278 SOUTH AFRICAN FLORA. 



South African Flora. — Three years ago when 

 Dr. Marloth issued the first vokime of his " Flora of South 

 Africa," the London Times Literary Supplement referred to it 

 as a " sumptuous work." and observed that " nothing of the kind 

 has been attempted for any other country." The same author 

 has just i)ubhshed a modest-looking little volume* which he 

 describes as a " supplement" to his greater undertaking. Not- 

 withstanding its vmassuming appearance, the labour involved in 

 compiling it must have been great indeed. The book is divided 

 into three sections, the first of which is mainly an alphabetical 

 li.st of the common names, current in South Africa, of plants 

 indigenous to the country. The same species are enumerated in 

 the second part of the book 'uit in systematic arrangement. If 

 either the common name or .e botanical designation of a plant 

 is known the searcher will fin., the other name in the appropriate 

 section of the work. The third, and smallest, section comprises 

 a list of foreign plants cultivated in the open, a list which the 

 author regards as only accessory to the main subject of the book. 

 The popular names are, of course, largely Dutch, but by no 

 means exclusively so, and in practically every case a few notes 

 descriptive of the plant, and often of its actual or possible appli- 

 cations, are added, and information is occasionally given to 

 direct the reader to practical proofs of these applications. Thus 

 one gathers that the furniture of the little English Church at 

 De Dooms illustrates the use of which the Rooi Els (Citnonia 

 capensis) may be i)ut ; of the Cape gooseberry — which, by the 

 way. is neither a gooseberry nor of the Cape — the potentialities 

 for jam manufacture are pointed out ; and of the ]]^itc)at boom 

 (Capparis albitriinca) the roots are stated to be used as a cofifee 

 surrogate. As already remarked, a great deal of valuable pioneer 

 work has been packed into the small compass of this little work, 

 and the author has indeed — to use a stock |)hrasc thoroughlv 

 applical)le in this case — met a long-felt want. 



"^ R. Marlotli : "Dictionary of the common names of plants: with 

 list of foreign plants cultivated in tlie open."' Svo. pp. 175. Capetown: 

 .Speciality Press of South Africa. Ltd. icjr/. 



NEW HOOKS. 



Thonner, Pr. — "The flowcriu:^ l^hiiifs of Africa." pp. 647. London: 



l)ui,iu ^' Co. i9t6. 15s. 

 Calvert, Albert F. — " The Ceniiau African Euipirc" pp. .wxix, 335. 



TIlus. and Maps. London: T. Werner Laurie, Ltd. 1916. 6s. 



net. 

 Godee Molsbergen, Dr. E. C. — •" Reizen in Zuid .Vfrika in de Hol- 



landse tijd. iste deel. Tochten naar het Noorden. 1652-1686 " 



The Tlajiue: Linschotcn Vereeniging. 1916. 10 X 6.^ in. pp. xx.x, 



-'54- 



