July, 1952 
THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST 
valuable in Black. Descriptions of ovei 
2,620 species, distributed in 702 genera 
are given, and this number is from an area 
of approximately 182 square miles! The 
introduction is a valuable contribution to 
the Flora, but perhaps a few notes on the 
history of plant collecting in the area 
would have made interesting reading 
without in any way detracting from the 
scientific importance of the work. 
The botanical keys throughout are ex- 
cellent, emphasis being placed on floral 
and fruit characteristics. Families showing 
variations in these are faithfully “keyed” 
out several times, thus reducing the possi- 
bilities of mistakes in determinations. The 
descriptions given are complete including 
authorities and synonymy. It is unfortun- 
ate that no differentiation is made be- 
tween indigenous and naturalised plants, 
for such information is always help- 
fid to the local as well as the overseas bot- 
anist. But the usefulness of this work to 
the botanist in South Australia is great, 
[t had been seen by ]'. M. Black before his 
death, and is now being used by his editors 
when dealing with plants from this region 
which have become naturalised in this 
State. To the student or botanical worker 
endeavouring to reduce the chaos in the 
naturalised species of Oxalis, Babiana, 
Flomeria, etc., this volume is most wel- 
come. It is well produced, the type is large 
and therefore easy to read, and altogether 
is a first-rate piece of work. 
Each of the above books has an excellent 
index, including popular names, whilst the 
last includes synonyms, as well as an ade- 
quate and useful glossary of botanical 
terms. The publishers in each case have 
taken great pains to produce a really first 
class job and these volumes will long re- 
main standard and useful works to the 
botanist in South Africa and the plant cul- 
tivator or botanical worker in South Aus- 
tralia. 
It is impossible to overlook changes in 
nomenclature which are listed and record- 
ed in these volumes. The most important 
is perhaps that for “soursobs” which is now 
Oxalis pres-caprae , but it is doubtful if 
“this plant by any other name could . . . ” 
“FLORA OF THE CAPE PENINSULA” 
edited by R. S. Adamson, M.A., D.Sc. and 
T. M. Salter [Capt. (s) R.N. Retd.] 1950; 
889pp.; 2 maps inside cover; 94” x 6”, in 
cloth boards, £SAf2/15/0, Juta and Co. 
Ltd., Cape Town and Johannesburg, 
South Africa. 
“WILD FLOWERS OF THE CAPE 
PENINSULA” (painted by) Mary May- 
tham Kidd, 1950, with text compiled un- 
der the supervision of T. M. Salter; 94 
plates in colour with cloth boards and 
coloured dust cover, plus corresponding 
text, plus map, i-xvi Intro, and i-xvii In- 
dex (84” x 5|”), Cape Town, Oxford Uni- 
versity Press, £SAf. 3/3/0. 
“WILD FLOWERS OF THE CAPE OF 
GOOD HOPE” by Elsie Garett Rice and 
Robert Harold Compton 1951, 250 full 
page colour plates plus 3 — 24 pp. Intro., 
plus i-vi Index; 10^” x 74”, cloth boards 
and dust cover (colour), Delux and signed 
edition £SAf.6/6/0, Standard edition 
£SAf.2/10/0 (as per review); Issued by the 
Botanical Society of South Africa; Kirsten- 
bosch, Newlands, C.P., South Africa. 
The Spread of Nicotiana 
spp. in Australia 
“Because of man’s intervention, it is to- 
day hard to say just what were the original 
areas of distribution of the various Austra- 
lian species of Nicotiana. Many years ago 
in Australia, cattle were driven over long 
distances to market or to seasonal pastur- 
age, and the minute seeds of trailside Nico- 
tianas were caught in their rough coats 
and carried far away from their native 
homes, to grow and mingle and cross with 
cousins that were originally distant both 
geographically and botanically.” 
Plant Hunters in the Andes, 1941. 
By T. HARPER GOODSPEED, 
From my experience in collecting our 
species of Nicotiana, more particularly in 
South and Central Australia, I think it is 
very unlikely that the seeds have been dis- 
tributed over long distances by cattle, so 
as to give rise to hybrid stocks. The seeds 
are so small that severe duststorms might 
easily transport them for considerable dis- 
tances. — J.B.C. 
