36 REPORT O'F NEW JERSEiY STATE MUSEUM. 



do the names convey to^ the general botanist, as the mind's 

 capacity for retaining names is limited. On the other hand, if we 

 wish to recognize every group which shows any slight difference 

 of structure by a distinct generic name, we are building our 

 nomenclature on a purely evolutionary basis; we are emphasiz- 

 ing differences rather than resemblances between groups, and the 

 generic name becomes less and less a clue to the systematic posi- 

 tion of the plants which it comprises. Phylogenetic relationships 

 can be expressed just as well by sub-generic headings in manuals, 

 etc., and it is a serious question whether the objects of a generic 

 name are not better attained if it is used in as broad a sense as 

 possible. 



The synonymy given under each species consists of the cita- 

 tion of the original place of publication, with the type locality in 

 all cases where the reference has been personally verified, and 

 all published references to the plant in southern New Jersey, 

 mainly in Pursh's Flora, Michaux's Flora, Nuttall's Genera, Bar- 

 ton's Flora and the catalogues of Knieskern, Willis, Britton, and 

 Keller & Brown. In the last, as well as in the works of Barton 

 and Willis, many general statements occur which are evidently in- 

 tended to' cover southern New Jersey, but unless this region is 

 especially mentioned these references are not cited, since the state- 

 ments are based largely upon conditions farther north or on the 

 Pennsylvania side of the Delaware, and do not apply at all to the 

 region under consideration. Not a few of Dr. Britton's general 

 statements, too, w^hile doubtless true for the northern part of the 

 State, are quite erroneous for our region. 



The illustrations are, all of them, made especially for this work. 

 The full-page plates are from beautiful water-color paintings by 

 Mr. Hugh E. Stone, which unfortunately lose much of their force 

 in half-tone reproduction. Mr. Stone also prepared the line 

 drawings. The smaller figures and views are from photographs 

 taken by Messrs. Stewardson Brown, T. M. Light foot and 

 Bayard Long, while the cones, grasses and sedges were photo- 

 graphed from specimens under the author's supervision. 



To all those mentioned in the above pages, especially to Mr. 

 Bayard Long, the writer wishes to express his obligations, as 



