238 



REVIEWS. 



Beccari's American Palms 



Le Palme Aniericane delta Trihi delle Corypheae. Odoardo 

 Beccari. (Extracted from Webbia, vol. 2, Florence, 1907.) 



In this valuable monograph Professor Beccari presents the re- 

 sults of many years investigation of palms and his work will be 

 of immense interest and great assistance to students of these 

 plants. In the tribe Corypheae, discussed in this volume, the 

 American species are included in the following genera : 



1. Sabal K^diXiS. In this genus he recognizes eighteen species 

 distributed from North Carolina to Porto Rico and Guatemala. 

 He divides the genus into four series according to the size and 

 shape of the fruit. Our observations indicate that the size of the 

 fruit is not a good character to use, inasmuch as it varies greatly ; 

 the shape of the fruit is, however, apparently constant. He 

 properly, in my opinion, declines to accept the genus Inodes 

 Cook, which has as its only available character a tall upright 

 trunk rather than the short and mostly subterranean one of vS. 

 glabra (Mill.) Sargent, the type species. From my knowledge 

 of these trees in the field, I conclude that he has recognized one 

 or two species too many. Sabal Schzoarzii (Cook) Beccari, of 

 Florida, has no chance to be specifically distinct from Sabal 

 Palmetto (Walter) Lodd.; Sabal Palmetto bahamensis does not 

 differ sufficiently from the type, if at all, to be entitled to recog- 

 nition in nomenclature; Sabal florida Beccari, from Cuba, differs 

 slightly from 5. Palmetto in that the branchlets of the inflores- 

 cence are thicker, but the flowers, according to our dissections, 

 are essentially identical. No mention is made of the Jamaica 

 Sabal, very common in parts of that island, and sometimes at- 

 taining a height of 25 meters ; its flowers are like those of Sabal 

 parviflora Becc. of southern Cuba. 



2. Serenoa Hook. f. This consists entirely of 5. serrnlata 

 (Michx.) riook. f., of the southern United States. 



3. Brahea Mart. Here four species are recognized, three of 

 them Mexican and one from San Salvador. 



