ALKALOIDS 1 79 



So far as I know, L. annotinum has never been subjected to a critical 

 study using modern taxonomic methods. Before answers can be given 

 to the questions you ask about this species and its variety acrifolium, 

 such a study should be made. I feel that it is essential to study this 

 and other species of Lycopodium from a world-wide standpoint if one 

 hopes to avoid considerable error in the interpretation and evaluation 

 of the various characters. If after such a study were made, no distin- 

 guishing characters other than shape and texture of leaves had been 

 found, then I would certainly hesitate to recognize var. acrifolium at 

 the species level, regardless of the information given by Manske and 

 Marion. In fact, if it were not for their biochemical evidence to sup- 

 port the minor morphological difference, I should be reluctant to give 

 acrifolium even variatal status. 



Since there is no indication that various populations of plants 

 were examined by Manske and Marion to discover the nature of 

 variation in alkaloid content even the chemical evidence is not 

 estabhshed satisfactorily by the taxonomists' criteria. From our ob- 

 servation of plant to plant variation in Baptisia alkaloids, unless one 

 has good reason to expect that variations will not occur, sampling of 

 populations and individual plants is of critical importance. 



