BOOK REVIEW 



Weeds of the pineapple fields of the Hawaiian Islands 1 



H. St. John and E. Y. Hosaka are the authors of this popular 

 handbook consisting of non-technical descriptions, with illus- 

 trations, of the weed flora of the Hawaiian pineapple fields, with 

 keys, and chapters on dissemination of weeds, and on their me- 

 chanical and chemical control. Local Hawaiian, Japanese, and 

 English names are given. The publication renders identification 

 of somewhat over 80 of the most common species found in culti- 

 vated areas, and in waste places in and about towns, particu- 

 larly easy. The work will be found to be just as useful in most 

 other countries in the wet tropics as it is in Hawaii as a guide 

 to the determination of the most common plants. The identifi- 

 cations are for the most part correct. Dryopteris parasitica (L.) 

 O. Ktz. is misinterpreted, as it has been in most modern botani- 

 cal literature, the form illustrated apparently being the very 

 different D. dentata (Forsk.) C. Chr. The original Linnaean spe- 

 cies is the same as D. didymosora (Parish) C. Chr. Some bota- 

 nists prefer the binomial Sphenomeris chusana in place of 6". 

 chinensis. For the collective species Fimbristylis diphylla R. & S. 

 the oldest name is apparently F. annua (All.) R. & S. These are 

 however but minor criticisms. The work is supplied with a glos- 

 sary of the comparatively few technical terms used, and an in- 

 dex. The book is well illustrated with full-page drawings of all 

 the plants described, is printed on good quality paper and at- 

 tractively bound. 



E. D. Merrill 



1 Weeds of the Pineapple Fields of the Hawaiian Islands, Harold St. John 

 and Edward Yataro Hosaka. University of Hawaii. Res. Pub. 6: 196. 83 figures. 

 1932. Pub. Office, Univ. of Hawaii, paper 75 cents, cloth, 1.75. 



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