Raunkiaer system of classification

A method of plant classification devised by the Danish botanist, C. Raunkiaer. Plants are divided into groups depending on the position of perennating buds and the degree of protection that they give in cold conditions or drought (see diagram). Generally the closer the buds are to the ground the more protected they are. It is particularly useful for dividing given areas of vegetation into groups and comparing the occurrence of these groups in different climatic regions. See chamaephyte , cryptophyte , hemicryptophyte , phanerophyte , therophyte.