Sydney Howard Vines

“ In his Theorie der Abstammungslehre Naegeli introduced the idea of a definite material basis for heredity; the substance he termed “idioplasm.” His theory of evolution is that the idioplasm of any one generation is not identical with that of either its progenitors or its progeny: it is always increasing in complexity, with the result that each successive generation marks an advance upon its predecessor. Hence variation takes place determinately, and in the higher direction only; while variability is the result of internal causes, and natural selection plays but a small part in evolution. ”

“ Botanik consists almost entirely of researches into the anatomy of vascular plants, while the main feature of the Pflanzenphysiologische Untersuchungen is the exhaustive work on the structure, development and various forms of starch-grains. ”