1 34 BIOCHEMICAL SYSTEMATICS 



Most interesting and least understood of all is the manner in and by 

 which species with common morphological relationships produce 

 qualitatively the same mixtures of fatty acids in their seeds so that 

 classification of species according to the constituent acids in their seed 

 fats leads to much the same results as that developed by the botanical 

 classifications of Linnaeus and his successors. 



The statement quoted might elicit some justifiable criticism 

 from systematists, most of whom envision the goal of systematics to 

 extend beyond the mere convenient categorizing of species. A natural 

 classification of species based solely on the constituent acids in their 

 seed fats would bear no relationship to any present taxonomic system. 

 While the palms would be placed into a single group, other categories 

 would include gymnosperms, monocots and dicots together. 



