206 ROLLINS 



ferent plant groups, but a large number of genera have never been studied 

 monographically and many more have not been so studied for fifty years or 

 more. The continued accretion of new species and new knowledge about the 

 known species makes these older publications very much out of date. But 

 in many cases we are still dependent upon them for they are the only sources 

 available. 



When one examines the situation with respect to floras, the need for addi- 

 tional taxonomical work stands out very clearly. Vast areas of the earth have 

 not so far received a definitive treatment of the flora. This is the case in large 

 areas of Africa, South America, China, and southeastern Asia, to say nothing 

 of parts of Canada, the United States, most of Mexico, much of Central 

 America, and the West Indies. The detailed study of the flora of a sizable 

 land area is no small task. Often many years of highly concentrated research 

 are required. Today, more than an ordinary amount of devotion is necessary 

 to ensure the successful conclusion of a sizable floristic work. Many taxono- 

 mists do not undertake such studies because the rewards are not great. How- 

 ever, floristic studies stand at the base of many types of practical work in- 

 volving the plants of a given area, ranging from forestry and range manage- 

 ment on the one hand to conservation and flood control on the other. En- 

 couragement and financial help should be given to those willing to under- 

 take the preparation of a flora, and the achievement of publishing such a 

 work merits wide recognition. 



LOOKING AHEAD 



Because it is the oldest of the botanical disciplines, taxonomy is fre- 

 quently held to be a finished area of our knowledge of plants, a closed book. 

 Nothing is further from the truth. Perhaps such a misconception, which 

 seems to be rather general, has been in part responsible for the tremendous 

 gaps that seem to persist in our knowledge of the taxonomy of plants. Cer- 

 tainly new researchers are not attracted to a subject that is purported to be 

 all through, as far as new knowledge is concerned. 



To my way of thinking, the most obvious needs in the field center on 

 studies in comparative systematics. Thoroughgoing comparative studies of 

 species are wanted that not only uncover new facts but in addition bring 

 together facts from diverse sources telling us what the natures of the plants 

 are ; where they occur today ; where they came from ; and what their relation- 

 ships are to each other. We need correlated genetical and morphological 

 studies to evaluate taxonomical characters; comparative studies of cyto- 

 logical characteristics ranging widely through the plant kingdom; detailed 

 analyses of pollinating mechanisms and reproductive patterns in relation to 

 population characteristics both within and between species; meaningful work 

 on geographical distributions; searching studies on species survival and per- 



