History and concepts of big plant genera

Abstract “Big” plant genera, those of 500 or more species, have not only occasioned interest among systematic botanists, but for geographical, ecological or horticultural reasons, have also become well­established popular concepts. Their size has rendered them difficult, if not impossible, to study in their entirety; there have been few full revisions since the nineteenth century. Despite their embodiment of significant taxonomic, biological and evolutionary questions, from the 1980s their importance has been more generally recognised, and recent technological and methodological developments have made it easier to come to grips with their study. This paper synthesizes growth impediments to our knowledge of…