PREFACE 



Although hundreds of thousands of words have 

 already been written about biochemical systematics 

 its actual impact upon formal systematics is still 

 trivial. So far, no significant taxonomic dispositions 

 of higher plants rest primarily upon biochemical 

 criteria. We consider that an important objective of 

 this book is to develop, more fully an appreciation 

 of the diversity of applications of biochemistry to 

 systematics. 



The present treatment is oriented towards 

 botanical systematics. Many of the readers of this 

 book will be: (1) plant taxonomists with only shght 

 background in biochemistry and (2) chemists with 

 Httle background in classical plant systematics, 

 possibly unacquainted with certain concepts on 



