—77- 



myself, I prefer to call the widely distributed plant B. 

 obliquum, making the dissected form a sub-species, and Oneid- 

 cnsc, Occidental and intermedium forms of obliquum. regard- 

 less of the anachronism which such a proceeding involves. 



CHARLES FRANCIS SAUNDERS 



Among present day writers on botanical subjects, there are 

 probably none more popular than Mr. C. F. Saunders, whose por- 

 trait appears elsewhere in this issue. The contributions that have 

 gained him this success arc not of the species-making order, but 

 rather are concerned with every day plants about which Mr. 

 Saunders always manages to find new points of interest that 

 are described in a very felicitous manner. 



Mr. Saunders was born in Bucks County, Pa., in 1859, and 

 graduated from Friends' Central High school. Philadelphia, in 

 1875. After graduation he entered the office of a prominent ship- 

 ping firm in Philadelphia, with which he has continued ever since. 

 About ten years ago his interest in botany was awakened by at- 

 tendance upon a course of lectures given by Dr. Joseph T. 

 Rothrock, and since then most of his leisure has been devoted 

 to studies of plants in the field. He has made numerous excur- 

 sions to points of botanical interest in the Eastern States, and 

 the writer recalls with pleasure a trip with him by wagon through 

 the wildest part of the New Jersey "Pine Barrens." an account 

 of which Mr. Saunders published in the "Proceedings of the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia" for September, 

 1900. Another delightful excursion was a several days' tramp 

 with him about the numerous small glacial lakes in northeastern 

 Pennsylvania. Although he has never striven to discover new 

 species. Dr. T. C. Porter has honored him by giving his name to 

 a variety of Bupatorium. 



During several years Mr. Saunders' contributions have ap- 

 peared in nearly all the botanical journals that publish articles 

 of a popular nature, while the general press, especially the 

 Churchman and the Philadelphia Record, have also contained 

 much of his work. His contributions to the Fern Bulletin have 

 been both numerous and valuable, and this journal is glad to 

 count him among its staunchest friends. — W . N. C. 



