Species Recognition in Agamosperms: The Need for a Pragmatic Approach

It is argued that the taxonomic rank of species is now used for a very wide range of biological situations, from well-marked taxa that hybridize promiscuously to strict inbreeders, and that it should therefore be used equally in apomictic groups. Further, it is considered that the hierarchical variation found within such agamospecies should be designated by the usual ranks of subspecies, variety, etc., thus rendering the use of special terms for apomictic groups obsolete.