Practice question

Angiosperm Phylogeny Group iteration IV enumerates approximately 416 families within 64 orders, reflecting extensive splitting and merging based on monophyly criteria; e.g., broad Liliaceae sensu lato split into Asparagales families, Scrophulariaceae divided into Plantaginaceae Orobanchaceae, Capparaceae segregated. Numbers fluctuate between references but current consensus cites 416, encompassing about 13,164 genera and roughly 295,000 accepted species worldwide. Earlier Cronquist listed 321 families, estimates 120 correspond to fern families, 250 underestimate angiosperm diversity, 600 inflate due to retaining synonyms and polyphyletic groups. APG figure thus most authoritative contemporary reference for teaching university level.