Large flora treatments and monographic studies. Where are the boundaries? Does the system – one specialist for many floras – work well?

There is no doubt that in this matter the ideal is the productive, competent monographer who steadily revises a group worldwide and who contributes as required to Floras. For large taxa, there must be some doubt, however, whether such a person exists. As with so many matters of systematics and Flora production, there are various aspects to this topic and often no clear or unanimously acceptable solutions. Only if one writes a Flora single-handed does one have the luxury of all matters of detail, style, format etc. being to one’s personal satisfaction – and the days of doing so for a large Flora are over.