THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 97 



Flat lima gave Burpee's bush lima. 

 Shall we classify them as (1). 

 Fhascolus liiiiatiis 



var. 1. Pole bean: Sieva, potato, flat, 

 var. 2. Bush lima : Henderson's, Kumerle, Burpee's, 

 or (2). 



Phase olus lunatus 



var. 1. Sieva: pole and bush forms 

 var. 2. Potato lima : pole and bush forms 

 var. 3. Flat lima : pole and bush forms. 

 The phylogenist will surely choose the last. The case 

 is plain, because the phylogeny is a part of recorded, history. 

 Freeman in the Standard Cyclopedia gives the following : 



P/iaseolus lunatus, Sieva or small lima bean 

 Bush form : Henderson's, 

 var. Tuacrocarpus, Large lima bean 

 Potato lima 



Bush form : Kumerle 

 Flat lima 



Bush form : Burpee's 

 This may be written in diagram : 



Phaseolus 

 lunatus 



Sieva bean — Henderson's bush lima 



Large lima 



s 



I 



Potato lima — Kumerle bush lima 

 Flat lima — Burpee's Bush lima 



And yet I can imagine a botanist accepting and preferring 

 the first scheme above, because it is easier to grasp and use 

 for certain purposes. However, if classification is merely a 

 convenient cataloging of things, then I am not much interested 



