70 



one feels might have been included, such as the different 

 varieties of the spinulose shield fern which often have the 

 appearance of distinct species, the purple cliff brake {Pellaea 

 atro purpurea) , Lycopodium annotinum, Oakesia puberula, Betula 

 papyrifera, Ranunculus fascicularis , Hepatica acutiloba, Dicentra 

 canadensis and Viola latiuscula ; also the weedy introductions, 

 Linaria minor, Chenopodium Botrys, and Cydoloma atriplici- 

 folium which are not infrequent in the vicinity of New York. 



This little volume should do much to arouse the interest of 

 the general public as well as the botanical student in our native 

 plants and in systematic botany. A highly successful future for 

 it is predicted. 



H. K. Svenson 



Brooklyn Botanic Garden 



Plants of Southern California 2 



In his Manual of Southern California Botany, Dr. Munz 

 has rendered a distinct service to all botanists interested in the 

 plants of the region. The area covered is roughly the southern 

 one-fourth of the state, the northern boundary running through 

 Ventura, Kern and Inyo counties, including all of Death Valley, 

 the other boundaries being those of the state. For this region all 

 of the ferns and flowering plants are described and many are 

 illustrated with line drawings. Keys to families, genera and 

 species are complete. Covering a restricted region, the keys 

 are simpler and shorter and localities are listed in more detail 

 than is possible in a work covering the entire state. Comparing 

 the volume with Jepson's Manual of the Plants of California it 

 is noted that for many of the larger genera less than half as 

 many species are included. Thus 31 species of Lupinus are given 

 for Southern California, 65 for the state; for Trifolium the 

 numbers are 16 and 41; for Brodiaea, 8 and 21; for Potentilla, 

 20 and 44; for Calochortus, 16 and 24; and for Carex, 41 and 

 126. As the region covered covers the desert regions of the state 

 all of the species of Cactaceae, Yucca, Agave and most of the 

 succulents are included. In the Crassulaceae there is noted a 

 feature in which both of the manuals migh have been improved 

 — the use of synonyms. Jepson describes eight species of 



2 Philip A. Munz. A Manual of Southern California Botany. (8) xxxix 

 + 642 pages. Claremont College, 1935. $5.00. 



