195 



size the fact, that in many forms an acurate determination is almost ut- 

 terly impossible without opportunity for extended comparison. And the 

 more extended the worker's experience in systematic research, the more 

 convinced is he of this fact. 



By an examination of the State Catalogue supplemented by lists, pub- 

 lished and unpublished, moat of which are in my hands, I estimate the 

 phanerogamic flora of the state at between 1,300 and 1,400 species, ex- 

 cluding plainly evident " escapes " and the ferns and their allies, both of 

 which are usually included in the totals furnished in the lists. Of this 

 number I very much doubt if 900 species can be authenticated by all the 

 herbaria of the state combined, including, in this estimate all forms in 

 private herbaria. This condition of affairs, if my estimate is correct, cer- 

 tainly shows the need of a careful and scientific revision of our state flora. 



The criticism of existing catalogues is not made in a captious spirit, but 

 for the sole purpose of showing how much is yet to be desired in the way 

 of absolute facts before any satisfactory report of the phanerogamic flora 

 can be made. 



A critical examination of the various publications bearing upon this 

 subject will indicate that many regions of the state have not been investi- 

 gated in a way at all commensurate with their botanical importance. Of 

 these regions I will only mention a few specifically : The " Knob " region, 

 studied somewhat extensively by Dr. Clapp of "New Albany, 1834-38, but 

 since that time practically untouched. Many species in the State Cata- 

 logue rests solely upon the collections of Dr. Clapp, and can, I believe, in 

 most cases be authenticated by herbarium specimens. This whole range 

 of hills should be carefully investigated. The swamp and lake region in- 

 the northern central portion of the state has been almost untouched, if we 

 except some few collections from the borders of prominent lakes and the 

 researches of E. J. Hill in the district south of Chicago. To these might 

 be added the tier of counties abutting upon Michigan and the western 

 tier of counties from Vermillion northward. To one at all acquainted 

 with the topography of Indiana it is evident that most promising fields 

 still remain open for investigation. 



The main purpose of a catalogue of the phanerogams of the state, is not 

 the list, however complete and accurate this may be, but the data accom- 

 panying each form, which aid in determining the principles governing 

 plant distribution, or serve, at least in some slight way, to resolve into 

 simpler terms some of the complex factors of this problem. 



