PLANT SCIENCE BULLETIN

A Publication of the Botanical Society of America, Inc.

VOLUME 27, NUMBER 3, JUNE, 1981

Emanuel D. Rudolph, Editor, Department of Botany, Ohio State University, 1735 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210

Editorial Board
Jerry D. Davis - University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse, WI 54601
Peter Heywood - Brown University, Providence, RI 02912
Anitra Thorhaug - Florida International University, Key Biscayne, FL 33199

The Plant Science Bulletin is published six times a year, February, April, June, August, October, and December, at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210. Subscriptions $10.00/yr. Change of address should be sent to Editor. Second class postage paid at Columbus, OH.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SALUTE TO WORLD CONSERVATION STRATEGY
NOTICES
MEETINGS
SYMPOSIUM ON FERTILIZATION AND EMBRYOGENESI
PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
DEATHS
RECENT BOTANICAL BOOKS
BOOK REVIEWS
READERS' MAZE - AN APOLOGY

SALUTE TO WORLD CONSERVATION STRATEGY

The rapid decrease in the natural vegetation of the world is of great concern to all botanists. The wasteful and flagrant violation of man's stewardship over forests, plains, marshes and estuaries has appalled generations of botanists, but the complexity of solutions to these problems (which necessarily includes political, legal and social components) has eluded us and has discouraged too many of us from actively working toward solutions.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and World Wildlife Natural Resources has prepared a detailed strategy of global dimensions for the United Nations Environmental program. This strategy provides for active participation of botanists in the making of decisions regarding future use of plant and other resources. Thirty countries (including the United States) have already pledged their support to this proposal, as have also the international monetary organizations.

This program, entitled World Conservation Strategy, describes in terms understandable by laymen the patterns of loss of vegetation (especially tropical rainforest), of desertification, of degradation of the soil and physical system, and of the destruction of estuarine resources. It also describes the interaction between population, food supply, clearing of land for agriculture, natural resources and government policy (or non-policy). Most importantly, it describes a workable strategy for obtaining a rational world conservation on a site-by-site, country-by-country basis.

This program calls strongly for more information and especially for more background research on the dynamics, capacities, production and recovery of ecosystems of all types. It urges that the best scientific information available be infused into policy making and into project-by-project decisions. Anticipating ecological effects calls for a high level of predictive skills of botanists in planning for rational use and allocation of sustainable natural resources. The lack of trained environmental scientists in many developing nations is noted as a cause of their lack of conservation measures. Links to government policy, to legal measures, to enforcement, and to budgetary considerations are made in extensive detail.

The time to prepare is now. Botanists familiar with natural resources and agriculture will be called on increasingly to cross into the interdisciplinary region of planning, the use of resources and participation in making decisions affecting industrial and urban development. Predictive skills and a fundamental understanding of the total functioning of ecosystems and of their absorptive and recuperative capacities will be new knowledge demanded in the future. Students in the U.S. and elsewhere must be

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trained in these areas. " How to Save the World" (Allen, 1980) and "World Conservation Strategy" (Allen, 1980) are well worth including in teaching and research programs, as well as digesting for senior scientists.

The Conservation Committee salutes the remarkable effort of the United Nations Environmental Program, the World Wildlife Fund, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature for their outstanding service to global conservation of botanical resources. Full cooperation of all botanists with this program is recommended. Anitra Thorhaug, Chairperson; John Beaman; David Dilcher; Robert Thorne; Rolf Benseler; Charles Uhl; and Andrew Greller; Conservation Committee, Botanical Society of America.

NOTICES

First Supplement of Gray Herbarium Index Issued in Book Form
The approximately 29,400 cards of the Gray Herbarium Index, of literature citations of newly described or established vascular plants of the Western Hemisphere, covering the period from 1967 to 1977 have been prepared in book form as a supplement to the previous volumes by the G. K. Hall and Company Publishers. Further information is available from the publishers at 70 Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111.

Evolution Today
The Proceedings of the Second International Congress of Systematic and Evolutionary Biology held 17-24 July 1980 at the University of British Columbia are being published in a 525 page book entitled EvolutionToday edited by G. G. E. Scudder and James L. Reveal. A prepublication offer is available until 1 July 1981 for $15.00 (U.S.), after that date it will cost $18.00, including surface postage in the United States and an additional $3.00 (U.S.) for mailing outside the country. All orders should be prepaid with checks or money orders drawn on American banks or foreign banks with American offices. Make checks payable to Hunt Institute. Orders with payment should be sent to: Evolution Today, Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

Long-Lost Drawings from Sessé and Mociño Expedition Acquired by Hunt Institute
The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, has recently acquired the original collection of botanical and zoological illustrations made during the Spanish exploring expedition of 1787-1803 sent to New Spain under the command of Martin de Sessé y Lacasta and José Mariano Mociño. The collection comprises approximately 2,000 watercolor drawings and sketches; about 1,800 are of botanical subjects, the remainder of various animal species (fish, insects, reptiles, and a few birds and small mammals). It was purchased for the Institute's permanent collection by The Hunt Foundation.

The Sessé and Mociño expedition, as it is commonly called, explored extensively in the Caribbean, Mexico, and northern Central America, with forays also to Baja and Alta California and as far north as Nootka and Alaska. The drawings were executed by a number of artists, the most accomplished of whom were Athanosio Echeverría y Godoy and Juan Vicente de la Cerda. In technical and artistic quality, Echeverría’s work compares favorably with any other in the history of biological illustration. Notwithstanding this artistic excellence, the chief value of the collection lies in its scientific and historical significance.

The Institute plans to hold a symposium in approximately two years on the subject of the drawings, the expedition and related topics, concurrent with a major exhibition drawn from the collection. Biologists and historians interested in participating in the symposium, as speakers or registrants, are encouraged to make their interest known to Dr. Kiger at the Institute as soon as possible. In the meanwhile, in order to display a sampling of the collection's aesthetic richness at the earliest opportunity, the Institute will mount a selection of the drawings as its Fall 1981 exhibition, scheduled to open in October. Also as soar as possible, the entire collection will be photographed for archival purposes. Once this master set of studio-quality color transparencies has been made, the Institute will be able to provide prints or duplicate slides for the cost of their preparation, whether of the entire collection or of jus1 particular drawings.

The Institute will be glad to provide information about individual drawings or particular subjects represented in them. Specialists in the systematics of relevant plant and animal taxa are especially encouraged to contact the Institute about

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wings that may pertain to their groups interest.

Smithsonian Institution Foreign Currency Grants Program
The Smithsonian Foreign Currency Program, a national research grants program, offers opportunities for support of research in Burma, Guinea, India, and Pakistan in systematic and environmental biology, and museum programs. Grants in the local currencies of the above listed countries are awarded to American institutions for the research of senior scientists. Collaborative programs involving host country institutions are welcome. Awards are determined on the basis of competitive scholarly review. The deadline for submission is November 1 annually. For further information write the Foreign Currency Program, Office of Fellowships and Grants, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, or call (202) 287-3321.

Pest Control in Museums - A Status Report (1980)
This reference book is the sole publication available combining all aspects of museum collection and library pest control. The contents of the volume apply to the conservation of natural history, art, library, historical anthropological and similar objects. It is available for $15 with the order from: Pest Control Book, ASC Office, Museum of Natural History, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045.

Jodrell Index to Anatomical Literature
The Plant Anatomy section of the Jodrell laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens houses an extensive index begun by Dr. C. R. Metcalfe. Copies of this index have recently been sold and distributed.

The Jodrell Index starts with references to work published after Solereder's Systematic Anatomy of the Dicotyledons (1908). The index is in two parts. There is an index to plant families of angiosperms, plus Gnetales, Ginkgo, Coniferae, Cycadales, Pteridophyta, and a subject index. The latter which was begun more recently, is much less complete than the family index (but contains over 32,000 entries!). There are about 120 subject categories from 'Abscission' to 'Xerophytes' covering the period 1950-1972.

The Jodrell Index is maintained by Miss Mary Gregory who continues to glean the literature received at the Library of the Royal Botanic Gardens. Additions to the index covering recent years have been received.

Plant morphologists and anatomists should note that the Jodrell Index remains unpublished. However, it can be consulted by writing to Miss Gregory, or consulting complete copies of the index at the Botany Library, Smithsonian Institution (Librarian, Mrs. Ruth Schallert), or at the Library of The New York Botanical Garden (Head Reference Librarian, Mrs. Lothian Lynas). The Department of Botany at the University of Wisconsin holds the subject index only.

Due to the dates of coverage reaching back to early in this century, subject literature searches in this area of plant sciences would be considerably enhanced using the Jodrell Index as opposed to on-line data base searches alone.
C. R. Long, Director
Library and Plant Information Services
The New York Botanical Garden

1981 Greenman Award
Final call for papers to be considered for the 1981 Jesse M. Greenman Award, and a cash prize of $250 awarded annually by the Alumni Association of the Missouri Botanical Garden. The award recognizes the paper judged best from those published during the previous year and based on a doctoral dissertation in vascular plant or bryophyte systematics. Reprints of papers published during 1980 should be sent before 15 July 1981 to: Greenman Award Committee, Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166.

Solanaceae Newsletter
The Solanaceae Newsletter, founded from the University of Birmingham by J. G. Hawkes and R. N. Lester, is to be continued under the guidance of W. G. D'Arcy, Missouri Botanical Garden.

The Newsletter has performed a valuable service in presenting lists of workers in the family and a forum for discussion. Some research notes have been published, and note made of seed and other wants of workers in the Solanaceae. The Newsletter was begun in May 1974 and has continued through 6 numbers, the latest of December 1979.

All interested in the Solanaceae or in the Newsletter are urgently requested to write me giving news of research and plans for work in the family. A new list of

PAGE TWENTY

workers in the family will need input from everyone who conducts or plans to conduct studies on these plants.

Cost of the Newsletter now that it has a new home has not been set, but subscription price will be low, in the nature of a service charge. Write to: W. G. D'Arcy, Missouri Botanical Garden, Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166.

MEETINGS

William Darlington Celebration
West Chester State College will hold a "William Darlington Bicentennial Observance" on campus on April 25-28, 1982. Among the speakers are Joseph Ewan, Ronald L. Stuckey, James A. Mears, Dorothy I. Lansing, William R. Overlease, and Whitfield J. Bell, Jr. There will be tours of the Darlington Herbarium on campus, Longwood Gardens, Brinton's Quarry, and other sites of interest.

Persons interested are invited to contact Dr. Robert E. Carlson, "William Darlington Bicentennial Observance," West Chester State College, West Chester, PA 19380.

Conference of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History
The First North American Conference of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History will be held at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, October 21-23, 1981. The theme is "North American Natural History Bibliography - Research, Needs, and Prospects." Further information can be obtained from: Nina J. Root, American Museum of Natural History, C. P. West at 79th St., New York, NY 10024. Telephone: (212) 873-1330 ext. 381.

Meeting of Society for Economic Botany
The Society for Economic Botany will meet jointly with the American Society of Pharmacognosy on July 12-17, 1981 at Northeastern University. A special symposium on: Plants and Their Products in the Service of Man will be presented in addition to contributed papers. More information is available from: Dr. Robert F. Roffauf, College of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115.

Eighth Mexican Congress of Botany
The Botanical Society of Mexico together with the San Nicholás de Hidalgo University of Michoacán announce that the Eighth Mexican Congress of Botany will be held in Morelia, Michoacán during October 17-23, 1981. Information and registration forms can be obtained from: Dr. Antonio Lot H, Comite Organizador, VIII Congreso Mexicano de Botanica, Apartado Postal 70-385, Mexico 20, D.F., Mexico.

American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting
The 148th American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting and Exhibit will be held 3-8 January, 1982 in Washington, D.C. at the Capitol and Washington Hilton Hotels. The presentation of contributed papers in poster sessions will allow direct discussion between researchers and meeting attendees. Contact Grayce Finger, Coordinator, 202/467-4488.

SYMPOSIUM ON FERTILIZATION AND EMBRYOGENESIS

The Seventh International Symposium on Fertilization and Embryogenesis in Ovulated Plants will take place in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia on 14-17 June 1982 with full symposium field trips. For more information write: Arma Pretova, Institute of Experimental Biology and Ecology, Division of Structura1 Botany and Embryology, Dubravska Cesta 14 885 34, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Weed Scientist, University of British Columbia
Applications are invited for a tenurable faculty position in weed science at the Assistant Professor level. Qualifications include a Ph.D. in weed science or a relate field. Post-doctoral experience is desirable. The position involves undergraduate and graduate teaching, and research, as well as appropriate extension activities in weed science. Salary will be commensurable with qualifications and experience. The University of British Columbia offers equal employment opportunities to qualified male and female applicants. Expected date of appointment: September 1, 1981 or sooner. Closing date for applications: when filled. Submit curriculum vitae and direct three letters of reference to: Dr. Roy L. Taylor, Chairman, Selection Committee, Department of Plant Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 2A2.

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One-Year Appointment Eastern Kentucky University
A visiting Assistant/Associate Professorship of Biological Sciences is available for a one-year appointment. The responsibilities are to: teach full-time undergraduate and graduate courses in general botany, plant taxonomy, dendrology, plant ecology, and aquatic plants; curate and expand a herbarium of 10,000 specimens; assist on graduate student committees; and conduct research in chosen field. A Ph.D. degree in taxonomy (vascular plants) with training in ecology is required. Apply by July 15, 1981 to begin teaching August 15, 1981, with transcripts, curriculum vitae, and 3 letters of recommendation to: Dr. Robert O. Creek, Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY 40475.

Arborist for Montgomery County, Maryland
The employee would be primarily concerned with diagnosing tree problems and prescribing treatment and responding to citizen requests about grass mowing, leaf collection and tree spraying maintenance. The position requires a bachelor's degree in Horticulture, Forestry, Plant Pathology, Landscape Architecture, or another directly related field and two years of experience. Starting salary is contingent on qualifications. Please submit application or resume to: Montgomery County Government, 100 Maryland Ave., Personnel Office, Room 330, Rockville, MD 20850, Attention: Aileen T. Olden.

New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, Research Associate
A full-time research position with the responsibility of planning and directing research on the botany of fruit plants is announced. The individual will serve as co-leader of a project on histological, cytological, and genetic problems in the breeding of fruit plants and as director of the histology laboratory, taking full responsibility for its maintenance. This program is designed to provide anatomical and morphological expertise to on-going projects conducted by department scientists. A Ph.D. in Botany or other Plant Sciences with training in plant anatomy, cytology, microtechnique, microscopy, and photomicrography is required. The position is available January 1, 1982. Applications will be accepted until September 1, 1981. Cornell University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer: minorities, women, and the handicapped are encouraged to apply. Applicants should submit resume, transcripts, and the names and addresses of at least three references to: Dr. Walter J. Kender, Head, Department of Pomology & Viticulture, N.Y. State Agricultural Experiment Station, Cornell University, Geneva, NY 14456, phone 315/787-2231.

DEATHS

Professor Cyril Dean Darlington, a Corresponding Member of the Botanical Society of America, and geneticist at the Botany School, Oxford University died on March 26, 1981.

RECENT BOTANICAL BOOKS

Ajilvsgi, Geyata. Wi1d Flowers of the Big Thicket; East Texas, and Western Louisiana. Texas A & M University Press, Drawer C, College Station, TX 77843, 1979. 360 p., illus. ISBN 0-89096-064-X cloth; 0-98096-065-8 paper $17.50 cloth; $9.95 paper. (An introduction, to the vegetation and common flowers of an area of Texas with color photographs grouped by vegetation type.)

Bisby, F. A., J. G. Vaughan, and C. A. Wright, eds. Chemosystematics: Principles and Practice. Academic Press, for the Systematics Association, 24-28 Oval Road, London NW1 7DX, England, 1980. xii + 449 p., illus. ISBN 0.12.101550.5 $89.50 (The Systematics Association Special vol. No. 16). (About half of the papers presented at this symposium were about plants and the volume provides a fine summary of current ideas about taxonomic uses of various chemicals in organisms.)

Bloom, Alan. Alpines for Your Garden. Floraprint, Chicago (order from International Scholarly Book Services, Inc. 2130 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove, OR 97116), 1981. 128 p., illus. ISBN 0-938804-01-4. $14.95. (Most of this book is taken up with descriptions of species suited for gardens, each with a good color photograph and cultural information.)

Chaleff, R. S. Genetics of Higher Plants; Applications of Cell Culture. Cambridge University Press, 32 East 57th St., New York, NY 10022, 1981. xiii + 184 p. , illus. ISBN 0-531-22731-3. $42.50. (A volume in the Developmental and Cell Biology Series treating the current state of plant somatic cell genetics resulting from the rapid advances in tissue culture developments in the past ten years.)

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Chandra, Shaila and K. R. Surange. Revision of the Indian Species of Glossopteris. Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow-226-007, India, 1979. (xiii) + 291 p., illus. $60.00. (A detailed monograph of the Indian species of this wide-spread Permian fossil leaf genus of Gondwanaland.)

Clayton, Roderick K. Photosynthesis; Physical Mechanisms and Chemical Patterns. Cambridge University Press, 32 East 57th St., New York, NY 10022, 1981. xiv + 281 p., illus. ISBN 0-521-22300-8 cloth; 0-521-29443-6 paper. $32.50 cloth; $11.95 paper. (UPAB Biophysics Series) (An advanced textbook that provides an historical perspective as well as information about current research and problems.)

Dilcher, David L. and Thomas N. Taylor, eds. Biostratigraphy of Fossil Plants; Successional andPaleoecological Analyses. Academic Press, (Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross) 111 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10003, 1980. xii + 259 p., ill us. ISBN 0-87933,373-1. $27.50 (A many authored volume with emphasis on North America, but covering many places and geological times.)

Downie, Mary Alice and Mary Hamilton. 'And some brought flowers'; Plants in a New World. Selected and Introduced, with illustrations by E. J. Revell. University of Toronto Press, 33 East Tupper St., Buffalo, NY 14203, 1980. xv + 164 p. ISBN 0-8020-2363-0. $24.95 (A selection of 70 plants, illustrated in delicate color and briefly described, with interesting quotations from early travelers in North America from the 17th through the 19th centuries about each, and short biographies of the writers.)

Duncan, Wilbur H. and John T. Kartesz. Vascular Flora of Georgia; An Annotated Checklist. University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA 30602, 1981. xi + 147 p. , map. ISBN 0-8203-0538-3. $5.00 paper. (The 3,686 accepted names for taxa, species or lower, for Pteridophytes and Spermatophytes) of the state together with some synonyms and indications of province where they can be found.)

Farr, M. L. How to Know the True Slime Molds. The Pictured Key Nature Series. William C. Brown Co., 2460 Kerper Blvd., Dubuque, IA 52001, 1981. viii + 132 p., illus. ISBN 0-697-04779-2. (No price given) paper. (An introduction for beginners that provides information about collecting and studying slime molds, most of which consists of illustrated keys for identifying orders, families and genera of each order; and species in each genus of the most common ones in the United States and Canada.)

Frederick, Jerome F., ed. Origins and Evolution of Eukaryotic Intracellular Organelles. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Volume 361. The New York Academy of Sciences, 2 East 63rd St., New York, NY 10021, 1981. x + 512 p. , illus. ISBN 0-89766-111-7 $99.00, cloth. (Many papers treat various aspects of organelle establishment, levels of partnership integration in symbiosis, and possible mechanisms of evolution.)

Fryxell, Paul A. The Natural History of the Cotton Tribe (Malvaceae, Tribe Gossypieae). Texas A & M University Press, Drawer C, College Station, TX 77843, 1980. xviii + 245 p., illus. ISBN 0-89096-071-2. $16.75 (A work synthesizing much information about the systematics, morphology, evolution of, and human influences on a group of genera having some taxa of great economic importance.)

Gould, Frank W. Common Texas Grasses; An Illustrated Guide. Texas A & M University Press, Drawer C. College Station, TX 77843, 1979. x + 267 p., illus. ISBN 0-89096-057-7 cloth; 0-89096-058-5 paper. $10.95 cloth; $6.95 paper. (A guide to the 150 most common grasses of Texas that includes their uses and containing keys and a glossary.)

Joiner, Jasper N., ed. Foliage Plant Production. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, 1981. xix +614 p., illus. ISBN 0-13-322867-3 (no price given) (Chapters by different authors cover many aspects of foliage plant cultivation in this first general survey for student use.)

Mora, Jaime and Rafael Palacios, eds. Glutamine: Metabolism, Enzymology, and Regulation. Academic Press, 111 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003, 1980. xix + 334 p., ill us. ISBN 0-12-506040-8. $28.00 (The proceedings of a symposium held at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico in 1979 mostly relating to bacterial and fungal topics except for one paper on higher plants.)

Morris, I., ed. The Physiological Ecology of Phytoplankton. University of California Press, 2223 Fulton St., Berkeley, CA 94720,

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1980. x + 625 p. , illus. ISBN 0-520-04308-1. (No price given.) (Studies in Ecology, Vol. 7). (The 15 chapters cover topics related to methodology, light and carbon fixation, nutrient and population dynamics.)

Orr, Robert T. and Dorothy B. Orr. Mushrooms of Western North America. University of California Press, 2223 Fulton St., Berkeley, CA 94720, 1981. (California Natural History Guides: 42). vi + 293 p., illus. ISBN 0-520-03660-3 paper. $12.95 cloth; $6.95 paper. (Descriptions of over 300 species, 97 color illustrated and some others in black and white, for fleshy fungi west of the Rockies.)

Schmidt, Majorie G. Growing California Native Plants. University of California Press, 2223 Fulton St., Berkeley, CA 94720. (California Natural History Guides: 45), 1980. ix + 366 p., ill us. ISBN 0-520-03761-8 cloth; 0-520-03762-6 paper. $15.95 cloth; $7.95 paper. (A practical guide to cultivating wild plants, 350 of which are treated in detail.)

Stephens, H. A. Poisonous Plants of the Central United States. The Regents Press of Kansas, 303 Carruth-O'Leary, Lawrence, KS, 1980. xiii + 165 p., illus. ISBN 0-7006-0202-X cloth; 0-7006-0204-6 paper. $16.00 cloth, $9.95 paper. (A guide for the layperson to the common wild, cultivated and ornamental poisonous vascular plants.)

Taylor, Thomas N. Paleobotany; an Introduction to Fossil Plant Biology. McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, 1981. xiii + 589 p., illus. ISBN 0-07-062954-4. (An extensive and well illustrated textbook treating all groups of plants of all geological ages.)

Vertrees, J. D. Japanese Maples; Momiji and Kaede. Timber Press. Forest Grove, Oregon (order from International Scholarly Book Services Inc., 2130 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove, OR 97116), 1978. xvi +
178 p., illus. ISBN 0-917304-09-8. $40.00 (A major work in English considering the maples from Japan and particularly the cultivars of Acerpa1matum and A. japonium which can be used for identifications and information about cultivation.)

Wa1she, Shan. Plants of Quetico and the Ontario Shield. University of Toronto Press, 33 East Tupper St., Buffalo, NY 14203, 1980. xxiii + 152 p., illus. ISBN 8020-3370-9 cloth; 8020-3371-7 paper. $25.00 cloth; $7.95 paper. (Clear color photographs of a selection of the 194 Quetico Park plants grouped under six habitats form a significant part of this book that provides a vascular plant checklist.)

Welsh, James R. Fundamentals of Plant Genetics and Breeding. John Wiley and Sons, 1 Wiley Drive, Somerset, NJ 08873, 1981. xiv + 290 p., i11us. ISBN 0-471-02862-2. $23.95 (An introductory text-book for students interested in breeding.)

Zigmond, Maurice L. Kawaiisu Ethnobotany. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, 1981. (vi) + 102 p., pls. ISBN 0-87480-132-X $25.00 paper. (The detailed results of a study of many years concerning plant uses by a south-central Californian tribe.)

BOOK REVIEWS

R. SCHLECHTER'S WRITINGS ON ORCHIDS
1922. Beitrage zur Orchideenkunde von Zentralamerika I. Orchidaceae Powellianae Panamenses. Fedde's Repertorium Beihefte 17: 1-95., and 1923. Betirage zur Orchideenkunde von Zentralamerika II. Additamenta ad Orchideologiam Costaricesem. Fedde’s Repertorium Beihefte 19: 1-307. Reprint 1980 by Otto Koeltz Antiquariat, Koenigstein-Taunus, West Germany, DM 135 (approx. $77). 1924. Beitrage zur Orchideenkunde von Colombia. Fedde's Repertorium Beihefte 27: 1-183. Reprint 1980, DM 78 (approx. $45). 1925. Orchidaceae Perrierianae. Ein Beitrage zur Orchideenkunde der Insel Madagaskar. Fedde’s Repertorium Beihefte 33: 1-391. Reprint 1980, DM 115 (approx $66). 1925. Die Orchideenflora von Rio Grande do Sul. Fedde’s Repertorium Beihefte 35: 1-108. Reprint 1980, DM 59 (approx. $34). Kraenzlin, Fr. 1925. Monographie der Gattungen Masdevallia Ruiz et Pavon, Pseudoctomeria Kraenzl. Fedde's Repertorium 34: 1-240. Reprint 1980, DM 82 (approx. $47).

Someone with a morbid sense of humor once suggested that Rudolf Schlechter (1872- 1925), the great German orchidogist, died at a relatively young age because he worked too hard trying to describe all the orchids in the world. Indeed Schlechter was a prolific writer and his books and

PAGE TWENTY-FOUR

articles occupy an entire shelf in my library. In addition, he contributed to the German orchid publication, Orchis. Original copies of his books still exist but they are becoming increasingly rare due to wars, destruction and deterioration (I have some originals and can attest to the poor quality; they are almost falling apart). As a result, his books are in demand and Antiquariat Koeltz is reprinting them. Those listed here are slightly smaller than the originals, but only due to reduction of margins; print size remains the same. All are hard bound in red and produced well.

For the most part these volumes consist of lists of species, many of which were new, according to Schlechter. Not all of these species were retained as valid by subsequent workers, but Schlechter's books remain classics and are still consulted by orchidologists. In fact, no serious orchid library is complete without them. That is why I consider the Koeltz reprint program to be an important and worthwhile undertaking.

The volume on Panama offers an interesting sidelight on the price of books. At the time of publication it sold for 8 Goldmark and 2400% Impost. This was then equal $2.00 (which today are worth about DM 3.50). In 1963 I paid $2.10 (including postage) for a copy of the original (approximately DM 8.00 at the time) or 2.1 cents per page. The price of the reprint (2 volumes in one) is DM 135 (approximately $77 or 19.2 cents/page). This is not to suggest that the prices are unreasonable but it points to inflation and the deterioration of the dollar.

Another interesting aside is that Schlechter often named his books in honor of scientists, friends, collectors or correspondents. The one on Panama is named after a Mr. C.W. Powell whereas part of the volume on Costa Rica commemorates Dona Amparo de Zeledon who paid for collecting the plants. An engineer, Werner Hopp is remembered in the volume on Colombia. The book on Madagascar is based on a collection by Perrier de la Bathie who wrote his one work on the orchids of that island and commemorates him (the
first book on the orchids of Madagascar by Louis-Marie Albert-Aubert du Petit Thouars, was published in 1822). No one is honored in the volume on Rio Grande do Sul.

Kraenzlin's monograph is also smaller than the original (which seems to have been printed on better paper than Schlechter's volumes), but again the reason is reduced margins. It is dedicated to F.C. Lehmann, German counsul in Popayan, Colombia, who contributed to The Genus Masdvalia, by F.H. Wool ward (1896), one of the most magnificent colored-plate orchid books ever published (also reprinted recently). Kraenzlin's book has no illustrations, but is nevertheless valuable due to its historical perspective.

These books are not inexpensive, but they are certainly worth having or at least adding to university libraries. Joseph Arditti, Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92717

J.W. DEACON. Introduction to Modern Mycology. Vol. 7 in the Basic Microbiology Series. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 1980. 197 pp., illust. $18.95.

The topics chosen by the author for this paperback text include various aspects of physiology, nutrition, development, as well as how fungi impact on man: disease, decomposition, antibiotics. The book is well illustrated including a few electron micrographs. One section contains a brief list of references and there is an index. The paper is very high quality.

The author of this introductory text has designed it for the undergraduate microbiologist, botanist, and biologist in general. It is, indeed, elementary and would' not be suitable for a course in mycology. It suffers the usual paperback inadequacy: briefness. And yet this brevity may be desirable for the student and instructor where mycology is part of a larger course. The book may also appeal to the beginning student of the fungi as it offers a succinct, up-to-date summary of various aspects of mycology. Dean T. Klein, Biology Department, St. Michael's College, Winooski, Vermont 05404

READERS' MAZE - AN APOLOGY

You surely noticed that the last issue (Vol. 27 #2) of P.S.B. had the inner pages out of order because they were stapled incorrectly by the printer. We both are sorry about this error and hope that our alert readers were able to solve the puzzle thus presented without