BOOKS AND CURRENT LITERATURE 



Ecology of Plants. — It is something from the scientific standpoint 

 to be in the botanic succession, to be the successor of a worthy line of 

 predecessors, whose work has been recognized by the scientific world. 

 Professor Drude the author of this attractive volume,^ was a student of 

 Grisebach's, one of the earhest and greatest of plant geographers and he 

 comes well equipped for the presentation of the subject of plant ecology 

 by years of study and travel. Dr. Drude has lived during the entire 

 period which has witnessed the rise and progress of plant ecology, and 

 he has taken no mean place in that progress. As one of the editors of 

 Die Vegetation der Erde he has had unexcelled opportimities of ac- 

 quainting himself with the vegetation of the world. 



The first chapter of the book after the introductory preface deals 

 with the physiognomic life forms of plants. Professor Drude gives a 

 short historic account of ecology, written in a trenchant manner, which 

 betrays a personal acquaintance with the men who have been the prime 

 movers in this new departrnent of botanic science. Many interesting 

 side lights are thrown upon terms and matters which are considered 

 axiomatic by plant ecologists. We have in this chapter interesting de- 

 tails as to the views of Grisebach, Reiter, Warming, and others and we 

 are introduced to Raunkiaer's fruitful classification of plant types. A 

 statement is given of the principles upon which a classification of life 

 forms depends. The author's arrangement of physiognomic life forms 

 is then set forth in detail, under the head of three principal groups: 

 Aerophytes, Aquatic Plants and Cellular Plants. A total of 55 life 

 forms are recognized, with brief descriptions and the citing of examples. 

 In the delimitation of these growth forms Drude does a real service to 

 the working ecologist, as he puts upon a scientific basis many forms which 

 have been chaotically treated by other students of the subject. It is 

 impossible in a review to give more than a general idea of the richness of 

 details presented in the 54 pages devoted to this classification and to 

 the notes and references cited in connection with it. Some of the groups 

 considered are: Monocotyledonous Cro^vn Trees, Tree Ferns and 



» Drude, O., Die Oekologio der Pflanzon. Die Wisscnschaft, Bd. 50. Pp. 30s. 

 figs. 80. Braunschweig, F. Vieweg und Sohn, 1913 (Mlv. 11.00). 



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