Preface 



Progress in the understanding of the morphology of the angiosperms 

 has been rapid in the twentieth century; much new factual information 

 has been obtained and many conceptions and interpretations have been 

 changed. These changes have been brought about by the studies of many 

 botanists scattered throughout the world in the several fields of moi-pho- 

 logical study — descriptive, comparative, anatomical, ontogenetic — and 

 these botanists have often brought to bear on their conclusions evi- 

 dence from the allied botanical fields — taxonomy, cytology, paleobotany, 

 serology, plant geography, palynology. The trend toward the use of a 

 broader basis for the drawing of conclusions and for the proposal of new 

 theories is apparent. At the end of the nineteenth century, Celakovsky 

 emphasized the necessity for using "all evidence" in the interpretation 

 of structure and in drawing phylogenetic conclusions; in the twentieth 

 century, the need for a broad base for all interpretations has been re- 

 peated by I. W. Bailey and many others. The importance of this empha- 

 sis is being slowly recognized. 



This book has been prepared to bring together, in some measure, 

 the results of these many scattered studies for the use especially of 

 advanced students and teachers. It reviews much of the new factual 

 material and many of the theories, old and new, related to the morphol- 

 ogy and phylogeny of the angiosperms. Limitations in size of the book 

 have restricted detailed descriptions and discussions of hypotheses, but 

 the author believes that the important aspects of description and hy- 

 pothesis are covered. In the manuscript, the names of plants that serve 

 as examples are placed at the end of the sentence, set apart by a dash. 

 The taxa cited are not necessarily the only examples. 



The viewpoint of the treatment is that of comparative rather than 

 descriptive morphology, with emphasis on evolutionary modifications and 

 phyletic implications. Velenovsky placed on the front page of his excel- 

 lent textbook, "Vergleichende Morphologic," (1905-1913), these sen- 

 tences as a maxim: "Zur morphologische Losung werden wir — wie immer 

 — die vergleichende Methode in Anwendung bringen. Auf diese Wage 



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