How Did Theophrastus Classify Plants?

As Anna Pavord noted in her fabulous book The Naming of Names: The Search for Order in the World of Plants, Theophrastus created the first classification of plants, dividing plants into four broad categories: trees, shrubs, subshrubs, and herbs.

When did Theophrastus classify plants?

287 BC in ten volumes, of which nine survive. In the book, Theophrastus described plants by their uses, and attempted a biological classification based on how plants reproduced, a first in the history of botany.

What are the contribution of Theophrastus in botany?

Theophrastus wrote two seminal works in the field of botany called On the Causes of Plants and On the History of Plants. In these texts, he outlines he basic concepts of morphology, classification, and the natural history of plants.