1915] CURRENT LITERATURE 497 
Ferns of South Africa.—Srm® has prepared a second edition of his Ferns 
of South Africa, bringing together in this convenient form much widely scattered 
of the volume naturally is concerned with the descriptions of species. Atten- 
tion is called to the fact that the number of species of ferns in South Africa 
is remarkably small compared with the whole flora. The present volume con- 
tains 220 species of ferns and fern allies, an increase of 41 species over the first 
edition, published in 1892. The full descriptions and the numerous plates 
make the volume very complete for its purpose.—J. M. C. 
Western wild flowers.—MARGARET ARMSTRONG,’ in collaboration with 
Professor J. J. THORNBER of Arizona, has prepared a popular field book describ- 
ing and illustrating the “common wild flowers” west of the Rocky Mountains. 
The book is “popular,’’ not merely in the selection of plants for description, 
but also in the absence of technical terminology. The author says that 
“almost all technical botanical terms have been translated into ordinary 
English.” The drawings for the numerous illustrations have all been made 
from life, and, in connection with the “ordinary English” of the text, should 
enable me “general public” to identify the conspicuous plants in which it may 
have a casual interest.—J. M. C. 
Plant life.—This title has been selected by HAL for a volume presenting 
the plant kingdom “to the amateur botanist and the lover of nature.” Asa 
consequence, the style is not technical, but appeals to general interest. The 
illustrations are numerous, and 50 of the 74 plates are colored. Some idea of 
the topics presented can be obtained from the chapter heads, which are in 
effect as follows: asexual plants, development of sex in plants and a study in 
evolution, seaweeds, fungi and lichens, archegoniates, phanerogamia, fossil 
plants, food of plants, perpetuation of the race, defenses of plants, ecology.— 
~ eG. 
NOTES FOR STUDENTS 
Origin of monocotyledony.—In an address delivered at the twenty-fifth 
anniversary celebration of the Missouri Botanical Garden, CouLTER,’ because 
of continued studies on the origin of monocotyledony, chiefly in grasses, 
6 Sm, Tuomas R., The ferns of South Africa. 2d ed. 8vo. pp. ix+384. pls. 
186. Cambridge University Press. 1915. 25s. 
7 ARMSTRONG, Marcaret, Field book of western wild flowers. 16mo. pp. xx+- 
506. col. pls. 48. figs. 500. New York and London: Putnam, 1915. .00. 
Hart, Cuartes A., Plant life. 8vo. pp. xi+380. pls. 74. figs. 80. London: 
A. & C. Black. 1915. 
9 CoutTER, J. M., The origin of monocotyledony. Ann. Mo, Bot. Gard, 2:175—- 
183. figs. 9. 1915. 
