Editorial

It is a well-known saying that first brains should come, then books, then bricks. As for Malesian botany, emphasis lies for a moment clearly on bricks. But however useful they are, and coming first in abundance at that, we firmly keep our conviction that they come last in importance. Much as we enjoy the building activities which are going on in botanical institutes, yet we will review the main events of the year in the rightful order. BRAINS. We lost two of our outstanding colleagues and friends, first died Dr Ch. Baehni, who in his capacity as the Director of the Geneva Herbarium, has done much to support and cooperate with our enterprise. Later died Dr K.B. Boedijn, one of the prominent members of a generation of mycologists who still had a comprehensive knowledge of fungus genera. This was why he was able to produce publications (of high quality) on so many different groups. After many years at the Bogor Herbarium, he kept until the last in close touch with the Rijksherbarium and flora Malesiana. We lost also Dr E.B. Copeland, to most botanists mostly known for his epoch-making work on ferns, and his account of the Philippine flora in particular. In addition he published in his Philippine period on fungi, plant physiology, rice, etc. He died at high age in California, where, after his Philippine period, he was at the Botany Department of Berkeley.