63 



natural classification results, and one much less different from 

 other systems. 



The following summary is from an article soon to appear: 

 1 — In many characters, such as sympetaly, zygomorphy, and 

 epigyny, the study of floral development confirms accepted views 

 of phylogeny. 2 — Flowers with jjarietal placentation are similar 

 in the hud and in the adult form, l)ut those with axile placenta- 

 tion usually have a heginning of ]:iarietal placentation in the bud. 

 3 — In the classification of dicotyledons, groups with ])arietal 

 placentation, such as Cacti (O/^itnlialcs) , Violets and their rela- 

 tives (Paricfalcs), Poppies and their relatives (Papaverolcs) , 

 should l)e ])laced together early in the system as relatively primi- 

 tives groups. 



Elcocliaris and Field Work 

 By Hknry K. Svenson 



The extensive work on JUeocharis. wdiich I began about ten 

 years ago, has now been comi)leted. This group of sedges com- 

 prises about 150 s])ecies. These are of world-wide occurrence 

 (chiefly in the tro])ics, but about 80 species are known in the 

 United States and iAlexic(j), among them being such important 

 economic si)ecies as the Chinese water-chestnut (Elcocliaris 

 dulcis). A number of tropical s])ecies are useful to primitive 

 j^eople in making mats, rainccjats, and other clothing. In the 

 course of this work 1 have consulted (often at great length) the 

 important botanical publications of practically every country in 

 the world, have borrowed or seen material from virtually every 

 large herbarium ccjllection in this country, and have personally 

 seen many of the prominent collections in Europe. This problem 

 has brought the Brooklyn Botanic Garden into direct mutual rela- 

 tionship with botanists and museum directors in Australia, Japan, 

 India, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Greenland, Uruguay, and the 

 larger countries of luu'ope and South America; I doubt if con- 

 tacts of a permanent nature could be established more readily than 

 through the study of a single group of plants of world-wide dis- 

 tribution. A general biological paper on geographic distribution 

 and the problem of species (as shown Ijy Elcocliaris) I expect to 

 complete during 1939. 



