217–1230. 2001. – ISSN 0040–0262. Basic understanding of the higher plant resources of the world for the successful management of biodiversity requires international collaboration and the setting up of a global taxonomic database. Botanists at all levels should be involved in the taxonomic work, and biologists and conservationists need to be actively aware of the need for such work on a global basis. The database must include census, descriptive, and identification aspects. At present, existing available information is haphazardly distributed on library shelves and inadequately organised. Published data on threatened species have been shown to be hopelessly inaccurate. National and regional Floras may often portray a false perspective of the plants they include. The world's botanists have to organise themselves to pool their information, and substantial international funding is needed to support this. The Species Plantarum Project, set up in 1995 under the International Organisation for Plant Information affiliated to the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), aims to overcome “the taxonomic impediment”, and is currently seeking appropriate funding. It responds to the priorities highlighted in the work programme being developed under the Global Taxonomy Initiative of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The project has an international Steering Committee representing all regions of the world, and aims to develop a further network of collaborators. Publication of data will be in both hard copy and electronic form. Instructions to contributors and accounts of five relatively small families have already been published in hard copy, and accounts of two further families totalling nearly 1000 species are in press. Future plans emphasise the need for capacity building in floristic work throughout the world. The project now invites the collaboration of taxonomists throughout the community, but the future of the project is dependent on funding being made available.