to illustrate her husband's publications on new species of 
Philippine orchids. When Professor Ames transferred his 
activities to the Museum and installed there the Ames 
Orchid Herbarium and Library, she intensified her ef- 
forts, producing over a period of some fifty years literally 
hundreds of outstanding line drawings of orchids. When 
the University added the supervision of the Arnold 
Arboretum to Professor Ames’ duties, Mrs. Ames un- 
dertook the preparation of drawings of a number of 
horticulturally important shrubs. 
In the 1920°s, Professor Ames turned his attention 
to economic botany, and his wife began to illustrate 
plants of use to man. Especially noteworthy was Mrs. 
Ames) preparation, under her husband’s guidance, of 
the now famous **Ames Charts of Economic Plants’’. 
The teaching of Harvard University’s course in Kconom- 
ic Botany, offered for many years by Professor Ames, 
was organized around these four colorful wall charts de- 
picting Important economic species arranged on a ‘*phylo- 
genetic tree’, in accordance with the Engler-Prantl 
System. Still in use to-day, the charts have helped in- 
terpret: plant classification to hundreds of students for 
more than fifty years and have stamped a unique charac- 
ter on Harvard's teaching in this interdisciplinary field. 
When Protessor Ames established a press in- the 
Museum in the early 1980’s and initiated publication of 
the Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University 
and occasional books, Mrs. Ames’ artistry vitalized the 
research papers that were printed. Among the books 
produced on this press and illustrated by Mrs. Ames are 
“Orchids in’ Retrospect’*, ‘‘Drawings of Florida Or- 
chids”* and **Economie Annuals and Human Cultures”’. 
Her line drawings have likewise been widely reproduced 
in many monographs, floras and manuals issued by other 
botanical institutions and by commercial publishers. 
[ 254 | 
