The Fruit and Seed Collection. Like studies of fossil pollen 

 and wood, systematic investigations of fossil fruits and seeds 

 necessitate a reference collection of modern materials. A large 

 collection of mature reproductive organs of both gymnosperms 

 and angiosperms is maintained as a separately curated resource 

 for paleobotanical studies. Though world wide in coverage this 

 collection is especially rich in material from tropical America 

 and southeastern Asia. The collection is comprehensive with 

 respect to the flora of the Isthmus of Panama and lowland Costa 

 Rica. 



CONCLUSION 



The Paleobotanical Collections are a comprehensive and well 

 curated resource for research and teaching in the comparative 

 morphology and anatomy of vascular plants. As they have for 

 many decades, the collections provide a focus for Harvard 

 courses on plant evolution in geologic time. They also continue 

 to provide research materials for faculty and students in resi- 

 dence at the Paleobotanical Laboratories, as well as visiting 

 scientists — not only paleobotanists but, increasingly, also geo- 

 chemists. The several hundred type specimens ranging in age 

 from Precambrian to Quaternary retain their importance as 

 standard paleobotanical references. We can only conclude by 

 reiterating our opening statement: the Paleobotanical Collec- 

 tions of the Botanical Museum constitute a unique source of 

 scholarly information on the evolution of photosynthetic or- 

 ganisms. 



REFERENCES 



Darrah, W.C. 1934. Leo Lesquereux. Bot. Mus. Leaf]., Harvard Univ. 2: 



113 119. 



Darrah, W.C. 1969. A Critical Review of the Upper Pennsylvanian Floras 

 of the Eastern United States. Gettysburg, PA. 220 pp. 



Jeffrey, E.C. 1925. Coal and Civilization. MacMillan; New York. 178 pp. 



Lesquereux, L. 1 879 1 884. Description of the coal flora of the Pennsylva- 

 nian and of the Carboniferous formation in Pennsylvania and throughout 

 the United States. 2nd Geol. Sur. Pennsylvania, 997 pp. (Atlas 1879; vols. I 

 and 2, 1880; vol. 2, 1884). 



20 



