

CURRENT LITERATURE. 



BOOK REVIEWS. 



Vegetation der Erde. 



The vegetation of the Illyrian countries forms the topic of the fourth 

 volume ' of this splendid series of monographs edited by Engler and Drude. 

 The area covered by the work ignores political and to some extent phytogeo- 

 graphic boundaries, embracing the field which Dr. Beck has for many years 

 made peculiarly his own. In a general way the region under discussion cor- 

 responds to the ancient Roman province of Illyria, and includes Servia, 

 Montenegro, and the western portion of European Turkey, as well as the 

 southern part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The Slavic tongues domi- 

 nate in most of the Illyrian regions, and many of the best botanical workers 

 have been natives. Among those prominent in phytogeographic study have 

 been Visiani, Sendtner, Vandas, Baldacci, Panci6 and Adamovi^. Since 1886 

 Beck has published many important papers which have amply fitted him for 

 this monograph. The bibliography includes about 800 titles. 



After a brief treatment of the geography and climatology, the formations 

 are described in detail. Among the most interesting of the formations are 

 the well-known Mediter^-anean evergreen forests and thickets, in which forms 

 with broad leathery leaves (Schimper's sclerophylls) dominate. The pecul- 

 iar evergreen thicket, known as the maqui or macchie, is the most typical of 

 Mediterranean formations and does not depart far from the sea; among the 

 character plants are the arbutus, laurel, myrtle, olive, evergreen oaks, Spar- 

 tium, juniper. This unique vegetation is believed to be due to the unique 

 climate, the winter being mild while the summer is hot and dry. In some 

 places near the sea Pinus halePensis is a leading plant, preceding the maqui 

 rather than following it. Woods are also composed of Pinus nigra, laurel, 

 and various oaks. Vast areas are covered by rocky heaths, especially in 

 limestone regions; under favorable conditions near the sea a rock heath is 

 an early stage of the maqui. 



In the interior the forests are dominated for the most part by deciduous 



'Beck von Mannagetta, Dr. Gunthkr Ritter, Die Vegetationsverhaltnisse 

 der iilyrischen Lander begreifend Siidkroatien, die Quarnero-Inseln, Dalmatien, 

 Bosnien und die Hercegovina, Montenegro, Nordalbanien, den Sandzak Novipazar 

 und Serbien, 8vo, pp. xv-[-534, with 6 full page plates, 18 text figures, and 2 maps. 

 Leipzig; Wilhelm Engelmann, 1901. Subscriber's priced 20, bound M 21.50; 

 separate price M 30, bound M 31.50. 



1902] 309 



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