groupsplants

Groupsplants is a conceptual framework used in botany and horticulture to organize plant species into predefined groups based on functional, ecological, or ornamental criteria rather than on formal evolutionary relationships. It is intended as a planning and management tool for gardens, landscapes, restoration projects, and educational programs. The term distinguishes these practical groupings from taxonomic ranks such as species, genus, or family.

The framework emerged from landscape design and ecological restoration needs, where selecting plants by growth habit, water use, light requirements, or seasonal color can be more immediately useful than strict phylogeny. Groups may be defined around attributes such as drought tolerance, shade tolerance, groundcover form, climber behavior, or pollinator value. Within groups, subgroups or color-based palettes may be used to refine choices for specific sites or aesthetic goals.

Criteria used to form groups typically include growth habit and size, climate and soil needs, maintenance requirements, and ecological roles. Tools such as plant databases and horticultural guides common in nurseries and landscape firms aid the classification and retrieval of suitable candidates for a given group.

Applications include landscape design, ecological restoration planning, education, and plant breeding considerations where predictable performance in similar conditions is prioritized. Critics note that groups can oversimplify diversity and may not reflect phylogenetic relationships, so groups are often used in conjunction with traditional taxonomy and site-specific data.