NOV. 19, 1923 PITTIFR: PLANTS COLLECTED IN TROPICAL AMERICA 429 
frequently confused with those of the other, a short explanation may 
be helpful to botanists who have to cite any of them. 
The first series was started a few days after my arrival in Costa 
Rica in October 1887. At that time, I proposed to the Costa Rican 
Government that it conduct a general survey of the natural products 
of the country, to be carried on simultaneously with the preparation 
of a topographic map. The idea was favorably considered and resulted 
in the organization of the Physico-Geographical Institute of Costa 
Rica, of which I was director until about 1903, and the decline of which 
began with my departure for the United States. The Institute as 
planned was to consist of meteorological, topographical, geological 
and botanical sections, the first three of which were in my immediate 
charge. Mr. George K. Cherrie, the well-known American ornitholo- 
gist and explorer, began his study of tropical birds while connected 
with both the National Museum and the zoological section of the 
above-named Institute. The position of botanist was filled by a 
Swiss, Mr. Ad. Tonduz, who devoted about thirty years of his life 
to plant collecting in Costa Rica, until his death in the fall of 1921. 
I myself took an extensive part in the formation of the Costa Rican 
Herbarium, and from the beginning saw to it that duplicates of the 
plants were widely distributed between the principal collections of 
Europe and the United States. I also obtained the collaboration of 
a large number of plant specialists, whose monographs and enumera- 
tions were partly published by the Institute, with the assistance, 
first of Th. Durand, at the time Director of the Royal Botanical 
Gardens of Brussels, and later, of the well-known student of the flora 
of Central America, Captain John Donnell Smith of Baltimore.! 
Originally it had been intended to distribute these plants through 
my late friend, the above-mentioned Th. Durand, with whom I had 
collaborated in the preparation of the Catalogue de la Flore Vaudorse, 
and who certainly succeeded in awakening in me a live interest in the 
flora of the country in which I had lately established myself. Labels 
were printed with the heading Plantae Costaricenses HKxsiccatae, which 
explains the mention of plants under that designation in some publi- 
cations. It was soon found, however, that this plan did not work, 
and after that, the distribution was made directly from San José. 
New labels were prepared with the heading Herb. Inst. phys.-geograph. 
costaric., and these were used, not only for the newly collected plants, 
but also for the whole series, which includes in all about 23,000 num- 
1See Duranp, TH. et Prrrier, H., Primitiae Florae Costaricensis vol. 1, Brussels, 
1891-1893; vol. 2 (edited by H. Pittier alone), San José, 1898-1900. 
