CONTENTS
ASPT News 1
People 5
Awards and Funding 6
Job Opportunities 8
Fellowships 9
Desiderata 10
Symposia and Meetings 10
Commentary 12
Internet News 17
Flora Projects 18
Deaths 19
Book Reviews 20
New Serials 31
New Books 31
Newsletters 36
ANNUAL MEETING (1995): The next annual meeting of the ASPT will be from 6-10 August 1995. We will meet with the AIBS in San Diego, CA, USA.
ASA GRAY AWARD: The 1994 Asa Gray Award was presented by the ASPT to Dr. Hugh Iltis, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA. A biographical sketch of Dr. Iltis will appear in Systematic Botany.
ASPT CORRESPONDING MEMBERS: The ASPT Honors Committee will accept nominations of qualified persons to become corresponding members of our society. Presently, two places are open for this honor, which is extended to distinguished foreign scientists whose work has notably advanced plant taxonomy. For further information, please contact: Dr. Pamela S. Soltis, Chair, ASPT Honors Committee, Department of Botany, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4238, USA. (telephone: 509/ 335-3066; fax: 509/ 335-3517).
Dues notices for 1995 will be mailed to you shortly by the ASPT Treasurer. Depending upon your membership category, dues are as follows: Regular — $38 ($35); Student -$18 ($15); Emeritus — $28 ($25); Family — $43 ($40); Individual Life — $1000; Family Life — $1250. You may pay by credit card, but please note that the above figures in parentheses are for cash, check, or money order payments. (If you do not take advantage of the cash discount your $3 overpayment will be added to the ASPT endowment). For all late payments (credit or cash), please add $5. Payments postmarked after 1 January 1995 will be considered to be late. The envelope provided for paying your dues includes a section for information pertaining to the ASPT Membership Directory (see below). Please provide fax and e-mail addresses. For any questions pertaining to your dues, contact: Dr. Richard J. Jensen, ASPT Treasurer, Department of Biology, Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA. (telephone: 219/ 284-4674; fax: 219/ 284-4716; e-mail: rjensen@saintmarys. edu).
ASPT ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE:
At the 1994 ASPT Meeting in Knoxville, the ASPT adopted the following resolution prepared by the Environment and Public Policy Committee:
Resolution in Support of Increased Funding for the Federal Wetlands Reserve Program — Whereas flooding in the upper Mississippi basin during the summer of 1993 inundated more than 6 million acres, leaving at least 52 people dead, 2300 injured, and 56,000 homeless while causing as much as $10 billion in damage; and Whereas severe flooding has increased in frequency and intensity in large part due to construction of levees that constrict river flow and to conversion of water-absorbing wetlands to agricultural uses; and Whereas nationally we have destroyed over 120 million acres (56%) of our original wetlands, with the flood-prone states of the upper Midwest losing over 85% of their wetlands, and we continue to lose wetlands at an alarming rate; and Whereas this loss of wetlands not only increases flooding but also decreases water quality and seriously threatens our nation's biodiversity; and Whereas the federal Wetlands Reserve Program was intended to reduce flooding, enhance water quality, and preserve biodiversity by offering willing farmers financial incentives to restore 1 million acres of their flood-prone farmlands to their natural wetland status; and Whereas due to chronic under-funding, fewer than 100,000 acres of farmland have been enrolled since the program's inception in 1990, despite the farm community's demonstrated interest and the far greater costs of flood control and disaster relief; Therefore the American Society of Plant Taxonomists urges Congress to fund the federal Wetlands Reserve Program at the levels needed to enroll a total of 1 million acres by the year 2000. You can help support this important program by writing your senators and representative and urging their support for the Wetlands Reserve Program. This issue undoubtedly will not be considered until after the elections, so if you anticipate changes in your delegation wait to write. Funding for the Wetlands Reserve Program previously has been included as part of the Agriculture Bill. The Environment and Public Policy Committee will follow up with the House and Senate committees once their memberships are settled after the November elections — Geoffrey A. Levin, Center for Biodiversity, Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 East Peabody Dr., Champaign, Il 61820, USA. (telephone: 217/ 244-7481; fax: 217/ 333-4949).
ASPT GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS: In 1994, 45 applications were received for Graduate Student Research Awards. The large number and high-caliber of these applications led the ASPT Honors Committee to decide to provide partial funding of as many strong proposals as possible instead of making a select few awards. Accordingly, the top 12 proposals were awarded amounts ranging from $400-$700. Recipients, listed in alphabetical order, were: Lawrence Alice (University of Miami), Jason Bradford (Missouri Botanical Garden), Cynthia Dassler (University of Iowa), Amy Denton (University of Washington), Diane Ferguson (Harvard University), Stacie Kawaguchi (University of Kansas), Seung-Chul Kim (Ohio State University), Leah Larkin (University of Texas), Amy Litt (New York Botanical Garden), Sarah Matthews (Montana State University), Gerry Moore (Vanderbilt University), James Oliphant (Oregon State University), Nellie Park (DePaul University), Kathleen Pryer (Duke University), and Allan Strand (University of Texas).
Grants for Graduate Student Research: The ASPT is pleased to announce continuation of its program of support for graduate student investigators (both Master's and PhD level) conducting field work, herbarium travel, and/or laboratory research in the area of plant systematics. No award will exceed $1000, and it is unlikely that previous award recipients will be funded in consecutive years. Awards will be made on the basis of merit, regardless of the research area within systematics. Thus, for example, if all the best proposals emphasize field work, grants will be given only in that category, and no grants will be awarded for the other two areas.
Awards will be made on the basis of proposals submitted to the Society's Honors Committee. Applicants must be members of the ASPT. Proposals must include: 1) A curriculum vitae; 2) A proposal (the text of which should not exceed two single-spaced typed pages) describing the research to be conducted and emphasizing the role the grant funds would play; 3) An itemized budget; and 4) Two letters of recommendation, one of them from the major professor. Important: Submit three copies of all items in the proposal, including the letters of recommendation, to: Dr. Pamela S. Soltis, Chair, ASPT Honors Committee, Department of Botany, Washington State University, Pullman,WA 99164-4238, USA. (telephone: 509/ 335-3066; fax: 509/ 335-3517). Deadline for receipt of all materials: 1 February 1995.
ASPT HISTORY: A history of the ASPT is being prepared with the goal of having a book in print for the 60th-anniversary meeting of the society in 1996. The ASPT Archives (in the library of The New York Botanical Garden) are incomplete. I am attempting to find more information in the archives of the early presidents. However, I also need the help of members of the society to find the missing materials that will complete the history. ®Minutes of ASPT Council and/or business meetings and correspondence about ASPT activities for the early years: 1937 through 1952, 1954. Long-term members, do you have any of these items in your files? ®Correspondence from 1991 through 1994 (anything but the most routine business) from officers, council members, and committee chairs. Without correspondence, the history for this period will be merely a list of facts. ®Any available copies of presidential speeches. Only two were found in the archives. Many of these were memorable; descriptions and excerpts would enliven the discussion of meetings. Past presidents, please check your files. ®Photographs of early meetings or of ASPT members on field trips or working in herbaria or laboratories (with old or new equipment). The book will be more interesting with photographs to document ASPT activities and changes in systematics research. Please send copies or original materials to: Eileen K. Schofield, 1414 McCain Lane, Manhattan, KS 66502-4521, USA. Reimbursement of postage probably can be arranged for any heavy packages. Unless you want the material you send returned, I will deposit everything in the ASPT Archives when the book is completed. Thanks for your help!
ASPT MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY: A printed version of the 1994 ASPT Membership Directory will be prepared and mailed to the membership early next year. The deadline for inclusion of address changes and corrections is 1 January 1995. Please send relevant information to: Dr. Richard Jensen, ASPT Treasurer (see "ASPT Dues" for address). Please note, that an electronic version of the ASPT Membership Directory is also available on the Smithsonian Institution's Natural History Gopher Server (nmnhgoph.si.edu port 70).
ASPT NEWSLETTER: Any material intended for the next ASPT Newsletter should be submitted to the editor by 15 December 1994.
ASPT NOMINATIONS: The Bylaws of the ASPT state that: "The Nominations Committee shall nominate two eligible members of the Society for the Office of the President-Elect and each vacancy among the members-at- large of the Council." You are requested to suggest names to the chair of the Nominations Committee before 1 December 1994. His address is: Dr. William R. Anderson, Past-President, ASPT, University of Michigan Herbarium, North University Building, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1057, USA. (telephone: 313/ 764-2432; fax: 313- 763-0369; e-mail: wra@um. cc. umich.edu).
ASPT OFFICERS & APPOINTMENTS: Beryl B. Simpson is now ASPT President, Shirley C. Tucker is President-Elect, and William R. Anderson is Past-President. Lynn G. Clark and Lucinda A. McDade were elected ASPT Council Members-at-Large.
GEORGE R. COOLEY AWARD: J. Mark Porter, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, CA, USA, received the 1994 George R. Cooley Award for his paper entitled "Evolution of pollination mechanisms in Gilia section Giliandra (Polemoniaceae): Inferences based on nrDNA ITS sequence data."
The policies governing the Cooley Award, which were approved by the ASPT Council in Honolulu, HI, USA, on 9 August 1992, are as follows:
1. To be eligible for the Cooley Award, a person must be a member in good standing of the ASPT, and must be pre-doctoral or have been awarded the PhD within the previous ten years. 2. Eligibility must be declared to the Program Chairperson at the time of submission of the abstract; no other papers will be considered, even if the speaker qualifies otherwise. 3. In the case of papers with multiple authorship, only the person who actually presents the talk at the meetings can win the Cooley Award; the Award recognizes presentation as well as content, and cannot be shared.
4. Only one Cooley Award will be awarded in any given year; under no circumstances is the prestige of the Cooley Award to be diluted by recognition of co-winners, or honorable mentions, or any such subsidiary award.
5. Cooley judges will include all members of the Honors Committee who attend the meetings, plus ad hoc judges to be recruited by the chair of the Honors Committee. All the judges are to attempt to select the winner in consultation. However, if it should prove to be impossible to select a consensus winner acceptable to all the judges, the winner will be selected by a vote restricted to the members of the Honors Committee who are present and acting as judges.
6. No on may win the Cooley Award more than once.
SYSTEMATIC BOTANY: The ASPT Council approved changes in the manner in which our research journal, Systematic Botany, is edited. The Editorial Committee has been reconstituted as a board of Associate Editors responsible for the processing of manuscripts and for deciding manuscript acceptability. Manuscripts should continue to be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief, who will assign each one to the care of an Associate Editor. In addition, two Editorial Specialists will be consulted as needed to review portions of manuscript dealing with biostatistical analyses and nomenclature. The Managing Editor will take care of copy editing, manage proofs, and bill publication costs. Revised manuscripts (i.e., those passing review) must be submitted as two printed copies and on a single 3.5 inch computer diskette. Gerald J. Gastony continues to serve as Editor-in-Chief and Michael O. Moore as Managing Editor. New members of the board of Associate Editors (listed alphabetically) are: Peter K. Bretting, Christopher S. Campbell, Jeff J. Doyle, Christopher H. Haufler, Kent E. Holsinger, Elizabeth A. Kellogg, Lucinda A. McDade, and Douglas E. Soltis. The new Editorial Specialists are: Fred R. Barrie (for nomenclature) and Paul Wilson (for biostatistics).
SYSTEMATIC BOTANY MONOGRAPHS: Another generous contribution from Walter L. Meagher supported the publication of the most recent volume of SBM: Smith, James F. 1994. Systematics of Columnea section Pentadenia and section Stygnanthe (Gesneriaceae). SBM Vol. 44: 89 pp. ISBN 0-912861-44-4. US orders: $11; non-US orders: $12. Terms: Payment in US currency must precede shipment. Not available as exchange. No discounts allowed on single orders. No refunds. Price is postpaid. Make checks payable to "American Society of Plant Taxonomists" and send with order to: Systematic Botany Monographs, University of Michigan Herbarium, North University Building, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1057, USA. (fax: 313/ 763-0369; e-mail: usergf24@um.cc.umich.edu). Standing order customers receive a 10% discount beginning with the current volume and are billed with shipment. Non-US orders only: Visa and Mastercard accepted; include account number, expiration date, and signature. Information about previously published volumes and instructions for contributors may be obtained by writing to the editor, Christiane Anderson, at the above address. New manuscripts (at least 50 printed pages long) are welcome. The time from submission to publication is now about 12-18 months.
Dr. Mark W. Bierner was named the Executive Director of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (SEL), Sarasota, FL, USA, effective 1 September 1994.
Dr. Martha A. Case, formerly the Assistant Curator of the Michigan State University Herbarium, has started a new position as Assistant Professor at The College of William and Mary, Dept. of Biology, Williamsburg, VA 23187, USA. (telephone: 804/ 221-2223; fax: 804/ 221-6483; e-mail: macase@mail.wm.edu). In her new position, she will continue her work on the systematics and evolution of Orchid taxa as well as initiate new research on rare species of Virginia.
Dra. Ines Cordeiro is the new curator of phanerogams at the Instituto de Botanica (SP), Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Dr. Ted Dudley retired from the U.S. National Arboretum (NA), Washington, DC, USA on 3 May 1994 for reasons of health. He was honored on 20 June 1994 with a retirement party at the Arboretum. At that time, it was noted that 15 species were named for him and that he had, in turn, described 66 species in various families.
Bruce Holst has accepted the position of Herbarium Manager, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (SEL), Sarasota, FL, USA. He leaves the Missouri Botanical Garden where he was employed for ten years and contributed greatly to the exploration of the flora of Venezuela.
Dr. Janet Morrison will join The New York Botanical Garden (NY) on 1 November 1994 as Forest Ecologist. Dr. Morrison received her PhD from the Department of Ecology and Evolution of the State University of New York at Stony Brook in May 1994. She will be carrying out plant ecological research in the 40-acre NYBG forest located in the heart of the Garden's 250-acre campus in the Bronx, and she will be advising other NYBG Forest Project personnel in the areas of management and education.
Dr. John J. Pipoly III has accepted a new position as Research Botanist and Head of the Endangered Floras Program at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT). He is leaving the Missouri Botanical Garden, where from 1990-94 he was Associate Curator and coordinator of florulas and programs in Peru and Colombia. Previously he was the first resident botanist in Guyana for the Flora of the Guianas Program (NY/US) (1986-87), a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Institution (US) (1987-88), and a procurement officer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Program (1988-89). Dr. Pipoly also has been a research associate at the Smithsonian since 1988. At BRIT, John will be spending the majority of his time on the Flora of the Philippines Project, a joint project of the Philippine National Museum (PNM) and BRIT, with US and Kew (K) as other supporting institutions. He will continue floristic studies in Mesoamerica and Colombia along with monographic studies of Myrsinaceae worldwide, and neotropical Clusiaceae, as time permits. He welcomes gifts for determination of Myrsinaceae and Clusiaceae. Correspondence should be addressed to him at: Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Inc., 509 Pecan St., Fort Worth, TX 76102, USA. (telephone: 817/ 335-8157; fax: 817/ 332-4112).
Dr. Lyman Smith, Curator Emeritus, Department of Botany, Smithsonian Institution (US), celebrated his 90th birthday on 11 September 1994.
Dr. Roy L. Taylor has accepted the position of Executive Director of the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, CA, USA. He will assume his new duties on 1 November 1994. Dr. Taylor is currently President and Chief Executive Officer for the Chicago Horticultural Society and Director of The Chicago Botanic Garden. Born in Alberta, Canada, Dr. Taylor received a BS in Biology from Sir George Williams University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Prior to his appointment in Chicago in 1985, he was Director of the Botanical Garden and Professor of Botany at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. From 1965-68 he was Chief of the Taxonomy and Economic Botany Section for Canada Agriculture in Ottawa, Ontario. Dr. Taylor has published extensively on plant taxonomy and horticulture and was coauthor with James A. Calder of the Flora of the Queen Charlotte Islands (1968).
The Ohio Biological Survey granted its 1994 Herbert Osborn Award to Dr. Tom S. Cooperrider, Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA. Dr. Cooperrider was recognized for "a lifetime of research, service, graduate training, and teaching in the areas of floristics and conservation, and for decades of work and leadership on the Ohio Flora Project." He has taught since 1958 at Kent State University and also served as director of experimental programs (1972-73), curator of the herbarium (1968-93), and director of the Botanical Gardens and Arboretum (1972-93). As Chair of the Ohio Flora Project, he has recruited able botanists to write the dicotyledonae volumes, and lobbied the Ohio state legislature tirelessly to make sure they provided the funding to complete the task.
Robert Dressler was awarded the 1994 Henry Allan Gleason Award of The New York Botanical Garden for his book Phylogeny and Classification of the Orchid Family (1993, Dioscorides Press; reviewed by Barringer, ASPT Newsletter 8(1): 15-16. 1994). Dressler is currently associated with the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida and the Missouri Botanical Garden. He has written three previous books about orchids. In Panama, Dr. Dressler worked with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute studying orchid pollination. He has extensive field experience and has worked on orchids for 23 years in tropical America, Australia, Malaysia, New Guinea, and Thailand.
Dr. Melissa Luckow received the 1994 Jesse M. Greenman Award, which was presented by the Missouri Botanical Garden, in recognition of her monograph of Desmanthus (Leguminosae-Mimosoideae) (See also: "ASPT News").
The American Philosophical Society announces the 1995 competition for research grants in forest botany (specifically dendrology), silviculture, and the history thereof. Grants range from $1500 to ca. $5000. Eligible expenses include travel, $65 per diem toward the cost of room and meals, and consumable supplies not available at the applicants institution. Applicants are normally expected to have the doctorate, but proposals may be considered from graduate students who have completed all degree requirements but the dissertation. Deadline: 1 February 1995, for decision by May 1995. When writing for application forms, briefly (100 words or less) describe the proposed research and budget. No telephone requests, please! Please address correspondence to: Michaux Fund Grants, American Philosophical Society, 104 S. 5th St., Philadelphia, PA 19106-3387, USA.
The American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT) will award research grants to graduate students in 1995. Please see "ASPT News" at the beginning of the newsletter for details.
Special Competition in Systematic Biology: Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy (PEET) — Retirement of taxonomic specialists, shifts in academic recruitment and staffing, and reductions in graduate training all conspire to diminish the knowledge that is needed to answer what the National Science Board has labeled a global biodiversity crisis ("Loss of Biological Diversity: A Global Crisis Requiring International Solutions," NSB 89-171). The rate of "extinction" among professional taxonomists led a National Science Foundation task force to call for enhanced training in taxon-specific expertise ("Adapting to the Future: Report of the BBS Task Force Looking to the 21st Century," NSF 91-69).
In partnership with academic institutions, botanical gardens, freshwater and marine institutes, and natural history museums the National Science Foundation seeks to enhance taxonomic research and help prepare future generations of experts. NSF announces a Special Competition, Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy (PEET), to support competitively reviewed research projects that target groups of poorly known organisms. Projects must encourage the training of new generations of taxonomists and translate current expertise into electronic databases and other formats with broad accessibility to the scientific community. Projects designed for 5 years of effort are encouraged, with yearly budgets not to exceed $150,000 (direct plus indirect costs), or $750,000 total. Group Proposals could increase the budget according to the number of Principal Investigators involved. Standard components of taxonomic monography — species description and diagnosis, geographic distribution, scientific nomenclature, identification keys, illustration — are expected in all projects; training of two students and computerized activities are also required. NSF anticipates making 10-20 awards in Fiscal Year 1995 in this Special Competition, contingent upon availability of funds and quality of proposals received. Proposals should be submitted for a 1 March 1995 postmark deadline to the address given in the "Grant Proposal Guide" (NSF 94-2, page 2). NSF's "Grant Proposal Guide" provides relevant forms and rules for proposal preparation. On the cover sheet, upper left corner, write "DEB-PEET (NSF 94-109)" to expedite processing.
Institutional cost-sharing in accordance with standard NSF rules is expected on all projects. Institutional commitment to the employment of all taxonomists during and beyond the duration of PEET projects provides one clear example of partnership in answering the scientific and societal challenge of diminishing taxonomic expertise. For the PEET Special Competition announcement, contact: Division of Environmental Biology (PEET), National Science Foundation, suite 635, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230, USA. (telephone: 703/ 306-1481; fax: 703/ 306-0367; e-mail: sysrev@nsf.gov). See "Commentary" later in this newsletter for one view as to how PEET proposals should be evaluated — Editor.
Plant Systematist — The Department of Botany, Duke University, invites applications and nominations for a tenure-track position at the assistant professor level to begin September 1995. Appointment at the associate professor level may be possible. Candidates should possess taxonomic expertise with a particular plant group, together with experience in modern approaches to plant systematics. Send vitae, a statement of research and teaching interests, and names of three references to: Professor Janis Antonovics, Chair of the Search Committee, Department of Botany, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708-0338, USA. Applications received by 15 November 1994 will be guaranteed consideration. Duke University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
The Field Museum is seeking an outstanding systematic botanist for a career-track appointment in the Department of Botany at the level of Assistant Curator. Candidates pursuing innovative specimen-based research in macrofungi, lichens, bryophytes, pteridophytes or angiosperms, and who are also making important contributions in a second field such as conservation, ethnobotany, theoretical systematics, developmental biology or population genetics, will be given special attention. In addition to research, responsibilities include curation of relevant collections and participation in public education and exhibit programs. The successful candidate will have a PhD, a proven scientific achievement, and the ability to establish an externally funded research program. Curators teach at local universities and there are opportunities for participating in undergraduate and graduate training. The Department of Botany is part of the Museum's Center for Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, which also includes the departments of Geology and Zoology. Facilities include an herbarium of over 2.5 million specimens (including one of the world's richest collections of neotropical plants), an outstanding library, and molecular systematic and biochemical laboratories. Consideration of applications will begin on 17 October 1994. Please submit a curriculum vitae; a statement of research objectives; names, addresses and contact numbers of at least three references; and copies of relevant publications to: Search Committee, Department of Botany, The Field Museum, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605-2496, USA. (e-mail: botany@fmnh.org). As an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, we especially encourage applications from women and minorities and we are responsive to dual-career needs.
Chair, Department of Botany, Iowa State University — The Department of Botany at Iowa State University invites nominations of, or applications from, outstanding scholars to chair this department of 19 faculty with research and teaching in ecology, physiology and molecular biology, and systematics and evolution. Candidates should have an outstanding research record, a commitment to vigorous support of research and education, and leadership and administrative skills. Closing date for applications is 1 December 1994, or until the position is filled. Applicants should send a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a statement of personal perspective in research and teaching at a major university, and the names of five references to: Chair of Search Committee, Department of Botany, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA. Women, minorities, and members of other protected groups are strongly encouraged to apply. Iowa State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
The New York Botanical Garden invites applications for the position of Plant Molecular Systematist in the Institute of Systematic Botany. Qualifications include a PhD in Botany or Biology, demonstrated excellence in Molecular Systematics, a strong background in Plant Taxonomy, and several years of post-doctoral experience. The successful candidate will conduct research in botanical or mycological systematics with an emphasis on employing molecular techniques. Work will involve teaching and advising of students in the Garden's Graduate Studies Program, and publishing research results in peer-reviewed scholarly journals. The individual occupying this position will also be expected to secure grant funds and assist in other departmental and division-wide duties. This position begins 1 April 1995. There are excellent benefits. To apply, please submit a letter stating research interests and goals, vita, and the names of three references to: Personnel Manager-MS, The New York Botanical Garden, 200th St. and Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY 10458-5126, USA. (fax: 718/ 220-6504). AA/ EOE/M/F/D/V.
The Strybing Arboretum Society, serving San Francisco's Botanical Gardens, invites applications for the Plant Collections Manager position. The job is full-time, 35 hours per week, with health and dental benefits. The Plant Collections Manager is responsible for maintaining Strybing's plant records on a SPIRS database system, oversees all plant accessioning, deaccessioning, and labeling, supervises assistants and volunteers, and coordinates the computerized Garden Mapping Project. The Manager also serves on the Collections Committee, researches plant identification problems, and prepares written materials for related projects. The position requires a MA degree in botany with plant systematics specialty and proficiency in dBase software. Experience with AutoCAD is desirable. This applicant must have excellent communications skills and the ability to work with a variety of staff, volunteers, and other professionals. Experience in a public garden is preferred. Send letter, r!=sum!=, salary requirements, and list of references to: Laurie Goldman, Executive Director, Strybing Arboretum Society, 9th Ave. at Lincoln Way, San Francisco, CA 94122, USA.
Biodiversity Graduate Fellowships — The University of Connecticut seeks outstanding PhD candidates in ecology, animal behavior, evolutionary biology, systematics, and conservation biology. NSF Graduate Research Training fellowships provide a $14,000 annual stipend plus up to $7500 cost of education allowance. Although the graduate program accepts and supports highly qualified applicants from any country, NSF support is limited to U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents. Write or fax (203/ 486-6364): Biodiversity Graduate Fellowships, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, U-43, Storrs, CT, 06269-3043, USA, or telephone (203/ 486-4319) Ellie DeCarli.
The Department of Botany of Duke University is pleased to announce the availability of Graduate Fellowships in Plant Systematics for 1995. These fellowships have been made possible by a grant from the A. W. Mellon Foundation. Applicants may pursue PhD studies on any plant group (or across plant groups) including algae, fungi, lichens, bryophytes, and vascular plants. These awards include tuition, stipend, and medical benefits. Separate funds are available (on a competitive basis to program students) for research travel and laboratory supplies. All applicants for the PhD degree in botany at Duke University will be considered automatically for these fellowships if their applications indicate plans to study systematics. Applications may be obtained by writing to: The Director or Graduate Studies, Department of Botany, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0338, USA, or to: The Graduate School, Duke University, Box 90070, Durham, NC 27708-0070, USA. Deadline for applications is 31 December 1994.
Interested students are encouraged to contact the Mellon Program faculty directly for more information. The regular Duke faculty may be contacted at the following address: Department of Botany, Box 90339, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0338, USA. (telephone: 919/ 684-3715; fax: 919/ 684-5412). The adjunct Smithsonian faculty may be contacted at: Department of Botany, The Smithsonian Institution-NMNH, Washington, DC 20560, USA. (telephone: 202/ 357-2534; fax: 202/ 786-2563).
Graduate Research Assistantships (PhD or MS) — The University of Hawaii seeks outstanding candidates for its NSF Graduate Research Training assistantships in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology. For application information and materials, please contact: Kenneth Kaneshiro (Chair) or Rosemary Gillespie (Associate Chair), CCRT, University of Hawaii, 3050 Maile Way, Gilmore 409, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. (telephone: 808/ 956-8884; e-mail: gillespie@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii. edu. The application deadline is 1 February 1995. Assistantships commence August 1995.
The Centre National d'Application des Recherches Pharmaceutiques (CNARP) wishes to receive reprints from authors having published botanical research on the plants of Madagascar. The CNARP also wishes to develop collaborative projects with institutions interested in plant-derived bioactive compounds (medicinal plants, natural insecticides, and herbicides) and aromatic plants (essential oils). If you have any further questions, please contact: Dr. Jean Ir!=n!=e Rajaonarivony, Centre National d'Application des Recherches Pharmaceutiques (CNARP), Route d'Alarobia-Analamahitsy, B.P. 702, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar. (telephone: [261] 2/ 420.88).
Alfonso Delgado S. would appreciate receiving viable seed (vouchered) of Coronilla varia L. or C. scorpioides (L.) Koch (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae). Please send material to: Alfonso Delgado S., Herbario Nacional, Departamento de Bot nica, Instituto de Biologia, Universidad Nacional Autcentsnoma de M!=xico, Apartado Postal 70-367, 04510 Mexico City, D.F., Mexico.
Armand Rakotozafy, now retired but for many years curator of the herbarium (TAN) at the Jardin Botanique and Zoologique de Tsimbazaza, Antananarivo, Madagascar, maintains an active interest in the flora of Madagascar. He would appreciate receiving reprints of papers concerning the flora of Madagascar or the Comoro Islands. Please send them to: Armand Rakotozafy, lot IVI-37, Mandialaza-Ambodivona, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar.
The Education and Training Committee of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) is offering a discipline-specific workshop entitled Managing the Modern Herbarium on 5-6 June 1995 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The workshop will immediately follow the SPNHC 10th anniversary annual conference, which is being held 3-4 June 1995 at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. This workshop is designed for all those concerned with the maintenance of botanical or mycological collections. Through instruction, focused discussion, hands-on participation, and publication, the program will strive to: promote dialogue on conservation and collection management issues, solutions, and resources; establish a discipline consensus on policies and procedures for the uses of collections in molecular research, with emphasis on extant collections and the making of new collections; exhibit and demonstrate a range of specimen preparation and field techniques; facilitate communication among institutions and professional societies. A preliminary list of topics includes: adhesives, bar-coding, care of botanical prints and illustrations, collecting techniques, cryo-preservation, destructive sampling, papers, pest management, specimen preparation, and storage. For more information or input, please contact: Deborah Metsger, Department of Botany, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park Crescent, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2C6.
The Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) is a multidisciplinary organization composed of individuals who are interested in development and preservation of natural history collections. Natural history collections include specimens and supporting documentation, such as audio-visual materials, labels, library materials, field data, and similar archives. Preservation refers to any direct or indirect activity providing continued and improved care of these collections and supporting documents. The Society actively encourages the participation of individuals involved with all aspects of natural history collections.
The 27th International Numerical Taxonomy Conference (NT-27) will be held in conjunction with the annual meetings of the Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB), the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE), and the American Society of Naturalists (ASN), 8-12 July 1995 at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. NT-27 will feature one or more symposia and contributed paper sessions as well as an NT mixer. Those whose work involves any aspect of numerical classification (phenetics, cladistics), ordination, or morphometrics are encouraged to participate in the NT program. The call for papers will include an option for having your paper scheduled as part of the NT program. For additional information about NT-27, you may contact: François-Joseph Lapointe, Departement des Sciences Biologiques, Universit!= de Montreal, C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3J7, Canada (telephone: 514/ 343-7999; fax: 514/ 343-2253; e-mail: lapoinf@ere.umontreal.ca), or Richard Jensen, Department of Biology, Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA. (telephone: 219/ 284-4674; fax: 219/ 284-4716; e-mail: rjensen@saintmarys.edu). For additional information about the SSB/SSE/ASN meetings, contact: Evol Secretariat, Conference Office, McGill University, 550 Sherbrooke St. W., West Tower, Suite 490, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1B9, Canada. (telephone: 514/ 398-3770; fax: 514/ 398-4854; e-mail: evol@550sherb.lan. mcgill.ca).
The first circular for the Second International Rubiaceae Conference is now available. The Conference, which is being organized by Prof. E. Robbrecht, Dr. C. Puff, and Dr. E. Smets, will be held in Meise (Brussels), Belgium from 12-14 September 1995. (The National Botanic Garden of Belgium will be celebrating its 125th anniversary in 1995). There will be thematic sessions of lectures and a poster session. Provisionally, four themes are planned. They include: 1) Relationships (Relationships of Rubiaceae with other Gentianales; Relationships within Rubiaceae); 2) Chemistry and Ethnobotany; 3) Paleotropical Rubiaceae; and 4) Biology (Reproductive biology, dispersal; associations with other organisms; special life-forms). The deadline for proposing papers is 15 December 1994. The Proceedings of the Conference will be published in one of the periodicals of the National Botanic Garden. Further information may be obtained from: Prof. E. Robbrecht, Conference Secretariat, National Botanic Garden, Domein van Bouchout, B-1869 Meise, Belgium. (telephone: [32] 2/ 269 39 05; fax: [32] 2/ 27015 67).
A colloquium entitled "Biog!=ographie de Madagascar" will be held from 26-28 September 1995 in Paris, France. Topics covered will include the origins, development, and differentiation of the fauna and flora of Madagascar and other islands in the western Indian Ocean. Registration before 31 January 1995 is 400 FF (students 200 FF). Abstracts (20 lines maximum) must be submitted on disk and on paper before 31 March 1995. French and English are acceptable languages. Information for preparing papers will be mailed in April 1995. For further information or registration, please contact: Dr. Wilson Lourenço, Societe de Biogiographie, 57, rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France.
The first circular for a symposium on botanical systematics and plant geography to commemorate the Centenary of the Herbarium Haussknecht-JE is now available. The symposium will be held from 8-12 October 1996 at Friedrich-Schiller-Universit>=t, Jena, Germany. In addition to the celebration ceremony, symposium banquet, papers, and posters, there also will be field trips. For further information, please contact: Prof. Dr. S. Jost Casper, Institute of Systematic Botany, Friedrich-Schiller-Universit>=t, Philosophenweg 16, D-07743 Jena, Germany. (telephone: [36] 41/ 630853; fax: [36] 41/ 631080).
What makes a Good Monograph? — The NSF has recently announced a special competition in systematic biology, the PEET Program (see "Awards and Funding"), with a submission deadline of 1 March 1995. This program is specifically designed to address the very real decline in taxonomic expertise. Many of us (myself included) spend more and more of our time generating phylogenies, often using molecular characters, and less and less time describing, naming, and identifying. Unfortunately for the discipline, this basic descriptive (i.e., monographic) work is the very foundation of comparative biology; without it, nothing else can proceed. The PEET program is designed to encourage and support such work. It does not supplant the regular grants program, which is still available to support monographic work.
As a member of recent NSF panels, however, I have found that there is no consensus for evaluating monographic work and particularly monographic proposals. In the hopes of generating some discussion on the subject, I present my personal view of what a monograph is and the criteria by which it may be judged. The most basic purpose of a monograph is to describe accurately and precisely the morphological variation in a group of organisms. There is only one direct way to test whether it accomplishes this aim, and that is to sit down with the organisms yourself and see if the descriptions and keys match the plant(s) you have in your hand. If the monograph is done well, then it guides you through the variation, and lets you interpret the characters you are seeing. I remember the experience of sitting down with Irwin and Barneby's monograph of the Cassieae (1982) as I began to prepare the keys and descriptions of the group for Howard's Flora of the Lesser Antilles (1988). Irwin and Barneby's keys worked faultlessly; the descriptions matched precisely the specimens I had (and they were not the same collections that Barneby had seen). They discussed which characters were most important in their somewhat revisionist classification of the group, and I could go to the plants and see what they saw. It is the last that I think is the mark of a good monograph — the user can see what the taxonomist saw. Doubtless all of us have had the experience of using a bad monograph; the descriptions on the page bear little or no relation to the plants before you. A good monograph begins with a discussion of the characters used, and the pattern of variation in each. This is not primarily (or even at all) a simple list of characters and character states E la data matrix (see discussion below), but rather a narrative description of all the characters investigated and how they vary. A fabricated example follows: "Flowers are typically unisexual or bisexual; plants may be monoecious or dioecious. If monoecious, the flowers may be borne in a single inflorescence or separate inflorescences. Because of the large size of the plants, the latter condition may be mistaken for dioecy if the staminate and pistillate inflorescence end up on separate herbarium sheets. Dioecy appears to be more common at high altitudes and may also correlate with orange-spotted flowers. However, poor sampling among Andean specimens, especially in Colombia, makes this merely speculative."
This discussion not only lists the characters and character states, but also indicates how reliable they are. Such a discussion of characters also should include characters studied and found to be irrelevant for delimiting groups. For example (a nearly real one): "I have measured lodicule length on 95 specimens from throughout the range of the complex, and have found that the range of sizes within individuals was nearly as great as the range within the entire complex (0.7-1.1 mm). This character is therefore not used for species delimitation." A good monograph, then, is first and foremost a set of very precise descriptions, and a clear analysis of character variation. To put it in terms more familiar to the geneticist, it is the characterization of the phenotype. If the descriptions are poor, then the rest is nearly useless.
Judging the monograph or monographic proposal is difficult. NSF panels in my experience see very few bad proposals — proposals are almost uniformly good and competent, and the challenge is to choose those that seem to be better than most. Unfortunately, the best test of the monograph, i.e., comparison with the organisms themselves, is usually impossible for many reviewers or panel members. This means that the heart and soul of the monograph cannot be evaluated, and like many things for which there is no readily available currency, it may therefore be treated as worthless.
The fact that a group is in taxonomic disarray is not to me a compelling argument for funding. The nomenclatural history of many groups is complex. In fact, there are so many taxonomically problematical groups that this is almost irrelevant as a justification for a study. It seems more important to consider why the study group is interesting to systematists in general. In other words, if I had to choose between one proposal on Angiosperm Genus X (badly in need of revision) and another on Nematode Genus Y (also badly in need of revision), what might make me choose one over the other? Clearly, if one project not only revised the genus, but clarified some general biological question in the process, it would be preferred. What other criteria may be applied? What follows is a ranked list — the order of course is my own, and I hope readers of this will be inspired to disagree where they see fit. 1. Characters. The most obvious criterion is the discussion of the characters as described above. This indicates the analytical basis of the work. It also has the secondary benefit of showing how valuable the monograph will be for subsequent phylogenetic study, either by the monographer or someone else. If there are quantitative characters to be used, then I would want to see a discussion of multivariate statistical and/or phenetic techniques for evaluating them.
2. Species concepts. A discussion of species concept is important, although potentially dangerous, as many people have very strong opinions about species concepts; however, it is clearly important that a monographer be aware of the issues and of the potential impact of different concepts on her taxonomic decisions. In particular, if paraphyletic species (or metaspecies) are recognized, the circumscription of groups will be different from those in a monograph in which all species are expected to have synapomorphies.
3. Nomenclature. Names for the groups (especially species) are handy, in that they help to clarify the literature — it is useful after all to known that the names Koeleria nitida Nutt., K. cristata (L.) Pers., and K. macrantha (Ledeb.) Schultes all refer to the same plant (Arnow, Systematic Botany 19: 6-20. 1994). Nomenclature (as well as basic distribution data — see below) should be in a computerized database, even if nothing else in the monograph is. There is no reason to fill a modern monograph with pages of specimen citations, when a finder's list and a good geographic database will do the same job more efficiently. 4. Geographic information. Geographic information is useful for biogeographic studies, for conservation purposes, and for extracting florulas. Biogeography is often an intriguing aspect of the evolution of a group. However, most biogeographic questions require a good phylogeny. This means that if the monograph is going to take on biogeography, it will have to address the phylogeny first.
5. Computerization. This is a central criterion for any proposal in the PEET program, but should also be included in any monographic study. Character data, nomenclature, and geographic data need to be computerized. If the character data are included in a program such as ONLINE or DELTA that allows multiple-access keys, the need for dichotomous keys is avoided entirely and the work is more accessible to non-specialists.
6. Phylogeny. In my view (and here is where I may differ from many of my colleagues), a monograph without a phylogeny may still be useful. A "simple" description of species limits, if well done, is sufficient to provide names for ecologists, floristic lists for conservation biologists, and a guide to sampling for molecular systematists. In fact, if the character discussion is done carefully enough, a monograph provides the characters for the morphological cladogram, although this is rarely the case. (This may have to do with many botanical monographers not being cladists and vice versa, although there are some notable exceptions). It would be ideal if the character data from the monograph were in a computerized database, like the nomenclature and geographical information. In such a format, generation of a cladogram is straight-forward (although its interpretation may still be problematical!).
That said, a monograph with a phylogeny is far more useful than one without. The phylogeny is the first step in interpreting and generalizing the monographic results, and who better to interpret these than the monographer herself. Certainly if there is any hierarchical sub-structure proposed for the group, this must have a phylogenetic basis. If there is any biogeographic discussion, this too must be based on a phylogeny. In other words, a monograph without a phylogeny may be fine. A monograph with a phylogeny is better. From the point of view of NSF proposals, I would rate one with a good phylogenetic component higher than one without it.
The beauty of phylogenetic studies, of course, is that there are very clear criteria for evaluating them. We know quite a bit about how different characters and character states affect phylogenetic analysis, about algorithms, and the interpretation of phylogenies. Phylogenetic studies are thus easy to evaluate for funding or for publication because the systematics community has a set of yardsticks against which to measure them. Having a phylogeny helps answer the question of why a particular group should be monographed. It makes it easier to go beyond the particularities of the species descriptions to the generalities of evolutionary patterns and mechanisms. So a good phylogeny may strengthen an already-strong monograph. But if the basic character analysis and descriptions are poor, then, any phylogeny will be worse than useless. The descriptions are fundamental.
In conclusion, I hope that perhaps this essay may generate some discussion on standards for monographic work. If a monograph's quality can be measured, then it may ultimately be valued as highly as it should be — Elizabeth A. Kellogg, Harvard University Herbaria, 22 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Teaching Introductory Taxonomy: Product or Process? — In systematic biology, we have not always differentiated clearly between processes and the products that result from those processes. For example, we use the noun "classification" to refer to the two-step process of grouping individuals into taxa and ranking those taxa into a hierarchy (as in "classification involves the synthesis of diverse data"). The same noun is used to refer to the resulting hierarchy itself, i.e., the product of the classificatory process (as in "Cronquist's classification of the angiosperms"). This should not be surprising, given that for much of our history, classification has primarily been conducted in a highly subjective and largely intuitive fashion. Only in the last three decades, with the development of more explicit and objective methodologies for classification (phenetics first, then cladistics), have we come to appreciate the distinction between product and process.
In almost any academic subject, including plant taxonomy, course work typically emphasizes either the processes of that discipline or its products. For example, an English course might focus on the reading of great works of literature (i.e., products) by classic authors, or it might attempt to teach students the skills (i.e., processes) necessary to be a competent writer. Similarly, course work in fine arts may take the form of an "art appreciation" class, devoted to studying the works of past masters, or a drawing and painting class, where students hone their own skills in these areas. In education today, we are increasingly aware of the need for students at all levels to develop skills in critical thinking, logical analysis, and problem solving. In my opinion, these needs can best be met when course work emphasizes the processes of a discipline rather than its products.
I should note that I am here using the term "taxonomy" in the narrow sense, to refer to the discipline that covers classification, nomenclature, identification, and description, as opposed to the broader term "systematics," which also includes the study of evolution and phylogeny. Whether introductory courses should take the narrow or the broad perspective is a separate question from that addressed here. It is my impression that most do focus solely on taxonomy, reserving study of the broader aspects for non-introductory students. Given this, I pose the question: which is the more appropriate orientation for such a course, products or processes?
As it now stands, introductory undergraduate courses in plant taxonomy typically focus solely on the products of our discipline, while the actual processes by which those products are created are reserved for study in more advanced courses. At most universities and colleges in the USA, the introductory plant taxonomy course includes instruction in the rudiments of botanical nomenclature, the use of a dichotomous key to identify plants, and a survey of vascular plant diversity. The last typically emphasizes the angiosperms and often entails the memorization of major morphological characteristics for as many as 100 families. Such a course deals almost exclusively with taxonomic products: a codified system of names and ranks, seemingly carved in stone; a set of keys, already written; and a comprehensive classification that makes it appear that taxonomists already have it all figured out. True, there are often small nods towards the processes and procedures of our discipline. Students may be asked to write a key of their own (though this often involves tableware or nuts-and-bolts rather than plants). They may even be issued plant presses and required to prepare a labelled collection of herbarium specimens from the local area. But the essential core of taxonomy — classification — remains a total mystery to the neophyte. Only later, he or she is told, will one learn how taxonomists create classifications. The problem with this, as I see it, is that most students, even those bound for graduate study in the biological sciences, will only take one systematics course in their academic career. Thus, they will only be familiar with the products of our discipline, not its processes. I suggest that this is entirely backwards. For the long-term health of systematics as a discipline, and in order to develop students' critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, this sequence should be reversed. I advocate that even our most introductory courses contain a healthy dose of data gathering and especially data analysis as part of the curriculum. It is no secret to anyone in our community that plant taxonomy often suffers what may be described as an "image problem," not only among academic colleagues outside biology, but even among other plant biologists. Our discipline is sometimes perceived as being badly dated, non-dynamic, intellectually non-stimulating, and of little relevance to modern biology. Many seem to think that the job of classifying the world's biota is complete, and that taxonomists spend their days merely raking over old hay. Our worst detractors may even hurl that most disparaging of accusations, that taxonomy is "not science." The danger of these perceptions is that they can lead to taxonomy being viewed as expendable. And when taxonomy as a discipline is expendable, it becomes very easy to justify reduced funding for taxonomic research, the filling of vacant systematics positions with non-systematists, and the closing and disposal of herbaria. Has anyone ever stopped to consider the origin of these perceptions? Where do colleagues in other academic disciplines form their opinions of plant taxonomy? I doubt that they spend much time perusing the latest issue of Systematic Botany or browsing TAXACOM. I suspect that for most, their sole exposure to botanical systematics was through an introductory undergraduate course such as the one described above. If so, then they have never had the opportunity to see taxonomy as a dynamic process-oriented synthetic discipline. Rather, they only recall that they spent hours trying to remember how many stamens the Cruciferae have, whether the ovary of Prunus is inferior or superior, or the differences between mints and scrophs. To them, classification is not something to be done, but something that has been done. I like to think that perceptions might be different if even our beginning students and non-science majors had the opportunity to actually experience the processes, the procedures, of taxonomy. There are any number of ways that this might be approached. A recently published college textbook (Stuessy, T. F. 1994. Case Studies in Plant Taxonomy: Exercises in Applied Pattern Recognition, Columbia University Press, New York) provides one possibility. Though originally intended for use in advanced systematics courses, the exercises it contains are readily adaptable to the needs of beginning and non-major students. Another recent publication (Crisci, J. V., et al. 1993. Order and Diversity in the Living World; see "Book Reviews"), though intended for elementary and secondary schools, also provides ideas that could readily be adapted for undergraduates. Generated organisms such as the "Caminalcules," "Dendrogrammaceae," and "Cookophytes" also provide opportunities for the creative instructor. The important thing is that students have the opportunity to actively gather data and then interpret it in some fashion.
Imagine a class of students who have done this, and then had the opportunity to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their respective classifications. Will they view classification as a thing already worked out, as a "done deal?" Or will they perhaps get a glimpse of the "unending synthesis" that is taxonomy, and begin to understand that taxonomy is a vital, dynamic, intellectually stimulating discipline, of value to all biology, with much work left to be done? Will they be content to accept information as it is handed to them, or will they be better able to think critically, to analyze diverse situations, to solve problems?
Some may suggest that it would take a great deal of preparatory botanical study before a student could profit from such an approach. I disagree. As it is, students in the conventional course described above already spend a great deal of time learning the basic morphological terminology necessary for a survey of angiosperm diversity. The coverage of such basic material could be largely unchanged. The only change would be in the purpose of such coverage: to enable students to gather and analyze data meaningfully, rather than to assist them in the memorization of familial characters.
Some will argue that there are many students (field ecologists and interpretive naturalists, for example) who truly need to learn to recognize major plant families and important elements of the local flora as part of their botanical training. I could not agree more. However, I do believe that this sort of course — a survey of angiosperm diversity — would be appropriate as a follow-up course in our discipline, rather than as the fundamental introduction.
Let me emphasize that my comments are not intended to denigrate how we have done things in the past; as I stated in the opening paragraph, it is only in recent years that we have begun to explicitly articulate our methodologies in our own minds. Rather, it is a call for discussion in our community on how we can best serve the needs of those students who come to us for an "exposure" to taxonomy.
The development of new approaches to classification, as well as the incorporation of molecular-level information in our collective data set, has had a truly invigorating effect on our discipline. What I advocate is simply that this excitement and vitality be conveyed to our students at all academic levels, not just the more advanced — Thomas G. Lammers, Department of Botany, Center for Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL 60605-2496, USA. (e-mail: lammers@fmnh785.fmnh.org).
Responses to either commentary are invited. There will be space in the January 1995 newsletter to print some of your reactions — Editor.
The Kansas Plant Database (KPD), produced jointly by the R. L. McGregor Herbarium and the Kansas Biological Survey at the University of Kansas, contains 111,000 records of herbarium label data of vascular plants in Kansas. Vouchers of these specimens are housed at the R. L. McGregor Herbarium (KANU). The KPD will be available for interactive access in the future, but in the interim, queries may be directed via e-mail to: kanu@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu.
Additional information about the database (fields, table structure, etc.) can be obtained by sending requests for such information to the same e-mail address given above. Please include in your e-mail query the following: Your e-mail address, your institutional street address, a brief explanation of the use to which the information obtained from the KPD will be put, a statement that you will properly attribute your data source in any publication that might result from your work, and your query. The R. L. McGregor Herbarium and the Kansas Biological Survey are committed to the ideal of scientific openness as long as endangered species or other sensitive taxa are in no way compromised.
During this initial stage of implementation, there may be a 24-hour to several-day delay between the submission of a query and the return of data because we are conducting quality control on a query by query basis as a check of our system. The KPD consists of seven linked tables, maintained in a DOS environment using Paradox for Windows (Borland) as the database management system. Queries are performed using the query-by-example features of Paradox. Examples of regularly asked questions are: What is the distribution of a particular taxon within Kansas? How many taxa have been collected in a particular Kansas county? Which taxa have been reported in county A but not in county B? What species were collected by a given collector during a given period? Etc.
Query replies will be returned as ASCII files via e-mail to your specified address, or as Paradox for Windows version 1.0 reports on disk, or as hard copy. Data returns are free of charge, except in the case of exceptionally large query results, in which case there may be a small handling fee. Please direct any other queries to: Meredith A. Lane, Director, R. L. McGregor Herbarium, 2045 Constant Ave., Campus West, University of Kansas, Lawrence KS 66047-3729, USA. (telephone: 913/ 864-4493 or 864-7364; fax: 913/ 864-5298 or -5294; e-mail: mlane@kuhub. cc. ukans.edu).
According to The Washington Post (29 August 1994), the U.S. Congress is venturing onto the Internet. In the past year, approximately 40 representatives and 30 senators have acquired Internet addresses and an equal number of legislators and legislative committees are in the process of acquiring them. The House and Senate have separate programs to get their members on-line. Both, however, now maintain Gopher Servers to provide press releases, biographical details, and other information. Representatives who wish to be included in the House Gopher are obligated to find a university in their home district that will give them an account and then store the information they want to provide in that university's database. The Senate does not require members to have university accounts. The e-mail addresses of two congressional committees that may be of interest to ASPT readers are: Committee on Natural Resources (e-mail: natres@hr.house.gov) and Committee on Science, Space and Technology (e-mail: housesst@hr.house.gov). The former committee is currently chaired by Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the latter one by Rep. George E. Brown, Jr. (D-CA).
The Limbe Botanic Garden and Genetic Resources Project (Kew/O.D.A./Government of Cameroon) — The Limbe Project consists of two forest reserves (gazetting underway) in South-West Cameroon: the most species-rich area in West Tropical Africa. The aim of the project is to conserve the genetic diversity of the reserves and aid in their research, and to promote the need for conservation of biodiversity.
The Mabeta-Moliwe Reserve at the foot of Mount Cameroon consists of about 36 km2 of lowland forest, extending from mangrove at sea-level to low hills reaching 400 m elevation and including numerous permanent streams, ridges, and swamp forest. It is a classical collecting locality of Schlechter and two monotypic angiosperm genera, Oxygyne (Burmanniaceae) and Neoschumannia (Asclepiadaceae) are believed to be endemic to the area. The reserve is under pressure from farming. The Etinde Reserve consists of about 300 km2 of largely untouched natural vegetation extending unbroken up Mount Cameroon from lowland forest at about 200 m elevation, through lower montane, to upper montane and Elfin Forest to heath vegetation, and then grassland at the summit (4095 m elevation). The Etinde Reserve is unique in Africa in possessing this unbroken range of vegetation. Lava flows are produced intermittently. The four of this century are in different stages of recolonization. Management and research for the reserves is coordinated from the Limbe Botanic Garden midway between them. The botanic garden was founded by Dr. Preuss in 1892 as a center for plant research and largely with commercial exploitation in mind. Several important crop plants and some weeds were introduced into tropical Africa through the botanic garden. Until 1988, when the project started, the garden was in a poor state. The garden, its plantings, and facilities are now revitalized. As a research base for the reserves it offers an air-conditioned and well-maintained library and herbarium (ca. 600 identified specimens are incorporated and it is rapidly being expanded with plants from the reserves). For visiting scientists it offers recently renovated, air-conditioned self-catering accommodation at a nominal rate and the possibility of transport by Land-Rover to the reserves with the work teams.
The project offers an excellent opportunity for the study of West African biology. The management of the project are interested particularly in receiving those interested inbotanical inventory, ecology, and taxonomic studies. Please contact Dr. Martin Cheek if you are interested or need other information — Dr. Martin Cheek, Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, England.
Wanted — Taxonomists as Principal Investigators — In the late 1960s I joined forces with an Indian botanist, C. J. Saldanha, to raise money and do the Flora of the Hassan District (1976), which proved to be a wonderful experience for all involved. I would like to hear from members of the new generation who would be interested in joining active workers to (1) complete the Flora of Pakistan, or (2) do a Flora of Kerala (the old Malabar Coast). American funding opportunities exist. If you think that you are interested, please contact me as soon as possible: Dan H. Nicolson, Department of Botany, MRC-166, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA. (e-mail: mnhbo061@sivm.si.edu).
Misael Acosta-Solis (1910-1994), well-known for his contributions to botany in his native Ecuador, died in Quito on 15 April 1994.
Prof. Silvia M. Botta (1942-1994) of the Instituto de Bot nica Darwinion, San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina, died on 25 July 1994 after a short illness. She was a specialist in the Verbenaceae.
Dr. Mary Beth Cosner died on 22 June 1994 at the age of 35. She received BS degrees in General Studies and Horticulture at Capital University and Ohio State University. Mary Beth completed a masters degree in Botany in 1988 at Ohio State working on allozyme variation in Coreopsis (Asteraceae). In 1993 she received her PhD, also at Ohio State. Her dissertation research, which was funded by an NSF Doctoral Dissertation Grant, focused on characterizing very complex structural rearrangements in the chloroplast genomes of the Campanulaceae. While at Ohio State, Mary Beth received several honors, including the prestigious University Presidential Fellowship and the Butler Award for the outstanding graduate doctoral student in Plant Biology. She was a postdoctoral fellow in Biology at Indiana University at the time of her death. Mary Beth will be missed by everyone who knew and interacted with her. She was a very important member of both of our laboratories and she leaves many good memories for all of us. Her honesty, good sense of humor, and willingness to help others benefited everyone. A fund has been established in Mary Beth's name to honor graduate students in Plant Biology at Ohio State University. Contributions should be made out to the "M. E. Cosner Memorial Fund" and sent to either of us — Daniel J. Crawford, Department of Plant Biology, Ohio State University, 1735 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, USA & Robert K. Jansen, Department of Botany, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78713, USA.
Karl U. Kramer (1928-1994), Professor of Botany at the Universit>=t Z&tm;rich, Z&tm;rich, Switzerland since 1974, died of a brain tumor on 11 July 1994. He had been ill for several months. Dr. Kramer was born in Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany on 17 October 1928 and studied with Rolla and Alice Tryon at the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University. He worked in Utrecht, The Netherlands from 1970 until 1974, when he obtained a PhD from the Rijksuniversiteit (with a monograph of the fern genus Lindsaea and allied genera in the New World). He later produced a series of floristic monographs for Lindsaea and its allies in various regions of the Old World.
Frank White (1927-1994), for many years curator of the Fielding-Druce Herbarium, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, died on 12 September 1994. White made significant contributions to the botany of tropical Africa. He also published extensively on the Meliaceae and Ebenaceae world-wide.
Banks, R. E. R., B. Elliott, J. G. Hawkes, D. King-Hale, & G. Ll. Lucas. 1994. Sir Joseph Banks: A Global Perspective. The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, England. (telephone: [44] 81/ 332 5219; fax: [44] 81/ 332 5278). ISBN 0-947643-61-3. Paper. Pp. ii + 235, illus. £12, plus postage & handling.
Joseph Banks and Thomas Jefferson, born the same year, 1743, left no botanical classic but both sent off expeditions, enhanced our gardens, and, so importantly, in the face of wars and national fervor, encouraged an international perspective. The global interests of Banks were celebrated in 1993 by a commemorative conference hosted by the Royal Society and six other sponsors. We now read an attractive, excellent, documented (and indexed!) book. This introduction to what excited Banks includes: his nation's worldwide expeditions, his intuitive choices for the best man for the post, a vision for Kew, and the give and take among the colonies. The reader will be rewarded by succinct generally well written synopses of Bank's far-flung enthusiasms: Iceland; Swedish and French connections; New South Wales — after all it might have been called "Banksia"; the first insects out of Australia; Africa — Banks and Solander sniffed the Cape flora and hankered to see more; Britain's policy toward Asia — a provocative question; the role of the Empire as custodian of the prizes captured by Cook; horticultural — new fruits and o'erwhelming orchids, improved glasshouses, and the first rock garden in Britain at the Chelsea Physic Garden, etc.; "New World science," mostly after Banks, with John Cleves Symmes's "holes in the Poles" and that "obliging Englishman" James "Smithsonian"; rescuing Aim!= Bonpland; the overlooked earth sciences — masterfully mined; physical sciences, and the "world of art in Great Britain"; the roles of Banks in Derbyshire and Lincolnshire, even remembering Banks's mother's battered copy of Gerald's Herball! If you think Banks is a wornout subject, you will read on with this "perspective." Too, you may concur with Harold Carter's thought-provoking invocation. Then reread the lucid history left by John Beaglehole. Relish, meanwhile, the best composite biography by twenty assayists of the incomparable global Joseph Banks — Joseph Ewan, Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299, USA.
Bhatla, Satish C. 1994. Moss Protonema Differentiation. Research Studies Press Ltd., 24 Belvedere Rd., Taunton, Somerset TA1 1HD, England. Available from: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10158, USA. (telephone: 212/ 850-6336). ISBN 0-471-94438-6. Cloth. Pp. xviii + 296, illus. $79.95, plus postage & handling.
Satish C. Bhatla has succeeded in providing a book that gives insight into the structural development of protonema. He explains the events of protonema differentiation at an ultrastructural, physiological, biochemical, and molecular level. Dr. Bhatla has provided a text by which invaluable studies of numerous investigators have been compiled. The book is well organized and readable. Knowledge of the reader is not assumed and before the more technical text is presented, background information on the given topic is supplied. As such, this book proves to be invaluable to both student and researcher. The text consists of 254 pages, with a comprehensive reference section consisting of 36 pages. The book is written with an introduction and ten chapters. Each chapter is divided into sections in which related topics are addressed. Numerous figures and tables enrich the book. In addition, at the end of each chapter, Bhatla includes a well-written summary. This format contributes to the comprehensibleness of the text of this publication.
The text of Moss Protonema Differentiation is divided according to basic topics. The first three chapters deal with the structural aspects of differentiation. Chapters four through seven are devoted to the mechanisms of light and growth regulating substances in protonema growth and differentiation. Chapters eight and nine involve discussions on the molecular events associated with protonema development. Chapter ten is devoted to concluding remarks. In this chapter, Bhatla ties together all aspects of the book in a neat and concise summary.
Below, a summary of the material covered in each chapter is provided:
Chapter one deals with spore anatomy, spore germination, and an analysis of the various factors (i.e., the effects of light, pH, calcium gradients, auxins, and the role of the microtubular system) affecting spore germination.
Chapter two covers studies of rhizoid formation, growth habit of protonema, the structural aspects of the chloronema apical cell, photoregulation or chloronematal growth, the mechanism of chloronematal extension, and the structure and development of tmema cells.
Chapter three provides an understanding into the structure and development of caulonematal filaments. Details are given about the caulonema apical cells at the ultrastructural level, and the gradients exhibited in organelle distribution as differentiation occurs. In this chapter, the mechanisms of apical cell division, side branch formation, and finally bud formation are addressed. Chapter four deals solely with the effects of light and gravity on protonema orientation. The chapter describes the involvement of phytochrome and the influence of blue light on phototropism in protonema. Also included in this chapter are analyses of the perception, storage, and transduction of light, and the gravitropic mechanisms in protonema.
Chapter five provides a thorough analysis on the role auxins play in the regulation of caulonema differentiation. Investigations are cited that studied: the influence of exogenous auxin on specific cultures of mosses, the various mechanisms used in regulating endogenous auxin levels, and the role mutant strains of Funaria hygrometrica and Physcomitrella patens play in auxin studies.
Chapter six provides evidence of cAMP involvement in the maintenance of the chloronematal developmental stage. Experimental data in studies using both exogenous cAMP and endogenous cAMP provide documentation of the role of cAMP as a morphoregulator.
Chapter seven contributes insights into the role cytokinins play on caulonematal cells, and the effect that their presence has on initiating bud formation.
Chapter eight is devoted to the subcellular effects of cytokinin on target caulonematal cells during bud formation. This includes the possible role that the calcium-calmodulin complex plays during the bud formation stage.
Chapter nine describes the roles that nucleic acids and protein synthesis play in relation to protonema differentiation. This includes evidence on the existence of specific chloronematal and caulonematal proteins.
Chapter ten is entitled "Concluding Remarks." As previously mentioned, this chapter summarizes the previous nine chapters in a concise and relevant manner.
Bhatla's Moss Protonema Differentiation is a well-written reference/textbook that can be used by both student and established researcher. Bhatla's objective of providing a book by which a compilation of available information on protonema differentiation could be appreciated is certainly met in this long-needed publication — Madeline Micceri Mignone, Department of Biological Sciences, CUNY Lehmann College, Bronx, NY 10468, USA.
Crisci, Jorge V., Joseph D. McInerney, & Patricia J. McWethy. 1993. Order & Diversity in the Living World: Teaching Taxonomy & Systematics in Schools. National Association of Biology Teachers, 11250 Roger Bacon Dr. #19, Reston, VA 22090, USA. (telephone: 703/ 471-1134; fax: 703/ 435-5582). ISBN 0-941212-11-4. Paper. Pp. vii + 89, illus. $12, plus $2 postage & handling.
Book Summary: This book is divided into three concise chapters:
"Why Teach Order & Diversity in the Living World?," "What Questions do Systematists ask?," and "The Goals of Education in Systematics." These chapters are followed by a short glossary, reference section, and appendix. The appendix makes up over half the volume and consists of activities for children ages 6-12 yrs. and for children ages 13-16 yrs.
Chapter One is divided into four parts: "The Current Social Context for Teaching Systematics," "Why We Should Value Biodiversity," "Why Should We Value Systematics," and "Systematics and the Nature of Scientific Inquiry." In part one, the authors state that society faces two convergent crises: "a marked lack of biological literacy and a rapid increase in environmental degradation." A decrease of the rate of environmental degradation, however, can only come about through the awareness that the biotic and abiotic resources on earth are finite, and a shift from consumption to conservation with regard to these resources. The authors emphasize that in biology, there is no more important concept than biological diversity. We thus share a responsibility in becoming familiar with the scope of biodiversity, how living organisms interact with each other and with abiotic resources, and the role major groups of organisms play in the biosphere.
Part two cogently explains why the conservation of biodiversity is important to humans. Utilitarian, scientific, and ethical reasons are presented with key references cited. The general importance of systematics and how it relates to other fields of research is discussed in part three. "The fundamental product of systematics, a classificatory system of living organisms, is an immensely useful system for information storage and retrieval." Without a classification system no organism can be discussed or treated in a scientific way. Several major and currently expanding fields, such as conservation, environmental monitoring, agriculture, biotechnology, and geological prospecting are becoming increasingly dependent upon the information provided by systematics.
Systematics falls within the realm of the hypothetico-deductive model of scientific inquiry through experimental and nonexperimental applications. Part four focuses on the nonexperimental approaches in systematics. Although, experimental applications increase the validity of results by manipulation of experimental units and incorporation of various techniques such as: control, randomization, replication, reproducibility; nonexperimental applications can provide strong explanatory value. For example, the strength of a classification can be measured over time by its stability, robustness, and predictive value.
Chapter Two is divided into three parts: "What is the Current State of Biological Diversity?," "What is the Current Rate of Extinction?," and "How Can We Organize Life's Diversity?" In part one, the authors state that the known biodiversity on this planet is about 1.4 million living organisms. Table 1 is very informative, and lists the kingdoms, their common names, and number of species described for each.
Estimates of total diversity are given at about 30 million. This number is based upon canopy studies in the Peruvian Amazon rain forest. The authors agree that the upper limit of total diversity falls somewhere between 5 and 30 million. The conservation of biological diversity is underscored by estimates of the amounts of genetic information that is found within a given species. A species is composed of a number of individual populations that display complex patterns of geographic variation and genetic polymorphism. However, as ancestral populations are annihilated, extant populations of a given species become genetically more homogeneous and susceptible to extinction.
In part two, the authors agree that, although biologists do not know what the extinction rate is, they intuitively know that "extinction is proceeding at a rate far greater than that prior to 1800." Scientists also know that one cannot calculate the extinction rate accurately unless one can estimate total diversity. Accurate organismal inventories can only be made if environmental pressures exerted upon our most threatened and least explored elements of biological diversity are relaxed. However, as the authors point out, "the problem of conservation is exacerbated by the lack of knowledge and paucity of ongoing research." "Thus our opportunity to learn about the diversity of life may slip away forever."
Part three emphasizes the importance of scientific names and the hierarchical system that they represent. Biological nomenclature and the rules that govern it, are the basic tools for biological research and information exchange. Biological nomenclature has two components: (1) a hierarchical system of taxonomic ranks, and (2) a method and codes of naming the taxonomic groups.
In Chapter Three, the authors conclude that an understanding of systematics and its role in maintaining diversity is an important goal in biological education. In part one of this chapter, the authors indicate that, "the present curriculum often fails to foster biological insight, reasoning and problem solving and fails to emphasize interactive activities." An appropriate curriculum mandates that the children learn by doing, and thus must get involved in the process of doing systematics. Curriculum standards are listed for elementary (6-12 yrs.) and secondary (13-18 yrs.) age-group levels. These standards seem to advance in complexity as chronological age increases.
Activities in the appendix are divided into the following general sections: objectives, materials, advance preparation, teaching strategies, procedures, conclusions and follow-up, and references.
Critique: This book is a fine reference for science teachers who are aware of the kinds of age-appropriate materials that are best for their individual classrooms. The introductory chapters are informative, useful, and appropriate for our political times. However, the book lacks depth in the following areas. First, the authors neglect to address the curriculum needs of pre-school children. Education does not begin at six years of age! At these young and tender years our children's enthusiasm for nature can be enhanced. Furthermore, learning patterns are formulated at these early years making this time a most important one for these children. Perhaps the first four curriculum standards listed for the 6-12 yr. olds could be incorporated as such for the pre-schoolers.
Second, some of the curriculum standards listed for the elementary school children are age inappropriate (e.g., distinguish nonliving from living). At this level, more emphasis should be given to learning simple organismal classification schemes and the ecological relationships between and among organisms. With this information the students will create a foundation that will enable them to see themselves as part of Earth's biodiversity, and that biodiversity is a part of everyday life. Finally, more technical activities should have been given to the secondary school and pre-college students, emphasizing the historical background of systematics, differences in methodological approaches, and computer skills. The appendix makes up the bulk of the volume and is by far the strength of this book. The appendix has only two activities for elementary students (6-12 yrs.), and several activities for secondary and pre-college students (13-18 yrs.). I find these activities extremely interesting, very informative, and fun to do. The reviewer actually performed each activity. For the older and mature students, I recommend D. R. Brooks et al.'s Principles and Methods of Phylogenetic Systematics: A Cladistics Workbook (University of Kansas Publications, 1984), which can be obtained from the Publications Secretary, Museum of Natural History, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA. I also recommend DELTA software for those students who want to try to construct a key using a computer. This software is available through: DELTA, CSIRO Division of Entomology, GPO Box 1700, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia — D. Adamski, Systematic Entomology Laboratory, PSI, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, c/o National Museum of Natural History, NHB-127, Washington, DC 20560, USA.
Haynes, Robert R. & Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen. 1994. The Alismataceae. Flora Neotropica Monograph 64: 1-112. Scientific Publications, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458-5126, USA. (telephone: 718/ 817-8721). ISBN 0-89327-387-2. ISSN 0071-5794. Paper. Illus. $17.50, plus postage & handling. This monograph was written by two well-known specialists in aquatic plants, who have for a number of years collected in the Flora Neotropica region and who have had the opportunity to consult the principal herbaria that have important collections of the area treated. Included in this monograph are the most species rich genera of the Alismataceae, Echinodorus and Sagittaria. The American genus Echinodorus consists of 26 species, which are principally distributed in low and hot regions, and which are studied in their totality in this monograph. The genus Sagittaria, second in importance with respect to the number of species in the Alismataceae, is found in tropical as well as temperate regions. In this monograph, the authors include a little more than half of the species, excluding those that occur exclusively in the colder and more northern areas. The monograph is richly illustrated and the illustrations include the details that are essential for the identification of species, such as the achenes (with their glands, ribs, wings, stylar projection), trichomes, leaf shape, rachis, filaments, etc. In the case of the genus Echinodorus, they also illustrate the pellucid dots that are present on the leaves (observable only with back lighting), and which are important for distinguishing subspecies; however, some of the drawings are too light to be able to distinguish these marks. The work of these specialists is critical and resolved a large number of nomenclatural problems that existed, especially in the genus Echinodorus. At the very least, the monograph of the Alismataceae will serve as a fundamental reference for collectors and those interested in aquatic plants of this important floristic region and as a reference point for future studies on the systematics of the family. Finally, it only remains for me to congratulate the authors for their extensive and well done contribution and hope that we will see more treatments of this quality for other families of aquatic plants — Alejandro Novelo R., Departamento de Bot nica, Instituto de Biologia, Universidad Nacional Autcentsnoma de M!=xico, Apartado Postal 70-233, M!=xico, D.F. 04510, Mexico.
Hesse, M., E. Pacini, & M. T. M. Willemse (eds.). 1993. The Tapetum. Cytology, Function, Biochemistry and Evolution. Plant Systematics and Evolution, Suppl. 7: vii + 152. Springer-Verlag KG, Sachsenplatz 4-6, P.O. Box 89, A-1201 Wien, Austria (telephone: [43] 222/ 330 24 15-0; fax: [43] 222/ 330 24 26) or Springer-Verlag, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010, USA. ISSN 0172-6668. ISBN 3-211-82486-3 (Wien). ISBN 0-387-82486-3 (New York). Cloth. Illus., incl. color. DM 170 (or reduced price for subscribers to Plant Systematics and Evolution, DM 153). The tapetum, a peculiar plant tissue forming the inner tier of the anther around sporogenous tissue, is the topic of this supplementary volume of Plant Systematics and Evolution. The volume is based on a symposium that was held during the 8th International Palynological Congress in 1992. The main focus of the 12 articles is on the cytology and function of tapetum, with little on its biochemistry, and none on its evolution. The volume is exhaustively full of descriptive data, as well as good electron micrographs on the ontogeny and diversity of tapetal development. In addition, it encompasses numerous cytological techniques for the study of the tapetum.
The opening article by Pancini and Frachi provides an excellent comparative review on tapetal contributions to the male gametophyte in the various classes of the Plant Kingdom, as well as on the origin, composition, and function of pollenkitt. Several articles describe various aspects of tapetal metamorphosis during microsporogenesis. Ciampolini et al. report on transformation phases taking place in the organelles of tapetal cells of Cucurbita pepo (Curcurbitaceae). They recognized 12 stages and named them according to their synchrony with pollen grain developmental stages. The secretory and nourishing nature of the tapetal cells is elucidated by Rowley in a diverse group of taxa. He emphasizes the cytological characteristics of the hypersecretory phase in each of these taxa. In describing the succession of events, he uses the term "undifferentiated" to refer to a stage of activity in the tapetal cells; his usage is incongruent with the traditional application of the term. Using various techniques of immunolabeling and cytochemistry, Testillano et al. provide a description of nuclear activities in tapetal cells during their life history in Scilla (Hyacinthaceae) and Capsicum (Solanaceae).
Rasolonjatovo and his colleagues discuss the effect of 2,4-D, an herbicide, on the pattern of protein production in tapetal cells of Tradescantia bracteata (Commelinaceae). They conclude that the effect of 2,4-D on pollen quality is induced by its effect on tapetum. According to Beerhues et al., the tapetum is also responsible for the pigmentation of pollen grains since they are the source of some of the enzymes that catalyze the synthesis of flavonoids. Pollen grains that are deficient in flavonoids are functionally sterile due to their inability to produce germ tubes.
It appears that the male gametophyte is protected from direct gene transfer by the presence of nucleases on the surface of pollen walls. Jardinaud et al. examined the surfaces of pollen and tapetum of Tradescantia paludosa and Brassica napus (Brassicaceae) and found nucleases on both. These hydrolytic enzymes originate from both the tapetum and male gametophyte. The ultrastructure of orbicules, referred to earlier in the literature as Ubisch bodies, is well presented and discussed in Cl!=ment and Audran. The function of these minuscule structures, usually less than five microns in diameter, remains a mystery, although Rowley (in the same volume) suspects that they "provide a specialized form of transfer of substances from tapetal cell to the locule and microspore."
For a small volume, it is exceptionally opulent with new and improved techniques for the study of plant tissue via electron microscopy. Although the heterogenous composition of pollenkitt has been established by chromatography, Hesse shows the spatial configuration of the lipid composition by using a gray-level discrimination in an Energy Filtering TEM (EFTEM). The finale of the volume is a review of the latest wonders in cyto-techniques by Hesse and Hess where they parade an array of new procedures that improve ultrastructural preservation and substance localization. They claim that enhanced fixation preserves delicate tapetal cells in their secretory phase. As a result, they were able to demonstrate that the traditional distinction of tapetum into secretory and amoeboid types is an artificial categorization.
Although this work represents a good attempt to enrich the literature on a subject that is scarcely investigated, it falls short on a few points. Some of the papers lack clear focus and a well-defined conceptual framework. This is rather obvious in their descriptive nature and the absence of stated goals. Furthermore, introductory sections among various papers are verbose, somewhat redundant, and do not present a good synthesis of the literature. A few authors seem to have not been aware of the recent findings of their colleagues, and therefore, discussed some outdated data in their articles. The volume is poorly edited and could have benefited from a better organization of topics — Mones S. Abu-Asab, c/o Department of Botany, NHB-166, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560-0001, USA.
Kubitzki, K., J. G. Rohwer, & V. Bittrich (eds.). 1993. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. II. Flowering Plants. Dicotyledons. Magnoliid, Hamamelid, and Caryophyllid Families. Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010, USA. (telephone: 212/ 460-1500). Please send orders to: Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., Order Department B106, P.O. Box 2485, Secaucus, NJ 07096-2491, USA. (telephone: 800/ 777-4643; fax: 201/ 348-4505). ISBN 0-387-55509-9. Pp. x + 653, illus. $329, plus postage & handling.
The previous "families and genera plantarum" was written a century ago. Hutchinson published two volumes of a "genera plantarum" in 1960 and 1964, but unfortunately he did not live to complete the work. Kubitzki, who is a leading plant taxonomist, has now undertaken the task with the aid of family specialists from various countries, and editors, reviewers, and additional help from others. It is appropriate that the book is in English since this is now the first or second language of most taxonomists.
Volume II treats 73 families in the Magnoliidae, Hamamelidae, and Caryophyllidae. Kubitzki does not consider these taxa monophyletic entities, but as a frame of reference. He provides an outline of his proposed classification of the families up to the rank of superorder, but the families are alphabetically arranged in the text, allowing the specialists to express their opinions as to the proper positions of the families. Within families the genera are arranged according to their purported relationships.
In the general introduction, Kubitzki discusses the different opinions on circumscription and relationships of taxa of taxonomists who have attempted an overview of the system at the family level and above. They accept 250 to in excess of 500 families. The subclass is the only category above the rank of order that has come into general use, so it is used as a yardstick for the allocation of the more than 300 dicot families for this project. Perhaps three more dicot volumes and one monocot volume are required. He introduces the Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae. He concludes that progress in the field of angiosperm classification and evolution will greatly profit from comparisons between conflicting, or at least complementary, models, rather than focusing exclusively on a single concept such as the ranalean hypothesis. The Caryophyllidae are introduced in the next chapter. This is followed by one on a chemosystematic overview of the subclasses by three authors. Then there are general references on classification, phylogeny and evolution, vegetative structures, reproductive structures, pollen morphology and embryology, karyology, and chemosystematics. In addition, at the end of each family treatment there is an ample selected bibliography.
Each family treatment begins with a general description. It is followed by sections on vegetative morphology, vegetative anatomy, inflorescence structures, flower structure, embryology, pollen morphology, karyology, pollination, fruit and seed, dispersal, reproductive systems, phytochemistry, subdivisions of the family, affinities, distribution and habitats, paleobotany, economic importance, and sometimes sections on ultrastructure, biotic association, characters occurring in relatively few genera, and conservation. Then there are keys to subfamilies and tribes, if any, and to genera, and finally there are concise diagnostic descriptions of the genera. These differ in length depending on the size and range of variation of the genus. Each family treatment contains very good analytical drawings, taken from various sources, some original, showing most of the diagnostic characters of the family. The legends are written so as to facilitate understanding the characters shown. Occasionally there are SEM images of pollen, or photographs of habit and habitat. One figure shows the distribution of the Winteraceae. The figures total 140.
The book is expensive, but it is worth the price. It contains a wealth of information. Also, the publisher has done an excellent job in the production of the book. It is quarto size, double columned, and the printing, paper, and binding are excellent. Only once in a century does a person have the ability, will, and facilities to bring all the factors together to produce a book of this sort. I trust Kubitzki will be able to complete the project./Aaron Goldberg, c/o Department of Botany, NHB-166, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560-0001, USA.
Mickel, John T. 1994. Ferns for American Gardens. Macmillan Publishing Company, 866 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022, USA. ISBN 0-02-584491-1. Cloth. Pp. xii + 370, illus. (incl. color). $60 ($77.95 in Canada), plus postage & handling. Ornamental plant cultivation is one of the most popular activities in many American homes, whether it be growing plants in pots or in gardens. Frequently, ferns or fern allies in cultivation are indoor plants, and for them several manuals are available such as Foster's Ferns to Know and Grow (1971) and Hoshizaki's Fern Growers Manual (1979). For those interested in gardening outdoors with ferns in temperate areas, however, information on how to grow these plants or what features different species display has been scarce. This book answers those questions and more. Mickel's book will allow a wider and wiser use of ferns in American gardens.
The experience of the author, both as a pteridologist and a fern grower, is reflected in this authoritative book. The book is organized in six major parts, each accompanied by beautiful photographs and drawings. Commentaries based on the experience of the author give a personal touch that I consider very important; reading this book was like visiting again in company with the author the living fern collection at The New York Botanical Garden. An introduction gives the history of fern gardening, which goes back to mid-nineteenth century Britain; it also briefly deals with the nomenclature of species and their variants. The first chapter introduces fern structures, where each part of the fern is briefly described and reference is made to their features as ornamentals. Since ferns are appreciated for their foliage, this chapter presents a clear description of the variation found in leaves. It is also in this chapter that the characteristics of fern allies and water ferns are mentioned. The second chapter deals with cultivation, where information is provided on caring for hardy ferns, and for landscaping. The latter includes a list of flowering plant companions. This chapter also encourages gardeners to test the hardiness of new species, always taking into account the conservation of wild populations. The third chapter gives information on propagation, both vegetative and sexual. For the latter, a brief explanation of the fern life cycle is given. This chapter also details the care of spores, gametophytes, and young sporophytes. The fourth chapter is the core of the book. Fifty-one genera and more than 350 species and hybrids are described. The genera are arranged alphabetically, and brief comments on their characteristics, distribution, and ornamental value are provided. For each species, synonyms and common names are provided, together with information on availability, known areas of hardiness, natural distribution, and comments on habits, variants, and the state of our horticultural and taxonomic knowledge. It was not surprising to find Dryopteris, Polystichum, and Cheilanthes listed as the genera with the most ornamental species, but it was interesting to learn that the majority of cultivated species and variants are North American. Others come from Europe, China and Japan, or from the mountains of tropical America or New Zealand. Finally, the appendices, glossary, and bibliography provide valuable additional information.
Dr. Mickel has succeeded in preparing the best fern book for American gardens. This book is recommended for anyone interested in ferns and fern allies, economic botany, and horticulture — Blanca Lecentsn, c/o Department of Geography, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21228-5398, USA.
Stapleton, Chris. 1994. Bamboos of Bhutan: An Illustrated Guide. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN 0-947643-67-2. Pp. 64. £4.50, plus postage & handling and Stapleton, Chris. 1994. Bamboos of Nepal: An Illustrated Guide. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN 0-947643-67-2. Pp. 66. £4.50, plus postage & handling. Both paper. Both available from: The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, England. (telephone: [44] 81/ 332 5219; fax: [44] 81/ 332 5278).
These two compact books are intended as field guides for the identification of the bamboos of Bhutan and Nepal principally using vegetative structures. The books were written primarily for foresters and agronomists, and thus are non-technical but still very informative. The same general discussions of bamboo morphology and biology, and a detailed description of propagation methods, are found at the beginning of each book; a checklist of species (and synonyms), a glossary of technical terms, and a bibliography are included at the end. The keys to genera and species use relatively easily observed characters, but perhaps most useful are the well-labelled line drawings that illustrate the same structures for all taxa in the same format to facilitate comparison. A short discussion provided with each taxon includes information on distribution, distinguishing characters, uses, and specifics of propagation. The books succeed admirably as field guides and should find a wider audience among bamboo enthusiasts and botanical gardens as many of the species included are widely cultivated around the world — Lynn G. Clark, Department of Botany, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
Tsou, Chih-Hua. 1994. The Embryology, Reproductive Morphology, and Systematics of Lecythidaceae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 71: 1-112. Scientific Publications Department, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458-5126, USA. (telephone: 718/ 817-8721). ISBN 0-89327-384-8. Paper. Illus. $15.50, plus postage & handling.
This study of the Lecythidaceae sensu lato is a product of the doctoral dissertation by the author, Chih-Hua Tsou. The work begins with a brief introduction and review of the taxonomic history of the family and complex. A cursory treatment of palynology is followed by an extensive embryological study that comprises well over half of the volume (with numerous photographic plates and some line drawings), including a phylogenetic analysis of one subfamily using only embryological data. This is followed by an extensive, original study of reproductive (mostly floral) morphology, also including a phylogenetic analysis of one subfamily. Finally, Tsou presents a combined data phylogenetic analysis of that single subfamily and summarizes her views of both infra- and inter-familial relationships of the Lecythidaceae.
Tsou's taxonomic review is worth summarizing here for those unfamiliar with the group (probably including most of you reading this). The Lecythidaceae sensu lato (as treated by most recent systematists) is a pantropical family of 20 genera and 287 species, traditionally united by the presence of alternate phyllotaxy, stem cortical bundles, numerous stamens, tricolp(or)ate pollen, axile placentation, and bitegmic-tenuinucellate ovules. Tsou points out that there are numerous exceptions and/or missing data that occur for several of these features and that several features are generalized (and probably plesiomorphic) for dicots as a whole, underscoring the weak support for the monophyly of this family. The Lecythidaceae sensu lato has in the past been placed in the Myrtales (largely because of the numerous stamens and widespread occurrence of an inferior ovary) but has been viewed more recently (e.g., by Cronquist) to have Thealean relationships. Most recent treatments have divided the Lecythidaceae into four subfamilies: 1) Lecythidoideae (neotropical; 10 genera, 199 spp., including the well-known Brazil-nut, Bertholletia excelsa; united in part by a prominent staminal ring formed by fusion of stamen bases); 2) Planchonioideae (paleotropical; 6 genera, 59 spp.; united in part by an intrastaminal nectary disk and basally fused filiform stamens); 3) Foetidioideae (Madagascar, Mauritius, and E. Africa; 1 genus, 17 spp.; united in part by an apetalous perianth); and 4) Napoleonaeoideae (n. Brazil and tropical W. Africa; 3 genera, 12 spp.; united in part by a plicate corolla). An assessment of the monophyly and relationships of these four subfamilies is a major objective of this work.
The palynological treatment is very brief, mostly illustrating (from scanning electron micrographs) the distinctive and derived features of the subfamily Planchonioideae, having syntricolpate grains with marginal ridges along the colpi. Pollen of the other subfamilies is scantily treated and has no apparent unique features.
The embryological descriptions are quite thorough, particularly considering the inherent difficulty in obtaining fixed material at various stages of some taxa. Three pages of line drawings nicely illustrate the embryological character states described (my only objection being a rather ill-defined concept of "ovule type," as "anatropous" and "campylotropous" ovules appear to intergrade). Over 20 figures of mostly light micrographs (with a few scanning electron micrographs) document the descriptions. Unfortunately, some of the photomicrographs are too dark, several are at too low of a magnification to clearly see the feature in question, and a few lack enough labels. Most problematic is the absence of adequate documentation for anther wall development and for the direction of stamen development (e.g., centrifugal versus centripetal). Despite these shortcomings, the overall study was of very high quality and has greatly increased our embryological knowledge of the family. In addition to reporting numerous standard aspects of anther and ovule development, Tsou notes some less typical features, such as the occurrence of a reticulate endothecial wall thickening in the poricidally dehiscent (and buzz-pollinated) genus Gustavia, and an apparently abnormal amoeboid-like tapetum in a few anthers of Crateranthus. Tsou confirmed the occurrence of bitegmic, tenuinucellate ovules in almost all investigated taxa (including representatives of all 20 genera) and noted in all taxa the common occurrence of simultaneous microsporogenesis, glandular tapetum development, and a micropyle defined by the inner integument only (="endostomal"). Tsou cites most of the preceding features as evidence of embryological similarity between the Lecythidaceae sensu lato and five other families: Theaceae, Ochnaceae, Scytopetalaceae, Ebenaceae, and Styracaceae. The section on reproductive morphology consisted of descriptions of floral and fruit/seed features using liquid preserved material and documented with photographs of dissected material and histologically prepared sections. I personally felt this section was a very valuable portion of the volume. Some of the figure citations were incomplete and some photographs were not labelled sufficiently, making difficult verification of the structures described. But, overall, this was a thorough study of floral and fruit/seed morphology, resulting in what appeared to be some new insights of character definition (such as nectary shape, as seen in longitudinal section). Also, an elegantly simple line drawing showing a developmental series of floral development (of Asteranthos) was quite insightful in visualizing homology of floral organs.
Tsou's presentation of a cladistic analysis of the subfamily Planchonioideae using only embryological characters, only floral morphological characters, and a combined embryology-morphology data set was a worthwhile attempt, but, in my opinion, needs considerable work. First, it was unfortunate that only this subfamily was analyzed cladistically. (The Lecythidoideae was omitted because of its considerable variability; the Foetidioideae and Planchonioideae were omitted because of doubt of their close relationship to the other two subfamilies). Perhaps most serious was the means of polarizing characters. Tsou elected to use both presumed "primitive" genera of the related Lecythidoideae as well as features of putative outgroup families. In addition, the definition of some characters seemed vague and needed either quantification or more elaboration. These included:
1) ovule curvature (states: "anatropous" and "campylotropous");
2) degrees of ovule curvature (states: "1800" and "2700"); 3) apex of outer integument (states: "straight," "slightly curved," or "arilloid"); and 4) number ovules/locule (states: "about 4," "5-20," and "more than 20"). Some characters exhibited an inherent polymorphism in the character states, and could not be better delimited, e.g. inflorescence (states: "cauline or axillary," "cauline, axillary, or terminal," and "axillary or terminal"). A more expanded analysis including all four subfamilies and putative close relatives would, I think, be much more insightful. Thus, statements made regarding evolutionary transitions or independent evolution of zygomorphy in the Lecythidoideae could be more scientifically verified from such an expanded analysis.
Tsou concludes that the Lecythidaceae is best treated as composed of only the two subfamilies Lecythidoideae and Planchonioideae. Because of numerous morphological differences, the Foetidioideae and possibly each of the three genera of the Napoleonaeoideae should be treated as separate families. Interestingly, Tsou concludes that, among the core Thealean families cited above as close relatives to the "core-Lecythidaceae," it is the Scytopetalaceae that is most closely related. Preliminary rbcL sequence data indicate that the genus Oubangia (Scytopetalaceae) is nested within genera of both the Lecythidoideae and Napoleonaeoideae (Mark Chase, pers. comm.), perhaps verifying Tsou's conclusion.
In summary, I feel this work is a very important contribution to the systematics of the Lecythidaceae. The embryological and flower/fruit/seed descriptions are thorough, illustrations are mostly very good, and the literature survey is very complete. There is still room for a much more complete study of pollen ultrastructure (SEM and TEM) of the complex, which I feel would provide some valuable data. Also, I feel that the cladistic analyses presented in this study can only be viewed as very preliminary and need considerable expansion in terms of character analysis (and justification of definitions) and taxa treated — Michael G. Simpson, Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182-0057, USA. (e-mail: msimpson@sunstroke.sdsu.edu).
Viney, D. E. 1994. An Illustrated Flora of North Cyprus. Koeltz Scientific Books, P.O. Box 1360, D-16453 K%nigstein, Germany. Available from: Koeltz Scientific Books, USA, 1911 N. Duncan Rd., Champaign, IL 61821, USA. (telephone: 217/ 355-1704 or 9331; fax: 217/ 355-9413; e-mail: peburnsx@prairenet. org). ISBN 1-878762-60-5 (USA) or 3-87429-364-5 (Germany). Paper. Pp. xxvii + 697, illus. $58, plus postage & handling. The territory of North Cyprus, occupied by Turkey in 1974, extends east-west some 150 kms across the northeast third of the island, and includes the calcareous Kyrenia mountains that rise to about 1000 m. The vegetation ranges from pine-cypress forest on the upper slopes of Kyrenia down through maquis, garrigue and salt marsh to ancient orchards and coastal dunes. There is a rich weed flora, and in spring a profusion of bulbous monocotyledons and terrestrial orchids. About one thousand phanerogam taxa are native or established in the territory, sixteen endemic. This illustrated book is a sophisticated guide to the flora, oriented to students of botany, foresters, and tourists concerned with the environment. Introductory chapters trace the physical character of the territory and provide an illustrated glossary of technical terms. The (bracketed) keys to families, genera and species are models of concision, and the technical descriptions are at once short and effective. The book is fully illustrated by the author's line-drawings, which catch something of the essential identity of each species. The text gives a translation of each Latin name, many vernacular Turkish names, and economic uses. The grasses were omitted for lack of space.
This manual does not replace Meikle's erudite Flora of Cyprus (1978, 1985), but is an excellent field book that will prove indispensable to amateur and professional alike. The author's familiarity with and affection for the Cyprus flora are apparent on every page — Rupert C. Barneby, Institute of Systematic Botany, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458-5126, USA.
Waal, Louise C. de, Lois E. Child, P. Max Wade, & John H. Brock (eds.). 1994. Ecology and Management of Invasive Riverside Plants. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10158, USA. (telephone: 212/ 850-6336). ISBN 0-471-94257-X. Cloth. Pp. x + 217, illus. $95, plus postage & handling. Little has been written on the plants of river banks in North America, and even though most of this book has its geographical setting for the species treated in the British Isles, it is nevertheless a valuable publication for North American students and investigators. The ecology and management of four herbaceous, invasive riverside species, Crassula helmsii (swamp stonecrop), Heracleum mantegazzianum (giant hogweed), Impatiens glandulifera (Himalayan or Indian balsam), and Fallopia japonica (Japanese knotweed), are discussed in this 20-chapter book, ranging from 4 to 18 pages per chapter, and written by 24 authors. These species invade along riverbanks and are nuisance plants particularly in the British Isles (United Kingdom), which is the geographical location for 15 of the chapters, each of which treats a single species. The number of chapters per species is six for H. mantegazzianum, four for F. japonica and I. glandulifera, and a seventh chapter on H. mantegazzianum discusses its invasion in the Czech Republic of central Europe. Topics treated in these 15 chapters are primarily history of invasion, spread, control, management, damage, benefits, seasonal dynamics, and reproductive biology.
Three chapters are concerned primarily with control of these species in the British Isles, and an additional chapter asks how important rivers are for supporting their invasion into the Czech Republic. The fourth chapter by John H. Brock appears not to belong, as it pertains to the woody plant genus Tamarix (salt cedar) of which several foreign species are in the arid and semi-arid riparian habitats of the USA. It is the only chapter by a North American author, all other authors being from the eastern hemisphere, including 18 from the United Kingdom, two from the Czech Republic, and one each from Ireland, Sweden, and Denmark. The book contains no line drawings to illustrate any of the species, although H. mantegazzianum is shown in photographs (pp. 85-86). Distribution maps are too few, only six different ones, as follows: By dots for C. helmsii in Great Britain (p. 3); by several different symbols for H. mantegazzianum in the Czech Republic (p. 47), by dots before and after 1959 in Scotland (p. 102); by dots and shading for F. japonica and I. glandulifera in the British Isles, Scandinavia, and northern Europe (p. 137); and by wide lines along streams and rivers for Tamarix in the western USA (p. 30).
Because of the multiplicity of authors and little critical editing, Japanese knotweed is discussed under two different scientific names. It is Fallopia japonica in all of the chapters except 3 and 17, where the species is referred to as Reynoutria japonica. In the USA, the taxon is known as Polygonum cuspidatum. All three names are correct depending upon how the genus Polygonum is segregated, as discussed by John P. Bailey (pp. 141-142). A good feature is that the references cited are retained with each chapter rather than placed in one alphabetical list. This book is in the John Wiley Landscape Ecology Series, which according to the preface, "seeks to focus on a range of topics which present challenges to the landscape ecologist." As a discipline, landscape ecology concerns the interrelationships between the various components of the environment and habitat, including the flora in which invading species are becoming a major problematic component — Ronald L. Stuckey, The Ohio State University, Herbarium, Museum of Biological Diversity, 1315 Kinnear Rd., Columbus, OH 43212-1192, USA.
Chahinian, B. Juan (ed.). 1992. The Sanseviera Journal 1(1): 1-16. June 1992. ISSN 1062-8908. 9821 White Oak Ave., Northridge, CA 91325, USA. (telephone: 818/ 349-9798). $9.50/year. Issued quarterly — To quote the editor this is "A magazine to promote and strive to disseminate all possible data, hitherto unpublished in the English language, so that the study and culture of [Sanseviera] realizes the popularity it deserves." The journal is illustrated.
Silba, John (ed.). 1994. Journal of the International Conifer Preservation Society 1(1): 1-28. March 1994. ISSN 1075-3524. The International Conifer Preservation Society, 198 West Hoffman Ave., Lindenhurst, NY 11757, USA. Price not given — The first volume of this new "desk top" publication has a single article by the editor, "The Trans-Pacific Relationships of Cupressus in India and North America." New taxa and combinations are proposed. The journal is illustrated and includes a color photograph on the cover.
*Anderson, Edward F., Salvador Arias Montes, & Nigel P. Taylor. 1994. Threatened Cacti of Mexico. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, England. ISBN 0-947643-69-9 (paper); ISBN 0-947643-70-2 (cloth). Pp. 135. Price £18 (paper), £33 (cloth), plus shipping & handling.
*Arditti, Joseph (ed.). 1994. Orchid Biology: Reviews and Perspectives, VI. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10458-0012, USA. (telephone: 212/ 850-6336). ISBN 0-471-54907-X. Cloth. Pp. xv + 610, illus. $115, plus postage & handling.
Bohs, Lynn. 1994. Cyphomandra (Solanaceae). Flora Neotropica Monograph 63: 1-175. ISSN 0071-5794. ISBN 0-89327-385-6. Scientific Publications Department, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458-5126, USA. (telephone: 718/ 817-8721). Paper. Illus. $24.50, plus postage & handling.
Boyce, P. 1993. The Genus Arum. Kew Magazine Monographs, HMSO Books. Available from: The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, England. (telephone: [44] 81/ 332 5219; fax: [44] 81/ 332 5278). ISBN 0-11-250085-4. Cloth. Pp. 212, illus. (incl. color). £30, plus shipping & handling — This revision treats 25 species of tuberous Eurasian herbs. In addition to descriptions, there are also sections on the morphology, anatomy, chemistry, pollination biology, and cultivation of the genus.
*Callaway, Dorothy. 1994. The World of Magnolias. Timber Press, Inc., 133 S.W. Second Ave., Suite 450, Portland, OR 97204-3527, USA. (telephone: 800/ 327-5680 or 503/ 227-2878; fax: 503/ 227-3070). ISBN 0-88192-236-6. Cloth. Pp. 260, illus. (incl. color). $44.95, plus $5.95 shipping & handling.
Chan, C. L., A. Lamb, P. S. Shim, & J. J. Wood. 1994. Orchids of Borneo Vol. 1. Introduction and a Selection of Species. The Sabah Society & the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Available from: The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, England. (telephone: [44] 81/ 332 5219; fax: [44] 81/ 332 5278). ISBN 967 99947-3. Cloth. Pp. xviii + 322, illus. (incl. 22 plates in color). £30, plus shipping & handling — One hundred species are described in this introductory volume. Notes on habitat and ecology and on distribution in Borneo and elsewhere are provided. All species described are illustrated with line drawings, and most also by color photographs.
*Cronquist, Arthur. 1994. Asterales. In, Arthur Cronquist, Arthur H. Holmgren, Noel H. Holmgren, James L. Reveal, & Patricia K. Holmgren. Intermountain Flora: Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. Vol. Five. Scientific Publications Department, The New York Botanical Garden Bronx, NY 10458-5126, USA. (telephone: 718/ 817-8721). ISBN 0-89327-375-9. Cloth. Pp. 496, illus. $75, plus postage & handling.
*Doutt, Richard L. 1994. Cape Bulbs. Timber Press Inc., 133 S.W. Second Ave., Suite 450, Portland, OR 97204-3527, USA. (telephone: 800/ 327-5680 or 503/ 227-2878; fax: 503/ 227-3070). ISBN 0-88192-245-5. Cloth. Pp. 254, illus. (incl. color). $34.95, plus postage & handling.
*Eggli, Urs & Nigel Taylor (eds.). 1994. List of Names of Succulent Plants other than Cacti. Published 1950-1992 from Repertorium Plantarum Succulentarum. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, England. (telephone: [44] 81/ 332 5219; fax: [44] 81/ 332 5278). ISBN 0-947643-63-X. Paper. Pp. 176. £10, plus postage & handling.
Falkenberg, Daniel de Barcellos & J[sterling]lio Cesar Voltolini. 1993. "The Montane Cloud Forest in Southern Brazil." Pp. 86-93, In, L. S. Hamilton, J. O. Juvik, & F, N, Scatena (eds.), Tropical Montane Cloud Forest. East-West Center, UNESCO, USDA-IITF, 1777 East-West Rd., Honolulu, HI 96848, USA. (telephone: 808/ 944-7555). Or contact: J[sterling]lio Cesar Voltolini, Depto. Zoologia, I.B.-USP, cp 20530, cep 01452-990, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil. (telephone: 011-8187575; fax: 011-8187316; e-mail: jcvoltol@cat.cce.usp.br).
*Gelderen, D. M. van, P. C. de Jong, & H. J. Oterdoom. 1994. Maples of the World. Timber Press, Inc., 133 S.W. Second Ave., Suite 450, Portland, OR 97204-3527, USA. (telephone: 800/ 327-5680 or 503/ 227-2878; fax: 503/ 227-3070). ISBN 0-88192-000-2. Cloth. Pp. 458, illus. (incl. color). $59.95, plus $6.95 shipping & handling.
*Griffiths, Mark. 1994. Index of Garden Plants. Timber Press Inc., 133 S.W. Second Ave., Suite 450, Portland, OR 97204-3527, USA. (telephone: 800/ 327-5680 or 503/ 227-2878; fax: 503/ 227-3070). ISBN 0-88192-246-3. Cloth. Pp. lxi + 1298, illus. $59.95, plus postage & handling.
Hawksworth, D. L. (compiler & editor). 1994. A Draft Glossary of Terms Used in Bionomenclature. The International Union of Biological Sciences, 51 Boulevard de Montmorency, 75016 Paris, France. (telephone: [33] 45/ 25 0009; fax: [33] 45/ 25 2029; telex: c/o ICSU 645 554 F). ISBN 94-9406-0806. Paper. Pp. 74. Price not given — The editor is one of the principal proponents of harmonizing the various biological (botanical, zoological, etc.) codes. In the glossary he includes over 1000 terms, some of which he flags as "obsolete" and others as "unofficial." The glossary is clearly a working document and the editor conspicuously appends a warning that it "has no official standing and has not been adopted by the IUBS General Assembly, its Standing Committee on Biotaxonomy and Nomenclature, nor any scientific member of IUBS." A quick perusal makes me recommend it as an useful companion to McVaugh et al.'s An Annotated Glossary of Botanical Nomenclature (1968). I do take exception to the editor's unofficial definition for xerotype (i.e., a type consisting of a dried culture of a fungus). The term is also used by a well-known synantherologist for his photocopies (xerox copies) of type specimens.
Hepper, F. N. & I. Friis. 1994. The Plants of Pehr Forsskal's Flora Aegyptiaco-Arabica. The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, England. (telephone: [44] 81/ 332 5219; fax: [44] 81/ 332 5278). ISBN 0-947643-62-1. Paper. Pp. xii + 400, illus. £15, plus postage & handling — Pehr Forsskal was a member of the Royal Danish Expedition to Egypt and the Yemen, 1761-1763. He died in the Yemen, but his plants and notes were brought back to Europe by Niebuhr, the sole survivor of the expedition. An extensive introduction describes the expedition, and also provides a biography of Forsskal and a gazetteer of his collecting localities. The main part of the work consists of a listing of all Forsska's collections with their location, references to them, and present and former identifications.
Harriman, N. A. (ed.). 1994. Poaceae, In, M. D. Dassannayake (ed.). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon. Vol. 8: 1-458. Available on request: S. Maina, Department of Botany, MRC-166, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20560, USA. This is the last volume of this work organized by F. Raymond Fosberg (died 25 September 1993). Dr. Fosberg turned future work over to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. This volume was begun by T. R. Soderstrom who organized contributions from Frank Gould, W. D. Clayton, Michael Lazarides, and Gerrit Davidse. Neil Harriman began by taking up "orphan" genera and ended taking over upon Dr. Soderstrom's death.
A most welcome development is that the genera and species are arranged alphabetically and one can use the work, even though there is no index. This is a major problem with earlier volumes — Dan H. Nicolson, Department of Botany, MRC-166, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20560, USA.
Janick, Jules (ed.). 1994. Horticultural Reviews, Vol. 16. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10158-0012, USA. ISBN 0-471-57337-X. ISSN 0163-7851. Cloth. Pp. xv + 406, illus. $110, plus postage & handling — This volume in the series of reviews sponsored by the American Society for Horticultural Science includes eight papers with topics as disparate as plant hormone action and mechanical harvesting of berry crops. One paper, "Sapindaceous Fruits: Botany and Horticulture," appears to be of interest to taxonomists.
Janick, Jules (ed.). 1994. Plant Breeding Reviews, Vol. 12. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10158-0012, USA. ISBN 0-471-57344-2. ISSN 0730-2207. Cloth. Pp. x + 315, illus. $110, plus postage & handling — The ten papers in this volume are mostly of applied interest. The volume is dedicated to Robert W. Allard, "Population Geneticist and Agronomist," and includes a brief biography and list of his publications.
*Kurmann, M. H. & J. A. Doyle (eds.). 1994. Ultrastructure of Fossil Spores and Pollen. The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, ENGLAND. (telephone: [44] 81/ 332 5219; fax: [44] 81/ 332 5278). ISBN 0-947643-60-5. Paper. Pp. vi + 221, illus. £18, plus postage & handling — Twelve papers presented at a symposium of the same title held at the 8th International Palynological Congress in Aix-en-Provence, France, in September 1992. The volume also includes a taxonomic index and a list of the 21 contributors.
*Leeuwenberg, A. J. M. 1994. A Revision of Tabernaemontana. Two. The New World Species and Stemmadenia. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, England. (telephone: [44] 81/ 332 5219; fax: [44] 81/ 332 5278). ISBN 0-947643-74-5. Paper. Pp. xvii + 450, illus. £19.50, plus postage & handling.
Lock, J. M. & J. Heald. 1994. Legumes of Indo-China. A Check-List. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, England. (telephone: [44] 81/ 332 5219; fax: [44] 81/ 332 5278). ISBN 0-947643-66-4. Paper. Pp. 164. £12, plus postage & handling.
Paynter, R. A., Jr. 1994. Ornithological Gazetteer of Uruguay. 2nd Ed. Bird Department, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. ISBN not given. Paper. Pp. vi + 113, 2 maps. $14, plus postage & handling.
Pegler, D. N., L. Boddy, B. Ing, & P. M. Kirk (eds.). 1993. Fungi of Europe. Investigation, Recording and Conservation. The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, England. (telephone: [44] 81/ 332 5219; fax: [44] 81/ 332 5278). ISBN 0-947643-54-0. Paper. Pp. x + 322, illus. £18, plus postage & handling — Twenty-three papers are included, which represent the proceedings of the XI Congress of European Mycologists held at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in September 1992.
Pimenov, M. G. & M. V. Leonov. 1993. The Genera of the Umbelliferae. The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, England. (telephone: [44] 81/ 332 5219; fax: [44] 81/ 332 5278). ISBN 0947643-58-3. Paper. Pp. viii + 156, map. £12, plus postage & handling — A nomenclator for the Umbelliferae (Apiaceae), listing all generic names. Place, date and author of publication, typification information, subfamilial classification, distribution by sub-continent, number of species, literature references, and synonymy are listed for each accepted genus. There is a bibliography of more than 600 references.
*Sajeva, Maurizio & Mariangela Costanzo. 1994. Succulents: The Illustrated Dictionary. Timber Press Inc., 133 S.W. Second Ave., Suite 450, Portland, OR 97204-3527, USA. (telephone: 800/ 327-5680 or 503/ 227-2878; fax: 503/ 227-3070). ISBN 0-88192-289-7. Cloth. Pp. 239, illus., incl. color. $39.95, plus postage & handling.
*Sivarajan, V. V. & Indira Balachandran. 1994. Ayurvedic Drugs and their Plant Sources. International Science Publisher U.S.A., 52 LaBombard Rd. North, Lebanon, NH 03766-1400, USA. ISBN 1-881570-21-5. Cloth. Pp. xv + 570, illus. $77, plus postage & handling.
Smith, Edwin B. 1994. Keys to the Flora of Arkansas. The University of Arkansas Press, Mcllroy House, 201 Ozark Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA. (telephone: 800/ 626-0090 or 501/ 575-3246; fax: 501/ 575-6044). ISBN 1-55728-312-5. Paper. Pp. xii + 363. $30, plus postage & handling.
Smitinand, Tem & Kai Larsen. 1993. Flora of Thailand. Vol. 6, Part One. Taccaceae, Tiliaceae. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department, Bangkok 10900, Thailand. ISBN not given. Paper. Pp. 80, illus. (incl. 8 color plates). Price not given — Taccaceae (Pp. 1-9, t. I) by Chamlong Phengklai includes 1 genus and 5 species. Tiliaceae by Chamlong Phengklai (Pp. 10-80, tt. II-VIII) includes 12 genera and 46 species. Grewia (8 spp.) and Colona (7 spp.) are the largest genera. STRI Minibookstore Catalog. 1994. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Attn.: Doris Martiz, Apartado 2072, Balboa, Panam , Panama — The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Mini-Bookstore in Panama City now has a mail-order catalog of scientific publications on tropical biology. The catalog, which offers publications in English and in Spanish, is intended to serve colleagues in Central and South America who may have difficulty in obtaining scientific publications. Payment for books may be made by credit card, and purchases can be shipped the world over.
Taylor, P. 1994. The Genus Utricularia: A Taxonomic Monograph. The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, England. (telephone: [44] 81/ 332 5219; fax: [44] 81/ 332 5278). ISBN 0-112500-46-3. Paper. Pp. xii + 724, illus. £40, plus postage & handling — This was originally published by HMSO in 1989 as part of the Kew Bulletin Additional Series (XIV), but the stock was accidentally destroyed.
White, James J. & Elizabeth R. Smith. 1994. Catalogue of the Botanical Art Collection at the Hunt Institute. Part 5. Plant Portraits, Artists P-S. Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890, USA. ISBN 0-913196-42-8. Paper. Pp. 713-961, frontispiece illus. $16, plus postage & handling.
Willoughby, V. (ed.). 1994. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Three Year Report 1990-1993. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, England. ISBN not given. Paper. Pp. 116. Price not given — An interesting summary of recent activities at Kew. The report contains a bibliography of research publications by staff (Pp. 69-114).
Wood, J. J. & P. J. Cribb. 1994. A Checklist of the Orchids of Borneo. The Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, England. (telephone: [44] 81/ 332 5219; fax: [44] 81/ 332 5278). ISBN 0-947643-59-1. Paper. Pp. xii + 409, illus. £30, plus postage & handling — A checklist of the known species of Orchidaceae occurring in the whole island of Borneo, with accepted names, place and author of publication, and notes on habitat and distribution. Several new species are described.
Zomlefer, Wendy B. 1994. Guide to Flowering Plant Families. University of North Carolina Press, P.O. Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2288, USA. (telephone: 800/ 848-6224; fax: 800/ 272-6817). ISBN 0-8078-2160-8 (cloth) $49.95; ISBN 0-8078-4470-5 (paper) $24.95. Pp. 415, illus — This reference book is designed to be used as a plant taxonomy text and covers 130 families of temperate to tropical flowering plants common to the USA with detailed plates of illustrations and modern referenced commentaries. Each family discussion includes a diagnosis and summary of characters, distribution data, important economic members, pollination ecology, and mention of taxonomic problems. The 158 original pen-and-ink plates depict intricate dissections of 312 species. Also included are seven cladograms; chapters on cladistics and examining live material; an illustrated glossary; 22 detailed tables comparing the salient features of related families; and a chart of all families covered in the book. Dr. Zomlefer, a plant taxonomist and professional scientific illustrator, is the author of Flowering Plants of Florida: A Guide to Common Families (1989).
Titles marked with an "*" will be reviewed in a future number of the ASPT Newsletter — Editor.
Dubs, Balthasar (ed.). 1994. MGBC Newsletter No. 1: 1-13. Balthasar Dubs, DVM, PhD, Hinterzelg 35, CH-8700 K&tm;snacht, Switzerland. (fax: [41] 1/ 9100757) — MGBC is the acronym for Mato Grosso Botanical Committee, which was founded in April 1994.
Freiberg, Horst (ed.). 1994. European Tropical Forest Research Network Newsletter (Programmes-Agenda-News) No. 9: 1-25. May 1994. European Tropical Forest Research Network (ETFRN), c/o ATSAF e.V., Ellestr. 50, D-53119 Bonn, Germany. (telephone: [49] 228/ 98 46 16; fax: [49] 228/ 98 46-99) — This is a free, quarterly publication. ETFRN is an initiative of the European Commission (established October 1991) to provide information and services to support research on tropical humid and dry forests. This includes all research areas related to the tropical forest environment. ETFRN aims to increase the cooperation and concentration of research institutes, governments and industry of European and tropical countries through well-targeted information management. ETFRN organizes and participates in workshops and seminars. The present number has the following sections: Organizations-Institutions Programmes; International Agenda: Conferences; International Agenda: Training Courses; News; Publications; Vacancy Announcements.
Mace, Suzanne (ed.). 1994. Mesemb Study Group Bulletin 9(2): 26-46. April 1994. ISBN 0955-8276. Brenfield, Bolney Rd., ANTSY, West Sussex RH17 5AW, United Kingdom. (telephone: [44] 444/ 44 1193; fax: [44] 444/ 45 4061). North American agent: Steve Brack, Mesa Garden, P.O. Box 72, Belen, NM 87002, USA. £9 (International Money Order) — The articles are predominantly horticultural. The newsletter is illustrated and includes color photographs.
Syamalakumari, A. (ed.). 1993. TBGRI News 2(1-4): 1-12. January-December 1993. Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram 695 562, Kerala, India — This newsletter is a revival of an earlier one first issued by TBGRI in 1986. TBGRI (founded in 1979) appears to focus on rare and endangered plant species as well as medicinal, aromatic, and ornamental plants. The illustrated newsletter reports on a varied research program, the herbarium (TBGT) (6000 specimens of flowering plants from the southern Western Ghats), library, extension activities, publications, visitors, etc.
Thomas, Gr!=goire (ed.). 1994. Cruciferae Newsletter Nr. 16: 1-144. May 1994. Cruciferae Newsletter, INRA, Station d'Am!=lioration des Plantes, BP 29, 25 650 Le Rheu, France — This free, English-language newsletter was recently reborn after an hiatus in publication. It is open to everyone interested in the Cruciferae (Brassicaceae). Contributions are limited to two pages in length and those in the present number range from articles on genetic variability and interspecific hybridization to variety trials and studies.
This is the end of ASPT Newsletter Volume 8(4), October 1994