FLORAS OF THE WORLD—PART II 5 
information was found). Spanish names are given in the usual 
form; Portuguese names are alphabetized under the final one, but 
the preceding family name or names are also written out in full. 
Every work cited has been examined by the writer in Washington 
libraries, except those for which the name of another library is 
given at the end of the title (all of which were examined person- 
ally) or those annotated ‘‘Not seen,” for each of which the name of 
the correspondent supplying the data is quoted. 
The examination and annotation of so many thousand publica- 
tions has brought to light so many common faults and omissions 
that some comment will not be out of place. The essential fea- 
tures of even the shortest list of plants include a title that ac- 
curately describes its contents; the most definite possible state- 
ment of the geographical area covered (at the very least the name 
of the province or county in which a given locality is placed) 
with reference, in the case of small or obscure places, to the dis- 
tance and direction from some locality that can be found on any 
reasonably detailed map, supplemented, if desirable, by details 
of latitude and longitude; and a statement of the material on 
which the list is based, whether the author’s collections and 
observations alone or all the published and unpublished informa- 
tion. Any list that attempts to represent the known flora of a 
region should also include a statement of the number of species 
included (the significant feature is the number of species, not 
that of the taxa, although the number of infraspecific forms and 
hybrids may be added if desired), preferably divided among the 
vascular cryptogams, gymnosperms, monocotyledons, and dicotyle- 
dons, and a bibliography in which the titles and references are 
given accurately and in full, not merely to the volume of a work 
or periodical or the first page of a paper. The alphabetical ar- 
rangement of all the genera of vascular plants without regard to 
family or higher divisions, frequently used in Swedish and Dutch 
local works, fails to give any idea of the composition of the fiora 
and is not to be commended, however convenient it may be from 
the viewpoint of those who regularly employ it. 
Additional items that add greatly to the value of a flora in- 
clude an account of the topography, hydrography, geology, soils, 
and climate; botanical explorations and list of collectors, with 
full names and some biographical information; list of herbaria in 
Which specimens are deposited; general and special features of 
vegetation, forest conditions, ecology, phytogeography, life zones, 
origin of flora, endemic species; notes on native and cultivated 
useful plants; local vernacular names; lists of doubtful and ex- 
cluded species, with references; a gazetteer, including particu- 
larly localities not to be found in ordinary atlases, supplemented, 
if possible, by a map; a list of botanical names first published 
in the work; and an index. The inclusion or omission of keys, 
descriptions, references, and synonymy depends on the purpose 
for which the publication is intended and on the availability of 
such information in other works. Authors of supplements to 
published material should give a full reference to the title and 
place of publication of the original paper. 
