Present-Day Problems in Taxonomic and Economic Botany

Abstract

TAXONOMIC workers have tended to fall into one of two categories, for to some a ‘species’ has covered a wide range of forms grouped around a mean type, while others have taken a more restricted view and their species have represented far smaller and more sharply defined classificatory units. Both methods have been of value; the broader view has had its advantage very often in relation to questions of geographical distribution, while the narrower one has caused us to inquire into questions relating to the origin of species themselves and the significance of so-called ‘varieties’. They have also had their drawbacks, since in one case many matters relating to the influence of habitat, general conditions, etc., have not been fully appreciated, while in the other the possibilities of hybridisation, segregation, and adaptation have usually received little or no recognition.