Surplus time for Botanists

[Jeff Hapeman]

On Monday, March 20, Paulo Petry wrote:

>I just want to clarify that the above quote is prior to Willi Henning's
>Grundzuge einer theorie der phylogenetischen systematik of 1950.
>Phylogenetic Systematics only came out in 1966. Therefore I am assuming that
>the term "phylogenetic concept" used above in the quote is not homologous to
>the one used by Henning.  The words might be the same, however the idea are
>quite different.  I don't want to stir up this pot more than it already is,
>but we should keep the concepts with precision.  This might help to keep
>us in the right track, if such concept applies.

Of course, if we're going to get fussy about about homology of terminology,
and when ideas originated, it should be pointed out that Walter Zimmerman
(a Botanist!), is generally believed to have preceded Willi Hennig with
many of "Hennig's" ideas of cladistics (at least in an unrefined form)....
Some even go so far as to intimate that Hennig borrowed heavily from
Zimmerman, while giving him little credit....
(Just having fun stirring the pot a little more--it makes for a more
flavorful stew.)


Jeff Hapeman
Department of Botany
University of Wisconsin-Madison
430 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Ph (608)-262-4422  FAX (608)-262-7509
E-mail: jhapeman at macc.wisc.edu or jhapeman at students.wisc.edu