﻿54 
  Elementary 
  Species 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  bluebells 
  vary 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  

   and 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  corolla, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  wide 
  or 
  

   narrow, 
  bell-shaped 
  or 
  conical, 
  with 
  the 
  tips 
  

   turned 
  downwards, 
  sidewards 
  or 
  backwards. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  rule 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  striking 
  elementary 
  

   types 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  by 
  local 
  botanists 
  

   under 
  distinct 
  specific 
  names, 
  while 
  they 
  are 
  

   thrown 
  together 
  into 
  the 
  larger 
  systematic 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  by 
  other 
  authors, 
  who 
  study 
  the 
  distribu- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  plants 
  over 
  larger 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  

   world. 
  Everything 
  depends 
  on 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  

   view 
  taken. 
  Large 
  floras 
  require 
  large 
  species. 
  

   But 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  local 
  floras 
  yields 
  the 
  best 
  re- 
  

   sults 
  if 
  the 
  many 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  are 
  distin- 
  

   guished 
  and 
  described 
  as 
  completely 
  as 
  possible. 
  

   And 
  the 
  easiest 
  way 
  is 
  to 
  give 
  to 
  each 
  of 
  them 
  a 
  

   specific 
  name. 
  If 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  elementary 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  are 
  united 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  district, 
  thev 
  are 
  

  

  V 
  

  

  often 
  treated 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  but 
  if 
  each 
  region 
  had 
  

   its 
  own 
  type 
  of 
  some 
  given 
  species, 
  commonly 
  

   the 
  part 
  is 
  taken 
  for 
  the 
  whole, 
  and 
  the 
  sundry 
  

   forms 
  are 
  described 
  under 
  the 
  same 
  name, 
  with- 
  

   out 
  further 
  distinctions. 
  

  

  Of 
  course 
  these 
  questions 
  are 
  all 
  of 
  a 
  practical 
  

   and 
  conventional 
  nature, 
  but 
  involve 
  the 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  methods 
  in 
  which 
  different 
  authors 
  deal 
  

   with 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  fact. 
  The 
  fact 
  is 
  that 
  

   systematic 
  species 
  are 
  compound 
  groups, 
  ex- 
  

   actly 
  like 
  the 
  genera 
  and 
  that 
  their 
  real 
  units 
  

  

  