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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIII. No. 577. 



involuntary and well nigh necessary ad- 

 mission of a certain historic element into 

 our systems. There is another source of 

 this artificiality, besides the temptation to 

 allow poor genera to stand, on the ground 

 of long usage. The relation of a genus to 

 its name is a matter which exerts no small 

 influence in this regard. The attempt to 

 determine which of several names is to be 

 retained for a given genus constantly forces 

 us to consider the historic basis on which 

 the genus rests and to attach its name to 

 some species or group of species to which 

 it was first applied, to determine, in other 

 words, what was the type of the genus, and 

 to maintain the genus in such a way that it 

 may always be true to its type. While 

 sjTupathizing to a considerable extent with 

 those botanists who desire to place our 

 nomenclature upon a more secure basis by 

 attaching the names to recognized types, I 

 feel that the methods employed will have 

 to be very cautiously applied or they will 

 tend greatly to increase the artificial ele- 

 ment in our system. The historic type is 

 not a natural thing; it is merely that par- 

 ticular form of plant life which was, often 

 quite by accident, first discovered and, 

 therefore, first received the name which it 

 bears. Later discoveries often show that 

 this first species of a genus is by no means 

 of a typical, or, as one may say, central 

 character. It is often quite peripheral, 

 perhaps even an aberrant or outlying mem- 

 ber of the group to which it belongs. How- 

 ever important the historic type may be in 

 nomenclature, it is obvious that it is of no 

 particular significance in classification, and 

 any employment of the type method in the 

 determination of proper names must not 

 on any account be permitted to exercise 

 any influence in classification. The word 

 type itself is decidedly unfortunate as thus 

 applied to whaA is often very far from 

 being typical. In this as in some other 

 phases of taxonomy it is of the greatest 



importance to keep it clearly in mind that 

 nomenclature, although very necessary to 

 classification, is a thing wholly apart from 

 the classification itself. It is, furthermore, 

 quite evident that nomenclature should be 

 subservient to classification and that the 

 clearness and accuracy of classification 

 should never be sacrificed in order to give 

 beauty or symmetry to any system of 

 nomenclature. 



I have now stated my premises and per- 

 haps you are looking for some conclusions, 

 or possibly some practical suggestions as to 

 the best way of obtaining a greater har- 

 mony in the matter of generic classification. 

 The difficulties of the problem are quite 

 apparent. The limitation of genera has 

 always in the past rested on individual 

 judgment and it must continue to do so in 

 the future. There is no way of making all 

 people think alike on a subject so intricate 

 and I am by no means certain that complete 

 unity is really needful or desirable. The 

 fact remains, however, that, although the 

 genera of the flowering plants have now 

 been scientifically studied for about two 

 centuries, there is at present in America, 

 at least, a degree of diversity in their inter- 

 pretation which is rather discouraging. It 

 is disheartening because it is impossible to 

 see in it any real progress toward a well- 

 rounded and satisfying system, which will 

 win the confidence of the professional bot- 

 anist, give uniform training to the student 

 and command the respect of our colleagues 

 in other branches of science. From this, I 

 tliink that it is perfectly clear that botan- 

 ical systematists have certain imperative 

 duties in regard to this subject. These 

 duties are, in the first place, great caution 

 in making changes, and in the second place, 

 a feeling of obligation, when these changes 

 seem necessary, to state the reasons for 

 them SO' clearly and forcibly that they will 

 appeal to all thoughtful and discriminating 

 workers in the same field. The burden of 



