168 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 



this purpose was immediately begun by examining Engler 

 and Prantl's Die Natiirlichen Pflanzeufamilien, Bentham 

 and Hooker's Genera Plantarum and several of the more 



fi- 



ned 



as opening by apical pores. This was intended to s 

 as a foundation for structural comparisons, and so far 

 as might be possible, for a comparative treatment of 

 the floral ecology of these forms. 



The data secured and the conclusions which they seemed 

 to indicate proved highly interesting and were presented in 

 April, 1903, to the Faculty of Washington University as a 

 thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Since that 

 time I have been able to secure a large amount of valuable 



material for study and have devoted much of my time 

 which has been available for research to this problem. 

 My manuscript has grown so large that it is inadvisable 

 to publish it in full at present, especially since I have in 

 hand further studies which I hope will add materially to 

 its value but which cannot be completed for some months. 

 It seems best to present an abstract outlining the problem 

 and giving the essential points in the conclusions which 

 seem justified by the comparisons so far carried out, with 

 a much condensed statement of the data upon which they 

 are based. The detailed treatment of the subject is bein* 

 increased by structural, comparative, and ecological studies, 

 and I hope to publish it in full, possibly with discussions 

 of other floral types, at some future time. 



I wish to avail myself of this opportunity to express 

 my obligation to several gentlemen who have had the 



kindness to send material from their herbaria to the Mis- 



souri Botanical Garden for my use. These are: Dr. F. 

 Kurtz, Universidad Nacional, Cordoba, Argentina; Dr. 

 R. A. Philippi, Museo Nacional, Santiago de Chile; Dr. 

 W. R. Guilfoyle, Botanic and Domain Gardens, Mel- 

 bourne, Australia; Dr. J. M. Wood, Durban, Natal; Dr. 



