BOOKS AND CURRENT LITERATURE 299 



venting the appearance of small-spored plants such as mosses, Hchens, 

 hverworts, and parasitic fungi on fences, tree trunks, leaves and other 

 situations. — O. E. Jennings. 



Growth-Forms of Natal Plants. — Bews has added another 

 paper to the valuable series in which he' has so materially increased 

 our knowledge of the ecological aspects of Natal' This contribution 

 discusses the growth-forms exhibited in the 3034 species which form 

 the flora of Natal. The system of Raunkiar is used, with its most 

 recent modifications, comprising the recognition of stem-succulents 

 and epiphytes and the subdivision of the large erect and woody plants, 

 or phanerophytes, into three classes on the basis of their height. The 

 author is by no means blind to the artificial character of the Raunkiar 

 system of growth-forms, and expresses his preference for the more 

 natural system of Warming. The simplicity of the former, .however, 

 and the difficulty of applying even the least exacting system to the 

 plants of a region which is ecologically so little known, have led him to 

 use this popular system of analyzing the ecological character of the 

 flora. Natal is poor in large trees and in stem-succulents and epi- 

 phytes. Large shrubs and small trees (microphanerophytes) and 

 small shrubs (nanophanerophytes) each form 14% of the flora. Root- 

 perennials and other low perennials (chamaephytes) form 19% of the 

 flora, while the true root-perennials (hemicryptophytes) and the bulb- 

 ous and tuberous plants (geophytes) each form 18%. When com- 

 pared with the average conditions for the world (the normal "spectrum"), 

 Natal is shown to be rich in chamaephytes and geophytes and relatively 

 poor in hemicryptophytes and therophytes (annuals). Bews dis- 

 cusses fully the role of the various growth-forms in the forests, bush, 

 and veld of Natal. — Forrest Shreve. 



Working Plans for Forest Organization. — The original edition 

 of Recknagel's Theory and Practice of Working Plans, which appeared 

 in 1913 has recently been revised and corrected.^ As the title implies, 

 the book concerns itself with the practice rather than the scientific side 

 of forestry. It deals, with that branch of forest practice known as 

 Forest Organization. Quoting from the introd action: "Forest organiza- 

 tion, a subdivision of forest management, deals with the principles of 



1 Bews, J. W. The Growth-Forms of Natal Plants. Trans. Royal Soc. So. 

 Africa, 5: 605-636. June, 1916. 



- Recknagel, A. B. The Theory and Practice of Working Plans. NeM' York, 

 John Wiley and Sons, 1917. 



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THE PLANT WORLD, VOL. 20. NO. 9 



