BOOK REVIEWS 



Edited by Marion Randall Parsons 



Boreal Profound physical change due to altitude and psychic domination by 

 Flora* a new and grand topography are undoubtedly the chief contributing 

 influences which render visits to high mountainous regions both 

 beneficial and refreshing. But the enjoyment of acquaintance with new plants 

 and animals is surely not the least of the pleasures connected with such ex- 

 periences or one of the least of the reasons for "exploring and rendering acces- 

 sible the Sierra Nevada Mountains" and similar regions in our West. With 

 faith in this gospel of the mountains, the Sierra Club member notes with pecul- 

 iar interest every scientific study of his field. Dr. Smiley's meritorious publica- 

 tion is essentially a list of High Sierran plants. It is not a pocket manual for 

 the determination of the plants, but the addition of descriptions (which are 

 totally lacking) would have made it possible to use it in this way in spite of 

 its bulk. Furthermore, keys are provided for family, genera, and specific de- 

 termination. It is unfortunate that varieties are not keyed, because they have 

 been included, and a word or two in the key would have been adequate. Refer- 

 ences are made to the original places of publication. Because of this manner of 

 handling its matter, the book, of course, will not be employed in the field as is, 

 for instance. Hall's Yosemite Flora. Dr. Smiley's compilation has some dis- 

 tinct advantages over the beautiful little Hall manual, for it includes, for in- 

 stance, the boreal flora of the entire range, and not merely of the Yosemite 

 region, and furthermore includes the grasses, sages, and rushes which are not 

 in the Hall manual. Its restriction to the "boreal" region will not be a hard- 

 ship on the floral studies of the actual mountaineer, for this is his territory par 

 excellence. By it Dr. Smiley means to include the Canadian, Hudsonian, and 

 Arctic-alpine zones of Merriam or the country fringing the upper part of the 

 main forest belt and extending to the summit of the range. In the Yosemite 

 region it is quite exactly the particular glorious country from the top of the rim 

 of the valley to the Sierran crest itself. Dr. Smiley's immensely valuable "re- 

 port" is preceded by a discussion of the geography, petrology, topography, 

 climatology, and life zones of the High Sierra, and is illustrated with seven 

 half-tone plates (unfortunately not indexed) which show strikingly the various 

 aspects of the Sierran vegetation and which are beautiful in themselves. Some 

 of the highly interesting preliminary discussions one wishes were even more 

 extensive — for example, that of the so-called "life-zones" ; some of them — for 

 example, those on the geology and petrology — seem clearly in excess of botanical 

 significance or use, or, at any rate, such relations have not been well developed 

 by the author. The bulk of the publication is chiefly due to the fact that the 



*A Report upon the Boreal Flora of the Sierra Nevada of California. By Frank Jason 

 Smiley. University of California Publications in Botany, vol. IX. Pages, 1-423; plates, 

 1-7. September, 1921. Price, $5.00. 



