41 



was in some quarters a decade or two ago, for many of the less 

 familiar species are left without such names. Ranges and 

 bibliographic citations or other references to literature are 

 omitted, which is entirely justifiable in such an unpretentious 

 catalogue and in a region so well covered by descriptive 

 manuals. 



The information given about the distribution of the several 

 species within the state is not as complete as an interested reader 

 might wish, only about two lines (besides the name) being devoted 

 to each, on the average, and usually not more than one county 

 being mentioned. For over one-fourth of the species the cata- 

 logue gives no indication whatever of habitat, and a still larger 

 number are treated in very general terms, like "swamps," "dry 

 open situations," etc., which are not readily correlated with the 

 habitats described in detail in Part 3. It would not be fair, 

 however, to compare such a list with those numerous local floras 

 in which a taxonomic catalogue is the most important feature. 



Throughout the catalogue, as w^ell as in other parts of the 

 book, weeds are not distinguished very sharply from native 

 plants, which is unfortunate, though not at all unusual. Weeds 

 are more easily recognized than some persons who have not 

 given the matter much thought may imagine, and a reform in 

 this respect is urgently needed in all our phytogeographical 

 literature. 



An extremely conservative course has been followed with re- 

 gard to the numerous recently described (and perhaps ill-defined?), 

 species of Panicum, Sisyrinchium, Rubus, Crataegus, Viola, etc., 

 the five genera just named having only 56 species among them 

 in the book. 



The catalogue comprises 60 pteridophytes, 13 gymnosperms, 

 384 monocotyledons, and 980 dicotyledons, or 1437 species and 

 varieties of vascular plants. About 28.2 per cent, of the angio- 

 sperms (counting both native and introduced species, for they 

 are not separated) are monocotyledons, which seems to show 

 that the vegetation of Maryland is on the whole considerably 

 nearer the climax condition that that of New Jersey, and farther 

 from it than that of Pennsylvania. 



