55 : 



BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, dc. 



Mr. Cbdric Bucknall publishes in the Journal of tlie Linncan 

 Society (xli. No. 284 ; December 29) a " Eevision of Symphytum,'" 

 which, as will be expected by those who read his paper on some 

 hybrids of the genus published in this Journal for 1912 (pp. 332- 

 337), is evidently a very careful piece of work. He recognises 

 twenty-five species : one of them — discovered by Shuttleworth at 

 Hy6res in 1871, and distributed by him as S. floribundum — is 

 now first described ; other new species are S. anneniacum and 

 S. Bornmuelleri. The species which have been found in Britain 

 as introductions are S. asperum, S. pcregrinum, S. tcmricicm, 

 S. caucasicum, and S. orientate ; the confusion associated with 

 the name asperrimitm, which has been applied to at least seven 

 species, has been unravelled. The history of the genus is fully 

 detailed ; there is a very full synonymy, including that of pre- 

 Linnean authors, and a full list is given under each species of the 

 specimens examined, and — perhaps a little redundantly — the 

 names under which they appear in the herbaria consulted. The 

 descriptions throughout are very full and show much personal 

 investigation : the paper is, in fact, a model monogra.ph, and Mr. 

 Bucknall is to be congratulated on the result of his many years' work. 



Notwithstanding the plenitude of botanical literature, com- 

 prehensive works of reference on the various branches of the 

 science are all too scarce, and much time is wasted and informa- 

 tion overlooked in consequence. The Bradley Bibliography, which 

 is being issued under the able direction of Prof. C. S. Sargent as 

 Publication No. 3 of the Arnold Arboretum, is a welcome addition 

 to this class of works. It is to be " a guide to the literature of the 

 woody plants of the world, published before the beginning of the 

 twentieth century," complete in five quarto volumes. Two of 

 these, dealing with dendrology, have already appeared ; the first 

 " includes all botanical publications containing references to 

 woody plants, except those which are restricted to a particular 

 family, genus, or species, which are found in the second volume 

 and are arranged according to the system of Bngler & Prantl," 

 and in chronological sequence under each subject. The third 

 volume will be occupied with literature on the economic products 

 and uses of woody plants and with arboriculture; the fourth with 

 forestry, and the last with an index to the whole. Dr. A. Rehder, 

 who has had this work in preparation for upwards of ten years, 

 made a tour of the principal botanical libraries in Europe and 

 America in his endeavour to render the enumeration as thorough 

 as possible. Each title is given at ample length and followed by 

 particulars of size, date and place of publication ; occasional 

 annotations also add to the value of the entries. The volumes 

 are of convenient format, and their fine typography is worthy of 

 the Riverside Press from which they issue. The expense con- 

 nected with the production of this work, which has been made 

 possible by a family gift commemorative of William Lambert 

 Bradley, must have been considerable, and is reflected in its cost, 

 $100, or nearly £21.— F. G. W. 



