NOTES ON ALABAMA PLANTS I57 



Flora is a character found which is not included in Chapman's 

 diagnosis, and to which Asa Gray faithfully adhered in the publica- 

 tion of his own Manual. This only is new and strange, viz., that 

 Chapman's diagnosis has been divided. The authors of the one 

 school made part of his statement their own, while those of the 

 other school were content with the rest of it. 



This violation of Chapman's diagnosis becomes more pronounced 

 from the fact that in Britton's Manual,'' and also in Small's Flora, ^ 

 the retained part is made use of as a specific distinction in con- 

 nection with the size of the plant, for the key presented with the 

 genus Arundinaria reads: 



"Spikelets borne on radical shoots of the year; culms 4 m. tall or less, 

 — I A. tecta. 



Spikelets borne on the old stems; culms 5 m. tall or more, — 2 A. 

 macrosperma." 



The above citation is from Britton's work and is identical with 

 that found in Small's Flora in regard to A. tecta, and almost the 

 same in regard to A. macrosperma. But Chapman's full text on 

 this part is; "frequently on leafless radical culms." Now, it is 

 logically not the same to simply state "on radical shoots" in place 

 of "frequently on . . . radical culms." The rejection of the word 

 "frequently" becomes almost a necessity in order to make the 

 character a specific distinction. 



Now, although the authors of these recent manuals (Hitchcock 

 is credited with having elaborated the GraminccB in Gray's New 

 Manual, Nash, this same family in Small's Flora) have reached 

 conclusions which led to the discarding of a part of Chapman's 

 diagnosis as a result of actual observations or, examination of 

 herbarium material, this does not justify their rejection of either 

 of the two characters for the very reason that the species is an 

 exceptionally rare object of observation in the flowering state. 

 Furthermore the observation of only one phase is no absolute proof 

 against the other. The contradiction resulting from the method 

 used by these authors is plainly evident, for the author in the New 

 Manual tells that the flowers appear on the branches; while the 

 authors of Britton's Manual and Small's Flora state on the con- 

 trary that the flowers are borne on radical shoots. It was the duty 

 of these authors to retain both diagnostic characters and place 

 the resp9nsibility on Chapman, a botanist of sufficient ability to 



' 1. c. p. 15S. 1905. ^ 1. c. p. 161. 1903. 



