Gymnosperm subclass data (Query)

[Jim Croft]

>
> Would anyone be able to tell me which subclasses these families belong to,
> or which published reference works would have the information?

G'day Jim

I dont have a bloody clue about subclasses (actually, nor do I really
care...) - what do you want to know about subclasses for?  At the
moment, we do not track anything above the family other than large
arbitrary groupings (mosses, ferns, dicots, etc.).  We do not even do
orders or classes, let alone sub-*... Thinking about it, the only
sub-* we use is subspecies.

As we are in the process of redesigning our taxonomic database tables, I
would be interested in peoples' views on the use of higher level
classification(s) - ie above the family level, in botanical databases.

Actually, I would appreciate peoples' views on the practical use of the
less common levels of classification (series, sections, all the sub-*,
etc.) in bio-name databases, look-up tables and authority files.  Just
how useful are they, and will the benefits derived from these
information elements justify the effort inserting them into the
database, and above all, the resolution of many different views of the
botanical universe.

In this case, whose higher classification system are you using?

When in doubt, I usually employ the standard gambit of biological
ignorance: assign each to its own cataegory.  ;-)

jim
___________________________________________________________________________
Jim Croft           [Herbarium CBG]               internet: jrc at anbg.gov.au
Australian National Botanic Gardens                  voice:  +61-6-2509 490
GPO Box 1777, Canberra, ACT 2601, AUSTRALIA            fax:  +61-6-2509 599
______Biodiversity Directorate, Australian Nature Conservation Agency______