REVIEWS 691 



or the much lighter, red wood of E. saligna. The only remedy is the adop- 

 tion of scientific names, which, as the author pertinently remarks, has actually 

 been accomplished in the Eucalyptus oil industry. 



Limitations of space prevent our, referring to the many other noteworthy 

 timbers dealt with, but mention must be made of the Acacias and Casuarinas 

 (she-oaks) and the beautiful woods of Telopea oreades and Tarrietia argyro- 

 dendron (crow's-foot elm). 



From what has been said it will be realised that there is pabulum here 

 for the timber-merchant, the forester, the technologist, and the botanist, 

 and these pages should do much towards the promulgation of a more wide- 

 spread acquaintance with the extensive resources of the Commonwealth. 



E. J. Salisbury. 



Graines et Plantules des Arbres et Arbustes indigenes et communement 

 cultives en France. By R. Hickel. Part I, Coniferes (pp. 182, with 

 93 figures) ; Part II, Angiospermes (pp. 349, with 85 figures and 2 

 plates). (Published by the Author, 11 bis, Rue Champ-la-garde, 

 Versailles, 191 1 and 19 14 ; received 19 19.) 



These two volumes together furnish a mine of information with reference to 

 the seeds and seedlings of a large number of the native and cultivated Euro- 

 pean trees and shrubs. In all cases the descriptions have been based on the 

 aiithor's own observations from authentic specimens, and nearly a thousand 

 species of seeds or seedlings are figured in original drawings that frequently 

 illustrate the range of size and form. 



Both in the group of the Conifers and in the Angiosperms the subject- 

 matter is divided into two parts, one devoted to descriptions of the seeds, 

 and the other to that of the seedlings ; an arrangement which, though open to 

 criticism, facilitates the employment of these pages for purposes of diagnosis. 

 Some idea of the extent of the field covered may be gauged by the fact that 

 the seeds of 147 species of Coniferae and 515 Angiosperms are dealt with, and of 

 seedlings 112 and 314 belonging to these respective groups. 



It is a natural corollary of the principle of recapitulation that the juvenile 

 stages of plants belonging to any one group tend to resemble one another 

 very closely, even though the adult phases may be quite readily distinguished. 

 For this reason seedlings are often difficult to identify, and not the least 

 valuable part of the work before us are the numerous keys for the identifica- 

 tion of the genera or species of the various seeds and seedlings described. 



The author has mainly restricted himself to morphological characters, of 

 which copious details are furnished in the separate descriptions devoted to 

 each species. But though chiefly concerned with morphology, a number of 

 biological facts are mentioned, especially in relation to such features as the 

 period of seed-shedding, the retention of germinative capacity, and the season 

 of emergence of the plumule. 



For example, it appears that, contrary to many current statements, the 

 seeds of Poplars germinate readily, whilst the germinative capacity of many 

 trees diminishes rapidly unless the seeds are sown soon after their maturation. 

 The deleterious effects of desiccation appear in some seeds, as for instance 

 those of the Oak, to be very marked, whilst in others, such as those of the 

 Leguminosa?, vitality may be retained for a period of years. 



An examination of the tabulations of seed and seedling characters in the 

 genus Pinus reveals the rather interesting fact that there is a rough correlation 

 between seed size, the number of cotyledons, and the length of these latter. 

 Thus of the 30 odd species examined, Pinus contorta had the smallest seed 

 (length 2I-4 mm.), and its seedling exhibited cotyledons from 15 to 18 mm. 

 in length, and numbering usually from 3-4, but occasionally only 2. By 



