210 PITTONIA. 



Second Systematic Census of A ustralian Plants, -with 

 Chronolooic^ Litei^ary and Geoo-rapluc Annota^ 



tlans. By Ferdinand von Mueller * * * Govern- 

 meat Botanist for the Colony of Victoria. Part L 

 Vascular es. * * Melbourne : 1889. 



Baron von Mueller is one of the most learned and indus- 

 trious of living botanists ; and the great extent of his labors 

 upon the wonderful flora of the Australian continent is more 

 or less thoroughly appreciated throughout the world. The 

 present treatise, although but a catalogue of orders, genera 

 and species, is wrought out upon a plan in several ways 

 remarkable. There are no descriptions, and yet the book is 

 tenfold more than a mere list of co-ordinated names. There 

 is, I think, no plant catalogue, ancient or modern, which 

 equals it in respect to the learning and the labor that have 

 been lavished on it. • The author's modest title-page clause, 

 "With Chronologic, Literary and Geographic Annotations," 

 signifies not only that the geographical distribution of all 

 species is indicated, and that the pages are cited where full 

 descriptions are to be found, but that the original place of 

 publication, with date, is cited for every species, genus, natural 

 order and division of plants. The necessity of reforming the 

 whole system of plant nomenclature according to the rule of 

 priority was early felt by our author, and his invaluable 

 "Chronologic Annotations" have been an outgrowth of his 

 bibliographical researcljes as connected with the Australian 

 flora, having in view the end of estal)lishing the nomenclature 

 upon the only possible firm basis. Tiie total number of 

 Orders is 156 ; of Genera, 1409 ; of Species, 8839 : a very 

 vast flora, indeed : and the author has given us the original 

 place of publication, with all tlie dates, for ten thousand and 

 almost five hundred botanical names : as a book of general 



