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NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



A Flora of Western Middle California. By Willis Linn Jepson, 

 Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Botany in the University of 

 Cahfornia. Issued April 16, 1901. Enciua Pubhshing Co., 

 Berkeley, Cahfornia. 8vo, pp. iv, 625. Price $2.50. 



There have been many American floras of varying degrees of 

 excellence, but it has been reserved for Prof. Jepson to bring out a 

 book admirably adapted for use in the field. Of convenient size for 

 the pocket, printed in small but clear and well arranged type, on 

 thin but not too thin paper, the attractiveness of the volume at once 

 prepossesses us in its favour ; and it may well serve as a model to 

 other local floras, which as time goes on will inevitably be required. 



A clearly written and modest preface explains the scope and 

 extent of the book and the mode of treatment adopted, which, 

 especially in the prominence given to the results of examination in 

 the field, we would gladly reproduce it in its entirety did space 

 permit ; but we must content ourselves with a somewhat lengthy 

 extract in which the author defines his attitude towards the " new 

 species " which have for the last few years abounded in American 

 periodical literature. He writes : — 



"As to the recognition of species, that is, the determination of 

 the number of species present in our region and the working out of 

 their relationships, field studies played an important part. In the 

 larger or more variable genera resort was had lo the following 

 method: The material of a given genus was segregated into a 

 certain number of forms (regarded as distinct) or varieties of these 

 forms, the judgment passed being in a large measure controlled by 

 field studies. Tiie descriptions of such forms were drawn up from 

 fresh material or herbarium material. The results of these studies 

 could not in all cases, however, be correlated with the existing 

 literature, but to the descriptions such names were apphed as were 

 available in the literature and with all care and caution. There- 

 fore, a particular description stands for a natural type (that is to 

 say, the usual or dominating or most marked form), while the name 

 may belong to a form of the species which is unusual or abnormal, 

 or may, indeed, belong to a very difterent plant since the original 

 description by which such a name was published may be so vague, 

 so loose, or so broad that exact determination is difficult or im- 

 possible. Difficulties of this nature may only be settled by a study 

 of the original or type-specimens, but these are, to us, largely in- 

 accessible. Moreover, type-specimens are not infrequently so 

 poor or so fragmentary that nothing can be made of them. It 

 should be understood, therefore, that the author's conception of the 

 species here given place is expressed by the descriptions rather than 

 by the names ; that there is here an account of the plants of the 

 region rather than a list of species gleaned from the literature. 

 One other course was open. Instead of presenting a fresh account 

 of the plants known to us as occurring in our region, it would have 

 been quite possible to list the species attributed to middle California 

 and copy the paraphrased descriptions which we have inherited, 



