Annals of the History and Philosophy of Biology

Plant systematics in Jena during the early 19 th century
11.Windenarten (Convolvulaceae) 26. Palmen (Palmae)
12. Contorten (Contortae) 27. Gräser (Gramina)
13. Heidartige Gewächse (Ericaceae) 28. Liliengewächse (Liliaceae)
14. Primelartige Gewächse (Primulaceae) 29. Farrenkräuter
15. Tollkräuter (Lurideae) 30. Moose
16. Scharfblättrige Gewächse (Asperifoliae) 31. Algen, Tange (Alga marinae), Flechten
32. Schwämme und Pilze
Figure 4: The natural associations “Vereine” according to Fr. S. Voigt.
In his Lehrbuch der Botanik 96 (1827) Fr. S. Voigt developed a new system of classification,
but one still based on the same fundamental principle: the weighting of plant characteristics.
There were 203 natural families at this time, but such an increase in the number of
natural families is common in the literature of the early 19 th century. Thus, in the introduction
to his natural system (1830) 97 J. Lindley announced the necessity of creating new
natural divisions, while F. G. Bartling 98, who tried to combine A.-L. de Jussieu’s natural
method and the “Theorie élémentaire” of A.-P. de Candolle, proposed in his “Ordines plantarum”
60 orders and 170 natural families. K. P. Sprengel confirmed this tendency in an
unauthorised German translation of the “Théorie élementaire”:
„Es kann nicht fehlen, dass, je weitere Forschritte man macht, desto mehr Familien werden entdeckt
werden; denn immer wird man bey einzelnen Gruppen solche Auszeichnungen gewahr, die
sie von der Familie unterscheiden, zu welcher man sie sonst zu zählen pflegte.“ 99
The chronology below (Figure 5) clearly illustrates the development of Fr. S. Voigt’s
ideas of a natural system and the relations of his developing ideas with his contact to
Parisian botanists. We must not forget the influence of A.-P. de Candolle on the work of
Fr. S. Voigt. Although the latter mentioned the Genevan professor many times, he did
not apply his advanced terminology 100 nor did he mention that plant affinities could be
established on the basis of a common symmetrical arrangement of the floral organs, an
idea very clear in the Théorie élémentaire 101.
96 Voigt, Fr. S. 1827, Op. cit. note 2.
97 Lindley, J. An introduction to the natural system of botany. London, Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green,
1830.
98 Bartling, F. G. Ordines naturales plantarum. Gottingae, Dietrich, 1830.
99 Sprengel, K. P. [& De Candolle, A.-P.] 1820. Op. cit. note 6: p. 139.
100 “Auch manches bloss von einem einzelnen Autor gebrauchte Wort, wenn es überflüssig schien, ist bei
Seite geblieben , wie die kleinlichen Abänderungen ohne allen Werth deren sich Herr Decandolle hie und da
bedien, z. B. petiolulatus etc., oder die ganz unschickliche Bezeichnung einer einjährigen Pflanze durch pl.
Monocarpa u. s. w”. Voigt, Fr. S. 1824. Op. cit. note 76: pp. vii-viii.
101 In this way the morphological variation between species may be explained through the modification of
this symmetry resulting from the failure, the degeneration and the fusion of organs.
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