REPORT 03f THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANTS IN THE U. S, NATIONAL 



MUSEUM, 1885. 



By Lester F. Ward, Honorary Curator. 



DEPARTMENT OF RECENT PLANTS. 



This department was organized in February with a nucleus of about 

 5,000 species and 1,500 specimens, and numerous duplicates previously 

 constituting my private herbarium. The large and valuable collection 

 from Kew, which had been stored for some time in the basement of the 

 Smithsonian, was added soon after, and its installation begun. This 

 work had proceeded as far as the Order Composites at the end of June. 



The technical botanical work of the department has been intrusted 

 almost exclusively to Mr. F. H. Knowlton, who has displayed both abil- 

 ity and industry which are worthy of all praise. 



A large amount of material from various sources was identified by 

 him with perfect accuracy and incorporated in the collection, and the 

 whole was installed in as safe and permanent a manner as the imper- 

 fect facilities would admit of. It had been my custom to make species 

 cards of all my piauts and arrange them in drawers as a card catalogue 

 of my herbarium. The great value of this system in actual practice, 

 coupled with the fact that it was already commenced, led me to under- 

 take its extension to the entire Museum collection. This necessarily in- 

 volved much labor, but was satisfactorily accomplished by Mr. Knowl- 

 ton. 



A small collection of plants made by Mr. O. L. McKay in Western 

 Alaska was worked up by Mr. Knowlton, and the result published in 

 the Proceedings of the Museum, Vol. VIII, pp. 213-221. In this list 

 several species new to the flora of Alaska are noted, and full accounts 

 given of other rare f^rms. 



No exhibition series has as yet been undertaken, but it is expected 

 that one will be commenced soon. 



Through the generosity of Mr. W. E. Smith, of the U. S. Botanical 

 Gardens, a number of species of living plants, principally palms, were 

 obtained in the hope that they might be successfully grown in the ro- 

 tunda of the Museum. Some of the plants first selected were found not 

 to be well adapted to the change of surroundings, but later selections 

 have resulted satisfactorily. 



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