ABSTRACT

Herbert Baker realized that the study of tropical weeds could at the same time provide a major source of information for understanding mechanisms of evolution, and also increase the efficiency of crop production in tropical climates. He already realized that tropical botany is a wave of the future, largely because tropical plants, in grave danger of decimation and extinction, make many major contributions to the well being of all men. Critical respect for the achievements of scientists working in similar or related fields is essential for making real progress in understanding evolution or any other major scientific problem. His sojourn in Africa inspired Herbert and his co-workers to gather hard data on a topic that was then controversial: the pollination of flowers by bats. During his tenure at the University of California, his growing interest in weeds enabled him to recognize and characterize plants that have “general purpose” genotypes: the same genotype can be successful in a variety of environments.