The Taxonomy of European Vascular Plants: A Review of The Past Half-Century and the Influence of the Flora Europaea Project

Using the newly-completed second edition of the first volume of Flora Europaea as a starting-point, the author, a member (until 1993) of the Flora Europaea Editorial Committee, reviews the aims and scope of the whole project, and considers what influence it has had on European vascular plant taxonomy in the post-war period. The prospects of completing the second edition are discussed, and finally some comment is made on the present difficulties for taxonomists