This is a paperback in the Concepts of Biology Series, and is as well done as any paperback this reviewer has seen. It is somewhat brief (as it must be) but is well written and well illustrated, with good pictures, charts, and examples. It should be recommended to anyone desiring a knowledge of Evolution, as well as any evolutionist seeking examples of evolutionary application.
This little book is said to be “about a surprise … a biological idea which is in the air . . .”. The surprise, as nearly as this reviewer can ascertain, is that the author does not agree with “Darwin’s Natural Selection” as the total director of evolution, but promotes the idea that Internal Factors (which he calls “coordinative conditions”) are a second directive agency in evolution.
This book could properly receive a much more comprehensive title, since most, if not all, the species treated are wide-spread in tropical and subtropical lands, and many of them are also found in temperate climates. As a matter of fact, practically all of them originated in some other region and were introduced into Hawaii.
For the temperate zone tourist visiting in the tropics the amazing diversity of tropical plants is both delightful and frustrating. No reference book could provide guidance to all species that might be encountered, but this one does very well in presenting the showy plants that attract attention around the world in warm climates. Hawaii is a sort of meeting place and its congenial environment welcomes species from far-away places. The two authors, horticulturists and residents of Hawaii for many years, have selected plants that seemed most asked-about.
In general the manner of presentation is to devote a full page to each species, with common and scientific names and countries of origin. Color sketches illustrate each species and decorate the pages. Printed in Japan, the publication is one of a series of “Books to span East and West.”
John W. Thieret and other Louisiana botanists established in 1962 the Louisiana Flora Project to increase the knowledge of plants of the State and, hopefully, to eventually publish an account of the flora in book form. The present work, on the bibliography of Louisiana botany, is the first major publication resulting from the project.
Some of the most common ground cover plants of North America are lichens and prominent among these are members of the genus Cladonia. There is a very extensive literature on this genus, but it is widely scattered and in several different languages. The author has brought together the pertinent information in a systematic and apparently quite usable form.
Peter the Great, in “an act of daring and sovereign self-confidence”, founded the city of St. Petersburg in “a subarctic wilderness” in the year 1703. Included in the early city were the Pharmaceutical Garden and a Botanical Museum, institutions which were merged in 1931 to form the present Komarov Botanical Institute. During these 250 years some of the world’s greatest botanists have worked there, including J. G. Siegesbeck, E. A. Regel, F. K. Ledebour, and V. L. Komarov (1869-1945), for whom the Institute is named.
One of a series of “Barron’s Essentials / The Efficient Study Guides”, this volume represents a somewhat condensed version of a General Biology text. It contains the usual chapters on Science, Protoplasm, Energy, Digestion, etc.; these are written in a quite general way, and seem to be up to date in interpretation.
The University of Tennessee announces a symposium on the Evolution of Higher Basidiomycetes, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, and honoring the 80th birthyear of Dr. L. R. Hesler. The symposium will be held at the University August 5-10, 1968, and will bring together the world’s leading investigators to discuss the morphological, cytological, genetic, nutritional and biochemical approaches to the study. Information on registration may be obtained by writing directly to: Dr. Ronald H. Petersen, Department of Botany, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37916.
The original description of Carex trichocarpa Muhl. was published by Willdenow (Sp. P1. 4: 302. 1805). A scarcely marked variety, var. turbinata was published by Dewey in 1826 (Amer. Journ. Sci. & Arts 11: 159).