152 



THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



Species ix the Gexus Aster. — For some time botanists 

 of conservative tendencies have held the opinion that the aster 

 genus has been spht into rather small fragments. Everything 

 that differed appreciably from named forms has had a binomial 

 or trinomial name attached to it. In view of this situation it 

 is refreshing to find a student of the asters confessing that there 

 does not seem to be any hard and fast lines for delimiting 

 species in this genus. In a paper on the asters of Wisconsin, 

 Charles E. Monroe writes : "The old notion of a species as 

 something definite, fixed and stable, nowhere breaks down more 

 completely than when an attempt is made to apply it to the dif- 

 ferent forms of Aster, as we find them in this country. Differ- 

 ent species are so connected by intermediate forms that we 

 often feel like ignoring specific distinctions and grouping two 

 or more species together under one name. On the other hand, 

 to one of a more analytical bent of mind the differences be- 

 tween members of a single species may appear so marked that 

 he will be under constant temptation to separate them into still 

 smaller subdivisions and to give to each specific rank. But 

 whichever course we follow, the different groups into which the 

 genus or species may be divided represents little more than par- 

 ticular tendencies or directions of A'ariation and the members 

 of each make up a series illustrating the different stages. The 

 word "species" applied to our Xorth American asters can 

 hardly be said to have any other significance than this. It 

 does not seem a valid objection that under such a definition a 

 single plant might be conceived as belonging to more than one 

 species."" AMien we contemplate the splitting of species, we are 

 reminded of a once popular song which dwelt upon the re- 

 markable resemblance of all classes of coons. One does not 

 discoA^er at first glance small differences in any group of plants 

 — they all look alike ; but a closer acquaintance multiplies the 

 points of diff'erence. The whole question then is. where do the 

 differences cease to be specific. Shall we haA'e our plants sorted 



