

RAUNKIAER'S "LIFE FORMS," ''LEAF-SIZE CLASSES," 

 AND STATISTICAL METHODS 



GEORGE D. FULLER 

 University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 



AND 



A. L. BAKKE 



Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa 



I. translators' note 



The importance of the work of C. Raunkiaer in giving needed 

 emphasis to the study of the perennial vegetative organs of plants 

 is too well appreciated to require comment. His publication in 

 the Danish language tended to prevent American ecologists 

 from becoming familiar with his "life-forms" until his various 

 papers upon the subject were so well summarized by Smith. ^ 

 The subsequent appearance of two articles dealing with similar 

 topics seemed to make it desirable to give his suggestive ideas 

 wider publicity by preparing the following somewhat abridged 

 translation. This was made {possible only through the knowl- 

 edge of the Danish language possessed by the junior author. 



As it has not been practicable to obtain Raunkiaer's approval 

 and revision of this article the translators accept full responsi- 

 bility for any errors of interpretation or expression that may 

 occur but they trust that such in6,ccuracies may in no way de- 

 tract ^rom the understanding and appreciation of these methods 

 of the quantitative study of vegetation. 



II. LEAF-SIZE IN PLANT GEOGRAPHY^ 



In order to compare the value of various phenoniena, the 

 material under investigation must be brought under similar 



' Smith, W. G., Raunkiaer's Life-forms and statistical methods. Jour. Ecol., 

 1: 16-26. 1913. 



2 Raunkiaer, C, Om Bladst0rrelsens Anvendelse i den biologiske Plantegeo- 

 grafi. Bot. Tidsk. 33: 225-240. 1916. 



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THE PI,ANT WOULD, VOL. 21, NO. 2 

 FEBRUARY. 1918 







