PLANT TAXONOMY

• Theophrastus


  370-285 B.C.
• Theophrastus


  • Greek philosopher and naturalist
  • Often called the "Father of Botany"
  • Pupil of Aristotle
  • First person to publish a classification of plants
• Works of Theophrastus


  • ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS
  • ON THE CAUSES OF PLANTS
• Herbs

  Fragrant leaves or other parts of certain plants. Examples: mint, basil, oregano, parsley, kinchay, spinach baby leaf
• Shrubs

  A type of plant that typically have multiple woody stems and are smaller than trees. Examples: roses, pomegranate, jasmine, lemon, china rose
• Trees

  Woody perennial plant, having a single stem or trunk growing to a considerable height with lateral branches. Examples: mango, papaya, ylang ylang, banaba, narra, salingbobog
• Carolus Linnaeus


  1707-1778
• Carolus Linnaeus

  • First person to propose an orderly system for classifying organisms
  • Developed the Binomial System of Naming Plants in 1753
  • Called the Father of Taxonomy
• All plants have a scientific name composed of two Latin names known as a genus and species
• Plant Classification Levels

  • Kingdom
  • Phylum
  • Class
  • Order
  • Family
  • Genus
  • Species
• Kingdom Plantae


  Over 275,000 species
• Phylum Tracheophyta


  • Vascular plants - have tubelike structures that carry water, nutrients, other substances to the plant. Examples: fern, gymnosperms and flowering plants
  • Non-Vascular plants - Do not have this tubelike structures but use other ways to move water or substance. Examples: algae, mosses, liverworts and hornworts
• Class Angiospermae

  Produces flowering plants
• Gymnospermae

  Plants which don't produce flowers
• Subclass Dicotyledonae

  Plants with two seed leaves. Examples: papaya, tomato, rose, sunflower
• Subclass Monocotyledonae

  Plants with one seed leaf. Examples: coconut, ginger, orchids
• Cotyledons

  Parts of a seed that look like small leaves, which the developing plant uses as a store of food
• Differences between Monocots and Dicots

  • Cotyledons - one vs two
  • Leaf venation - parallel vs net-like
  • Vascular bundle arrangement - scattered vs ring
  • Root system - fibrous vs taproot
  • Stem internodes - visible vs not visible
  • Germination - single leaf vs two seedleaves
• Order

  A group of related plant families, classified in the order in which they are thought to have developed their differences from a common ancestor
• Example of Plant Classification

  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Phylum: Spermatophyta
  • Class: Angiospermae
  • Sub-Class: Monocotyledonae
  • Family: Gramineae
  • Genus: Zea
  • Species: Mays
• There are a total of 13,500 plant species in the Philippines, 1,500 of which are medicinal plants, and 3,500 are considered to be indigenous
• 120 medicinal plants (12.5%) have been validated for safety and efficacy, and 10 medicinal plants have been promoted by DOH since 1993 and PITAHC (Philippine Institute for Traditional & Alternative Health Care) since 1997
• Global Uses of Medicinal Plants

  • Phytomedicines and Phytochemicals
  • Nutraceuticals
  • Personal Care Products and Cosmetics
  • Spa Health and Spa Medicine
  • Culinary: Flavors and Spices
  • Fragrance and Perfumer
  • Bio-pesticides
  • Veterinary Medicines
• Lagundi (Vitex negundo)


  • Chinese chaste tree, five-leaved chaste tree or horseshoe vitex
  • Used for asthma, cough, upper and lower respiratory tract infections, fever, dysentery, colds, pain, skin diseases, wounds, headache, rheumatism, sprain, contusions, insect bites, and aromatic bath for sick patients
• Sambong (Blumea balsamifera)


  • Bukadkad, subusob, subsub or sobsob
  • Used as anti-edema, diuretic, anti-hypertensive, for infected wounds, respiratory infections, stomach pains, expectorant and anti-diarrheal
• Akapulko (Senna alata)


  • Emperor's candlesticks, bayas bayasan, candletree
  • Used for fungicidal properties to treat ringworm and other fungal infections, and as a laxative and purgative
• Ampalaya (Momordica charantia)


  • Bitter Gourd or bitter melon, bitter apple, bitter squash, balsam-pear
  • Used to lower blood sugar levels, for diabetes mellitus
• Bayabas (Psidium guajava)


  • Tayabas, kalimbahin o kalumbahin
  • Used to lower blood sugar, relieve painful menstruation, aid weight loss, have anti-cancer effects, boost immunity, and good for the skin
• Banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa)


  • Giant crepe myrtle
  • Used to lower blood sugar, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, lowers cholesterol, treats kidney disease, and for urinary tract infections
• Coconut (Cocos nucifera)


  • Coconut, coconut palm, coconut fruit
  • Used for food, milk, flour, hair conditioner, refreshing drink, cooking oil, anti-cancer, laxative, and to promote weight loss
• Malunggay (Moringa oleifera)


  • Moringa, drumstick tree, benzolive tree, west indian tree
  • Used for headache, bacterial and fungal skin infections, anti-inflammatory, gastric ulcers, anti-diarrhea, malnutrition, antiviral, antidepressant, and sexual dysfunction (male)
• Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata)


  • Cananga tree, perfume tree, fragrant cananga, macassar oil plant
  • Used in aromatherapy, essential oils, relieves high blood pressure, normalizes sebum secretion, perfumery, and as an aphrodisiac
• Tanglad (Cymbopogon citratus)


  • West indian lemon grass, simple lemon grass
  • Used in herbal supplements and tea, as an anxiolytic, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, analgesic, antipyretic, and antifungal agent