THE THEORY OF NATURAL SELEC- 

 TION FROM THE STANDPOINT 

 OF BOTANY 



BY 

 JOHN M. COULTER 



The indebtedness of Botany to Charles Dar- 

 win extends beyond his formulation of the theory 

 of the origin of species by Natural Selection, 

 His historical position in plant physiology and 

 in plant ecology is one of first rank, which these 

 phases of Botany have often gratefully acknowl- 

 edged. As for the theory of Natural Selection, 

 its relation to' the development of modern plant 

 morphology is still more fundamental. It is true 

 that about ten years before the appearance of 

 the Origin of Species^ Hofmeister had given to 

 modern plant morphology its first great impulse 

 in his demonstration of the essential relationships 

 among higher plants; but the announcement of 

 the theory of Natural Selection suggested a 

 modus operandi for the plant phylogeny that 

 may be said to have been established. Among 

 plants, the facts and an outhne of phylogeny 

 for the application of any theory of descent had 

 been secured, so that Natural Selection came to 

 plant morphology at the psychological moment. 

 It is no wonder that it was received by plant mor- 



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