Aoj.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1898. 
Re  vie  iv s. 
357 
REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
A  Text-Book  of  Botany.  By  Dr.  K.  Strasburger,  Dr.  A.  F.  W.  Schimper, 
Dr.  H.  Schenck  and  Dr.  Fritz  Noll.  Translated  from  the  German  by  Dr.  H. 
C.  Porter.  With  594  illustrations,  in  part  colored.  London  and  New  York  : 
Macmillan  &  Co.  1898. 
When  the  first  edition  of  Strasburger's  (and  his  associates  at  Bonn)  "  Lehr- 
buch  der  Botanik  fur  Hochschulen  "  appeared  in  1894,  it  was  a  matter  of  con- 
gratulation among  botanists  that  such  a  novel  and  valuable  work  was  published. 
That  this  volume  was  appreciated  by  botanists  everywhere  is  apparent  from  the 
fact  that  the  first  edition  was  exhausted  within  a  year.  No  one  who  is  familiar 
with  the  German  language,  and  has  perused  the  original  edition,  can  help  but 
be  struck  with  the  conciseness  and  terseness  of  its  contents,  and  wonder  that  so 
much  could  be  put  into  but  558  pages.  The  task  of  the  translator,  it  must  be 
admitted,  was  herculean,  and  that  he  has  given  us  a  literal  translation,  adhering 
closely  to  the  German,  making  neither  alterations  nor  omissions,  botanists 
and  others  not  at  home  in  the  German  language,  and  who  ought  to  have  the 
book,  will  appreciate. 
The  contents  are  divided  into  two  parts,  viz. :  Part  I,  General  Botany  ;  and 
Part  II,  Special  Botany.  Under  general  botany  are  two  sections:  (1)  morphology, 
including  external  morphology  and  histology,  and  anatomy  ;  and  (2)  physi- 
ology. Under  Part  II  are  considered  the  cryptogams  and  phanerogams.  The 
whole  work  is  teeming  with  useful  information  for  the  apothecary  as  well  as 
the  botanist,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  every  intelligent  pharmacist 
ought  to  have  a  copy  for  reference.  In  the  part  treating  of  the  phanerogams 
are  given  no  less  than  fifty  or  sixty  illustrations  (many  of  which  are  colored)  of 
our  common  poisonous  plants.  The  extreme  value  of  this  part  of  the  work 
may  be  better  appreciated  by  quoting  the  remarks  at  the  end  of  the  N.  O.  Um- 
belliferse  : 
"Poisonous. — Conium  maculatum,  the  Poison  Hemlock  {Fig.  523),  a 
glabrous  herb,  often  more  than  a  meter  in  height,  with  hollowT  stems  and  dull- 
green  decompound  leaves.  The  lower  part  of  the  stem  is  very  frequently,  but 
not  always,  purple-spotted.  The  plant  is  easily  recognized  by  the  wavy  crenate 
ridges  of  its  short,  laterally- compressed  fruit,  and  also  by  its  disagreeable  odor 
when  bruised  (resembling  that  of  mice).  Cicuta  virosa,  the  Water  Hemlock 
{Fig.  522),  a  large  herb  growing  along  the  edges  of  ponds  and  ditches,  is  one  of 
the  most  dangerous  of  poisonous  plants.  It  has  a  turnip-like  white  rhizome, 
full  of  internal  cavities,  and  large  tripinnate  leaves,  with  narrow  lanceolate, 
serrate  leaflets.  The  small  white  flowers  are  aggregated  in  compound  umbels 
and  produce  sub- globose  fruits.  Berula  augustifolia  and  the  different  species 
of  Sium  and  Oenanthe  are  less  poisonous  ;  they  are  all  marsh  or  aquatic  plants. 
The  last-named  genus  is  easily  distinguished  by  the  absence  of  a  carpophore. 
Sium  latifolium  {Fig.  524),  which  is  frequently  found  in  company  with  the 
Water  Hemlock,  has  simply  pinnate  leaves,  with  lanceolate,  sharply  serrate 
leaflets,  The  Fool's  Parsley,  ^Ethusa  cynapium  {Fig.  525),  a  common  weed 
in  gardens,  produces  an  intoxicating  effect  when  eaten.  It  differs  from  the 
true  parsley  in  having  white  instead  of  yellow  flowers,  one-sided,  three-leaved 
(instead  of  six-  to  eight-leaved)  involueels,  and  an  odor  of  garlic." 
Likewise,  under  Bacteria  and  Fungi,  there  are  illustrations  and  information 
