December 12, 1908 87 
EDITORIAL 
The compilations are of special interest this time on ac- 
count of the descriptions of Valertana sttchcnsts and Arnica lat- 
folta, two species supposed to occur within the United States 
proper, the former said by Gray in the Synoptieal Flora to ex- 
tend froin “Sitcha, British Columbia, and through Washington 
Territory to S. Idaho and the northern Rocky Mountains,” and 
the latter in “pine woods, Alaska and British Columbia to Ore- 
gon, and Rocky Mountains to Colorado and Utah.” Whether 
these species really do have such an extended range should be 
decided by comparing plants supposed to belong to them with 
the descriptions, for, thanks to Bongard, we have very full char- 
acterization. : 
Some people say long descriptions are unnecessary, and go 
to prove that many words cover a.lack of characters. In a 
manual or other work where a number of species in a genus are 
treated, the descriptions may with propriety be abridged, for 
some of the characters are brought out in the generic description 
and in the key. But the type description should be as full as 
possible. We have also heard complaints about generic char- 
acters being included in descriptions of new species, but judg- 
ing from some generic descriptions by our “authorities,” there 
can be no great harm done by occasionally slipping in a few im- 
portant characters that may be generic. The best and most 
learned botanists do not know any too much about plants, live 
ones especially, and sometimes even the “tyro” can give them 
information. 
A most inexcusable habit is that of raising varieties to spe- 
cific rank by mere citation. We could cite cases of practically 
undescribed plants masquerading for years under specific names 
because they were published as species by citation only. What 
people call varieties are as a rule not well described—probably 
because those permeated by the variety idea do not look for good 
characters, and usually put down a few words which really help 
not at all to enable any one else to distinguish the plant. 
