200 THE PLANT WORLD 



BOOK REVIEWS. 



Plant Life of Alabama. By Charles Molir, Ph. D. Gout. U. S. Nat. 

 Herb. Vol. VI. U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



Dr. Mohr's magnum oijus, the fruition of years of study and en- 

 deavor, came from the bindery of the Government Printing Office just 

 two weeks after the author's eyes were closed by death. He had so 

 eagerly anticipated the comijletion of his work, the only work of im- 

 portance on southern botany issued since the last generation, that the 

 circumstances seem almost pitiful. But the massive book of over 900 

 pages must forever remain as a silent testimonial to a long and useful 

 life spent largely among the plants in the woods and field. 



The scope of the volume is quite comi)rehensive. The main por- 

 tion consists of a systematic catalogue of all plants growing without 

 cultivation in the State, beginning with the slime moulds and so extend- 

 ing through all the orders up to the highest of the seed-bearing plants. 

 The accepted names, w^iicli are in conformity mth the principles of the 

 Rochester Code, are in bold-face type, followed by the citation of the 

 place and date of publication, and the common names by which the 

 plant is known; then follow brief synonymy and mention of the lead- 

 ing authorities, a very careful statement of the distribution, compara- 

 tive abundance, etc., the type locality, and the herbaria in which speci- 

 mens can be found. Frequently these enumerations of species are 

 enriched by interesting notes or observations, and there are not a few 

 entireh^ new species described and illustrated. 



The introductory portion of the work is of considerable value to the 

 general reader, even if not a botanist, as it discusses in detail the char- 

 acter, distribution and interrelation of Alabama plant life. There are 

 chapters on the physiographical features, including the topography 

 and geology; the river systems and drainage; the climate; the life 

 zones; the various plant formations and the factors on which they de- 

 pend; and an elaborate comparison of the Alabama with other local 

 floras. The account of the various areas and zones and the plants that 

 inhabit them is of special interest, and well illustrates the painstaking 

 care with which Dr. Mohr made his observations. 



We are glad to learn that the book wdll also be issued by the State 

 SuiTey of Alabama, which will insure for it a wide distribution. It is 

 not too much to say that with the exception of Dr. Chapman's Manual, 

 no work on Southern botany has ever equalled " Plant Life of Alabama" 

 in importa][ice. — C. L. P. 



