808 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIII. No. 595. 



have at home a striking object lesson in 

 the case of Dr. MacDougal's calling in 

 expert phytographers to enable Ihim to 

 record his own interesting results. It is 

 only in Europe, where the fullest treatment 

 has been given Bosa, Alchemilla, Bubus, 

 Braba and other genera, that the literature 

 of systematic boteiny furnishes any de- 

 tailed assistance to the ecologist, of the 

 sort that he absolutely must have. He who 

 handles whole 'specific' groups as single 

 entities is only competent to deal with the 

 broadest aspects of geographical distribu- 

 tion. Ecology is a study of local condi- 

 tions, and simultaneously a study of the 

 plant products of those conditions within 

 very limited areas and hence must involve 

 congeries of individuals of much less than 

 specific value. Ecology is necessarily a 

 comparative study— in which numerous 

 comparisons of conditions are first made. 

 Why do eeologists stop short of minutely 

 comparative studies of the variable plant 

 forms which are often the exact expression 

 of these conditions ? It would do injustice 

 to say that no moves whatever have been 

 taken in the right direction. I have only 

 to refer to one of several articles published 

 by Mr. M. L. Fernald — this one entitled 

 'Some Lithological Variations of Bibes,' 

 and to the recent work of Dr. Sargent on 

 Cratcegus. The work on Viola furnishes 

 another striking example of what inter- 

 esting investigations still lie before us in 

 the direction of hybridizing and of growing 

 wild plants under varying conditions and 

 in various climates, with seed from known 

 parents. 



I have tried to outline as clearly and as 

 forcibly as possible the very serious condi- 

 tion in American systematic botany— fa- 

 miliar already to many. It is necessary 

 now to find a solution of the difiiculties and 

 consider methods of reform which may re- 

 lieve the situation at an early date. The 

 most important and fundamental move in 



reform must come from the great herbaria 

 where so many types are deposited. These 

 must be more completely described and 

 their anatomical details fully and care- 

 fully figured. Such data are absolutely 

 essential to any proper determinations of 

 plants, and such data for the flowering 

 plants are almost wholly inaccessible to the 

 majority of American workers to-day. To 

 make anything like a safe determination of 

 most plants a trip to New York and Cam- 

 bridge is necessary. It is needless to say 

 that the illustrations should be prepared 

 only under the direction of an expert bot- 

 anist and a minimum of reconstruction 

 allowed. And to this end fresh material 

 in the form of unquestioned topotypes 

 should be used wherever possible — though 

 in this there are abundant opportunities 

 for error. "What a pity such work could 

 not have been done right, from the begin- 

 ning, and careful illustrations made from 

 fresh material — or even wet specimens pre- 

 served. In the present condition of Amer- 

 ican botany I do not believe that we are 

 justified in using unquestionably any plant 

 name except as meaning that the plant to 

 which it is applied agrees very closely with 

 the actual type specimen, or if it differs 

 appreciably this should be stated as an in- 

 separable part of the determination, for 

 instance 'Paspalum pumilum, forma spicu- 

 lis majoribus.' If we allow the indiscrim- 

 inate application of names depending upon 

 the individual's ability at guessing— and 

 prescribe no limits to the guessing — then 

 just what is the value of the botanical bi- 

 nomial as ordinarily used? To me the 

 application of a binomial name to a plant 

 is a very grave matter— it is a test of scien- 

 tific honesty, of an ability to recognize 

 anatomical details, and of competency to 

 indicate to the world in a sign composed of 

 two or three words the complete ensemble 

 of clearly appreciable characters of the 

 plant in question— in short, the whole 



