104 



NEW TOEK STATE MUSEUM 



genus is a most interesting one to botanists who have acquired 

 even a limited knowledge of it, but many pass it by as unworthy 

 their attention or too full of difficulties to permit of the easy 

 identification of the species. To many beginners in the study of 

 botany these plants have been a kind of botanical bugbear. The 

 difficulties attending their study seem to have been needlessly 

 increased by defective descriptions, by a failure in some cases to 

 detect the proper limits of species, and by throwing together and 

 describing as one species forms that should be kept separate. In 

 the last edition of the Manual there are many instances of the 

 reduction of forms which in earlier years were considered 

 good species by our most eminent botanists, so that they 

 now stand as mere varieties to other related forms. Such 

 a grouping of distinct forms seems to me to be opposed 

 to that clear and accurate discrimination which the study 

 of natural science ought to cultivate, and its tendency seems to 

 be to encourage habits of careless observation and loose general- 

 ization. Some carices, it is true, resemble each other closely, but 

 so long as they have constant characteristic differences, even 

 though these may be slight, it seems to me much better to recog- 

 nize these differences and give them their just value in classifica- 

 tion. And just here appears to be one cause for the absorbing 

 interest with which the study of these plants is invested. The 

 close observation and the nice discrimination requisite in distin- 

 guishing closely allied species is most gratifying to an ardent 

 student of nature intent on finding her hidden truths and solving 

 her most intricate problems. And it is no mean accomplishment 

 to be able to recognize accurately the characters that require the 

 separation of closely related species of this genus. 



One species not recognized in the Manual has recently been 

 detected by Dr. Howe, others that have hitherto been regarded 

 as mere varieties are, I am confident, worthy of specific value, 

 and still other forms that have not been recorded have occurred. 

 Influenced by these facts, and having in view the large number 

 of species that belong to our flora, it has seemed desirable to me 

 to bring together in one report the revised descriptions of aU our 

 Kew York species and varieties of the genus Carex. • 



This will facilitate the study of the carices of our State and 

 give to Xew York botanists an additional incentive to the study 



