Editing Flowering plant (section)

=== Taxonomic diversity ===

The number of species of flowering plants is estimated to be in the range of 250,000 to 400,000.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Thorne |first=R.F. |title=How many species of seed plants are there?|journal=Taxon|volume=51 |pages=511–522 |year=2002|doi=10.2307/1554864 |issue=3 |jstor=1554864|bibcode=2002Taxon..51..511T }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Scotland |first1=R. W. |last2=Wortley |first2=A. H. |title=How many species of seed plants are there? |journal=Taxon |volume=52 |pages=101–104|year=2003 |doi=10.2307/3647306 |issue=1 |jstor=3647306|bibcode=2003Taxon..52..101S }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Govaerts |first=R. |title=How many species of seed plants are there? – a response |journal=Taxon |volume=52 |issue=3 |pages=583–584 |year=2003 |doi=10.2307/3647457 |jstor=3647457|doi-access=free |bibcode=2003Taxon..52..583G }}</ref> This compares to around 12,000 species of [[moss]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Goffinet |first1=Bernard |last2=Buck |first2=William R. |year=2004 |title=Systematics of the Bryophyta (Mosses): From molecules to a revised classification |journal=Monographs in Systematic Botany |volume=98 |pages=205–239 }}</ref> and 11,000 species of [[Pteridophyta|pteridophytes]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Raven |first1=Peter H. |last2=Evert |first2=Ray F. |last3=Eichhorn |first3=Susan E. |date=2005 |title=Biology of Plants |edition=7th |location=New York |publisher=[[W. H. Freeman and Company]] |isbn=0-7167-1007-2 }}</ref> The [[APG system]] seeks to determine the number of [[family (biology)|families]], mostly by [[molecular phylogenetics]]. In the 2009 [[APG III]] there were 415 families.{{sfn|APG|2009}} The 2016 [[APG IV]] added five new orders (Boraginales, Dilleniales, Icacinales, Metteniusales and Vahliales), along with some new families, for a total of 64 angiosperm orders and 416 families.{{sfn|APG|2016}}

The diversity of flowering plants is not evenly distributed. Nearly all species belong to the eudicot (75%), monocot (23%), and magnoliid (2%) clades. The remaining five clades contain a little over 250 species in total; i.e. less than 0.1% of flowering plant diversity, divided among nine families. The 25 most species-rich of 443 families,<ref name="Stevens 2011">{{cite web |last=Stevens |first=P. F. |year=2011 |url=https://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/welcome.html |title=Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (at Missouri Botanical Garden) |access-date=21 February 2022 |archive-date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120065914/http://www.mobot.org/mobot/research/apweb/welcome.html |url-status=live}}</ref> containing over 166,000 species between them in their APG circumscriptions, are:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ The 25 largest angiosperm families<ref name="Stevens 2011"/>
|-
! <!--Rank, by size--> !! Group !! [[Family (biology)|Family]] !! English name !! No. of [[species|spp.]] 
|-
| 1 || Eudicot ||  [[Asteraceae]] or Compositae  || [[Bellis perennis|daisy]] ||  22,750 
|-
| 2 || Monocot ||  [[Orchidaceae]]  || [[orchid]] ||  21,950 
|-
| 3 || Eudicot ||  [[Fabaceae]] or Leguminosae  || [[pea]], [[legume]] ||  19,400 
|-
| 4 || Eudicot ||  [[Rubiaceae]]  || [[Rubia|madder]] ||  13,150<ref>{{cite web|title=Kew Scientist 30|date=October 2006|url=https://www.kew.org/kewscientist/ks_30.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927005410/https://www.kew.org/kewscientist/ks_30.pdf|archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref>
|-
| 5 || Monocot ||  [[Poaceae]] or Gramineae  || [[grass]] ||  10,035 
|-
| 6 || Eudicot ||  [[Lamiaceae]] or Labiatae  || [[mentha|mint]] ||  7,175 
|-
| 7 || Eudicot ||  [[Euphorbiaceae]]  || [[spurge]] ||  5,735 
|-
| 8 || Eudicot ||  [[Melastomataceae]]  || [[Melastoma|melastome]] ||  5,005 
|-
| 9 || Eudicot ||  [[Myrtaceae]]  || [[Myrtus|myrtle]] ||  4,625 
|-
| 10 || Eudicot ||  [[Apocynaceae]]  || [[dogbane]] ||  4,555 
|-
| 11 || Monocot ||  [[Cyperaceae]]  || [[sedge]] ||  4,350 
|-
| 12 || Eudicot ||  [[Malvaceae]]  || [[Malva|mallow]] ||  4,225 
|-
| 13 || Monocot ||  [[Araceae]]  || [[arum]] ||  4,025 
|-
| 14 || Eudicot ||  [[Ericaceae]]  || [[Erica (plant)|heath]] ||  3,995 
|-
| 15 || Eudicot ||  [[Gesneriaceae]]  || [[gesneria]]d ||  3,870 
|-
| 16 || Eudicot ||  [[Apiaceae]] or Umbelliferae  || [[parsley]] ||  3,780 
|-
| 17 || Eudicot ||  [[Brassicaceae]] or Cruciferae  || [[cabbage]] ||  3,710
|-
| 18 || Magnoliid dicot ||  [[Piperaceae]]  || [[Piper (genus)|pepper]] ||  3,600 
|-
| 19 || Monocot ||  [[Bromeliaceae]]  || [[bromelia]]d ||  3,540 
|-
| 20 || Eudicot ||  [[Acanthaceae]]  || [[Acanthus (plant)|acanthus]] ||  3,500 
|-
| 21 || Eudicot ||  [[Rosaceae]]  || [[rose]] ||  2,830 
|-
| 22 || Eudicot ||  [[Boraginaceae]]  || [[borage]] ||  2,740 
|-
| 23 || Eudicot ||  [[Urticaceae]]  || [[Urtica dioica|nettle]] ||  2,625 
|-
| 24 || Eudicot ||  [[Ranunculaceae]]  || [[buttercup]] ||  2,525 
|-
| 25 || Magnoliid dicot ||  [[Lauraceae]]  || [[Laurus|laurel]] ||  2,500 
|}