168 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [august 



The book possesses practically every feature that will contribute to its 

 usefulness: an introduction to the Park itself; a chapter on the organography 

 of the plant for those who have not had a course in botany; simple but com- 

 plete keys; plain concise descriptions with a minimum of technical terms; 

 interesting notes on habitat, habit, distribution, etc; n beautiful halftone 

 plates in brown, and 174 instructive figures; a glossary and a complete index. 

 This little manual of nearly 300 pages is significant in many ways. It indicates 

 an increasing interest in technically correct science simply and clearly expressed. 

 It emphasizes the fact that systematic botany should be developed for the 

 use of the people, not to impress them with the futility of trying to fathom 

 the mysteries of recent nomenclatural practices. It shows that the breeze 

 is beginning to blow steadily from the ocean, littered with the wreckage of 

 families, genera, and species, to the solid shores on which an Astragalus is an 

 Astragalus and not a Tium; a gentian is a gentian and not an Anthopogon; 

 and a pine is a pine and not an apine. 



When a thing is so well done it seems almost ungenerous to mention 

 matters which represent merely differences of opinion, but would it not have 

 been well to have included the grasses, sedges, and rushes for the sake of 

 completeness ? Botanists would have valued this feature even if the descrip- 

 tions had been very much curtailed. Attention may also be called to the seem- 

 ing ultra-conservatism of the authors in the matters of the adoption of recent 

 names for old, well known species. To a beginner, one technical name is as 

 good as another, and no useful purpose is served by retaining a name that 

 properly belongs in another range, even though that name has long been 

 used in ours. 



The publishers have done their work well. The binding is limp leather, 

 the paper excellent in quality, and the pages are trimmed close, so that the 

 little volume feels good in the hand and will no doubt find its way into the 

 pockets of many of the visitors to the Yosemite Park. — Aven Nelson. 



NOTES FOR STUDENTS 



Current taxonomic literature.— L. R. Abrams (Muhlenbergia 8:26-44- 

 191 2) gives a synoptical revision of the genus Monardella, as represented in 

 southern California, and adds 4 new species, and 3 varieties. — O. Ames (Tor- 

 reya 12:11-13. 191 2) has published a new Habenaria (H. Brittonae) from 

 Cuba.— J. C. Arthur (Mycologia 4:40-6=;. 1012) records the results of con- 



tinued studies on the " Cultures of Uredineae in 191 1."— O. Beccari (Webbia 



3:131-165. 1910) under the title "Palmae australasiche nuove o poco note" 

 has published several new species of palms and proposes a new genus {Prit- 

 chardiopsis) of this family from New Caledonia. — A. Brand (Rep. Sp. Nov. 

 10: 280, 281. 191 2) characterizes a new genus (Namation) of the Scrophulariaceae 

 based on the Mexican plant Nama glandulosum Peter. The same author 

 {ibid. 281) proposes the name Andropus carnosusiox the plant hitherto doubt- 



