Classic Greek Taxonomy
(of Plants!)
Wesley Thomas
Josh Feger
Tuesday Lab, 12:00-3:00
Greek Philosophy and Thought
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Ancient Greek philosophers explored the many
aspects of nature (both inner and outer)
To look for understanding, they looked for ways
of explaining the environment around them
Greek Philosophy and Thought
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One of the great
thinkers was
Hippocrates
Used plants for
medicinal purposes
Aristotle wrote on
many aspects of
Biology, but very little
on plants
Hence comes . . . .
The Father of Botany
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Theophrastus
(372-287 B.C.)
Student of Aristotle
Wrote

De causis plantarum
(The Causes of Plants)
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De historia plantarum
(The History of Plants)
The Father of Botany
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"We must consider the
distinctive characters and
the general nature of
plants from the point of
view of their morphology ,
their behavior under
external conditions, their
mode of generation, and
the whole course of their
life"

transl. A. G. Morton
1981
The Father of Botany
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Classified 500 distinct
species of plants
Developed scientific
terminology for internal
organs and external
tissues of plants
Gave the first clear
account of plant sexual
reproduction and
pollination
Discussed the influence
of abiotic habitat factors
Some examples of “Doctrine of Signatures”
Catalpa for the Heart
Bloodroot for Circulatory System
Liverleaf
…..for the Liver
St. John’s Wort
For curing wounds
and cuts….
..but it actually works!
(also anti-depressant)
Achilles healing a soldier
Apollo
Asclepias
Achilles
Hygieia
Hippocrates (400 B.C.)
Father of Medicine
“Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food”
- Hippocrates
"Of several remedies, the physician should
choose the least sensational."
Plato and Aristotle….
(about 300 B.C.)
Which one is which?
Aristotle
(300 B.C.)
(300 B.C.)