THE NATURE AND CLASSIFICATION OF 

 LICHENS.— I. VIEWS AND ARGUMENTS 

 OF BOTANISTS CONCERNING 

 CLASSIFICATION* 



Bruce Fink 



Early in November, 1909, circular letters were sent to 75 

 American botanists and an equal number of foreign botanists 

 asking for their views regarding the classification of lichens. 

 Gathering data of this kind is an unusual method of approaching 

 a scientific problem ; but it was thought that the views of botanists 

 might aid in the final solution of the problem. No man is able 

 to express himself very certainly on the classification of all 

 plants ; consequently it is not surprising that certain men who 

 write regarding the classification of many or all of the large 

 groups of plants expressed themselves very doubtfully when 

 asked for a statement. As was to be expected a rather small 

 proportion of those who replied made statements which are of 

 great value. The form of the circular letter is given below. 



Botanical Laboratory, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, U. S. A. 



Nov. 8, 1909. 



The undersigned wishes the following questions answered by a 

 considerable number of leading botanists. The results of the 

 correspondence will be given, partly in tabulated form, in a 

 paper to be prepared as soon as possible after obtaining the 

 necessary data. The replies will be held strictly private, the 

 information being used without the names of those giving it. 

 However, it may seem best to publish with the paper a list of the 

 names of the botanists who have replied, and the writer will con- 

 sider himself at liberty to use thus the names of those who make 

 no objection to this in replying. The questions are: — 



1. Have you arrived at a conclusion regarding the classification 

 of lichens ? 



2. Should the lichens be maintained as a distinct class of 

 plants, or should they be distributed among the fungi? 



* Contributions from the Botanical Laboratory of Miami University. — VI. 



231 



