An Introduction to the Botanical Type Specimen Register

hand, the monograph, which brings together all the
data for a taxonomic group into one place, is by
far the best single source of data for the given
group.
Verification is not a simple procedure that can
be accomplished once for all time but an involved,
virtually never-ending process, which seems to ex-
pand in direct proportion to the number of speci-
mens and publications examined. Comparison of
the original description with data from one or more
specimens rarely can be made without uncovering
at least minor discrepancies that must be reconciled.
As types from additional herbaria are registered it
often becomes necessary to reexamine the original
publication and secondary references again and
again to resolve new discrepancies, and such dis-
crepancies frequently multiply faster than they can
be resolved as publication after publication is con-
sulted. Gazetteers, atlases, biographies and bio-
graphical dictionaries, personal fieldnotes and
letters, and even new correspondence with current
specialists, in addition to the obvious taxonomic
treatises and reference works, may be employed
eventually in the course of trying to verify the data
of an entry in the Register.
Apart from the facts themselves is the matter of
interpretation and judgment. The compilation of
any highly condensed, formatted, and standardized
file of data such as the Type Register is bound to
involve much interpretation of fact and judgment
of what to include and what to exclude. The com-
puter imposes the additional problem of judging
how best to format and standardize the data for
search and retrieval. As new data are provided
or brought to light, there is a constant need to re-
evaluate prior interpretations and judgments, and
this in turn may require reexamination of previ-
ously consulted literature and specimens. The prob-
lem is one not only of accuracy and completeness
rvithin a given record but also of consistency among
records. How the geographic information is stand-
ardized in the record for Taxon A, for example, has
a direct bearing on how the. geographic informa-
tion is standardized for Taxon B, and decisions
made for the first case without knowledge of special
problems to be faced in the second case may have
to be reevaluated and changed when the two rec-
ords are considered together. In short, there is no
n prion' way to set standards for all time.
S\lITHSOSIAN COETRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY
The long-term goal of the third and ultimate
stage in the development of the Type Register is
to ualzdate the data according to the rules of the
Zntu natzonal Code of Botanical Nomenclature
(ZCBIY; Stafleu et al., 1972) and thereby to estab-
lish the Register as a wholly reliable, authoritative
index of types of plant species and infraspecific
taxa. Validation involves typification, specifically
the designation of kind or status of type, and such
matters as rank, priority, synonymy and homonymy,
authorship, and orthography. Up to a point, the
records can be validated by any botanist or tech-
nical person skilled in the strict application of the
proLisions of the ZCBN, because many of the prob-
lems are purely technical or legal. Indeed, experi-
ence with the Type Register has proved that a
trained technical editor frequently makes decisions
more consistent with the ZCBN than the specialist,
at least insofar as the objectives of the Register are
concerned. Such technical validation, while it
greatly increases the reliability of the data, never-
theless is without the force of authority that can
be gained only through the sanction of the taxo-
nomic authorities themselves. As in all taxonomic
research, many of the questions that arise regarding
tjpification have no absolute answer but require
good judgment by an experienced specialist on the
basis of all available evidence, and no amount of
technical expertise could suffice. This type of au-
thoritative kalidation is needed in the long run if
the Type Register is ever to take its place as an
indispensable and thoroughly accepted tool of
plant systematists, and it is hoped that the special-
ists will cooperate in validating the information
in the Register as it becomes available group by
group in preliminary form. In the short run, how-
ever, the most that can be achieved is some degree
of technical validation. The important point to
stress here is the dynamic state of the file which
can be updated at any time to accord with current
knowledge and understanding.
Like verification, validation is a continuous proc-
ess that never really ends, because the light of new
information often requires important reevaluations
and appropriate changing of the computer file. At
the same time, a basic threshold can be achieved.
A record is considered verified at least on an initial
basis once the original description and all registered
specimens have been seen in person by someone
compiling and editing data expressly for the T