T HE SOUT H AUST RALIAN NATURALIST September, 1952 
Page ten 
And what a relief it is to discover 
an almost “workable” key which 
does not immediately plunge into 
all the intricacies of the floral de- 
tail, usually requiring a deep 
knowledge ol highly technical 
terms, before the unfortunate 
observer finally can name his plant! 
The important characteristics of 
each plant are not only recorded 
but made obvious by the use of 
italics in the descriptive text. 
Whilst we find that amongst 
orchids from West Australia the 
majority are endemic to that state, 
closely related species are found in 
other states of Australia; thus this 
work is of interest to all who 
specialise in this group of plants. 
Mrs. Erickson has successfully 
Combined descriptive and pictorial 
details to a degree rarely met with 
— although frequently attempted — 
in this type of publication. In all 
22 plates in colour — from her own 
watercolours — as well as numerous 
monochrome sketches and several 
blocks of black-and-white giving 
floral details, are included in this 
book. 
Our introduction to West Aus- 
tralian orchids came through the 
publication, about 20 years ago of 
the late Mrs. Emily Pelloe’s “West 
Australian Orchids,” and apart 
from the beautiful coloured plates 
issued many years ago by the 
“Western Mail” newspaper, little 
else lias been published in con- 
certed form. The book under 
review is indeed a worthy successor 
to these. Many new species have 
been added, the most remarkable 
being Rhizanthella, a wholly 
underground orchid which recently 
had an eastern counterpart dis- 
covered in New South Wales. A 
small but useful bibliography is 
appended, and the index covers not 
only botanical and common names, 
but also technical terms. 
It is well produced, in clear, 
readable type — the colour blocks 
have been faithfully reproduced. 
As it is small enough to fit into an 
outer pocket of a coat its use in 
the field will be assured, and to 
make it an invaluable companion 
for those who are fortunate enough 
to live in the land of these orchids. 
Considering printing costs and 
present day problems in paper, 
binding, etc., it is a good buy at 
25s. 
“ Orchids of the West” by Rica 
Erickson, 1951, 109 pp., illustra- 
tions by the author, including 22 
colour, 9 monochromes and 4 
figures; 9f in. by 5^ in., in buckram 
boards, 25s. Our copy from printers, 
Paterson Brokensha Pty. Ltd., Mur- 
ray Street, Perth, W.A. 
Shrubs and Trees for Australian 
Gardens 
Whilst it is fully realised that as 
naturalists we are not particularly 
interested in books dealing with 
gardens when they are even “Aus- 
tralian gardens,” the second 
volume of this review is of impor- 
tance to all who are interested in 
the conservation of native plants. 
Two methods of “conservation” can 
be readily discerned— (a) reservation 
of tracts of land on which native 
plants continue to grow under 
natural conditions, (b) the active 
preservation of native plants by 
“cultivating” them in the home 
garden, public park or botanic 
garden. And because of the latter 
method of preserving our plants, 
the reviewer is certain that those 
who are interested in this field 
should become acquainted with 
this work. 
