529 



The systems adopted by both Zopf and Vines are manifestly 

 incomplete and are inserted simply to show the conspectus given 

 in two standard works that have an extensive circulation in this 

 country. 



Warming's system is in some respects the most consistently 

 carried out, but he introduces too many intermediate groups for 

 clearness and most unaccountably makes the group order subordi- 

 nate to family or even in some cases to sub-family. His group 

 name series is not to be recommended for a group subordinate to 

 a class. 



The systems in use have thus been made confusing: (i) By 

 lack of uniformity in terminations so that the relative rank of 

 a group name cannot be told from its termination ; (2) By con- 

 fusing the usually accepted sequence of group names, so that the 

 usual order of phylum (series), class, order and family is varied 

 or even inverted; (3) By the use of numerous and confusing in- 

 termediate group-names which may be adapted to a monograph 

 where details are entered into more minutely, but are out of place 

 for presentation in a general way where clearness and simplicity 

 ought to prevail ; and finally, (4) By attempting to preserve old 

 group names that no longer have a place in the system because 

 they represent heterogeneous groups co rdinate with nothing now 

 recognized. 



It would seem that certain fundamental principles of terminology 

 could be adopted that would vastly simplify the matter of a system 

 of plants and, once in use, enable a student to more intelligently 

 grasp the relationships of plants without subjecting him to this ir- 

 regular and confusing terminology. Groups will change their 

 limits with our increasing knowledge ; new groups will appear and 

 the system of relationships be modified with each generation, but 

 a set form of expression once adopted might become as easy of 

 comprehension as the simple principle involved in binomial 

 nomeclature. Among the features of such a form of expression 

 are: 



I. The two group names above the genus should be definitely 

 fixed and their sequence rigidly maintained. The termination 

 aceae should be reserved for families in accordance with well 

 known and long existing usage among the higher plants. To 



