The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-29

InIBo 1ohNn AOI Nho VIZ " ~
Of American plants from the botanical depart
msnt of Columbia University. The interest In the
project centred about two chief points: the fact
that the botanlsts in this particular university
represent the ultra-reformist wing OF nomen-
claturo revision. and tGs announcement that
the book was TO contain n picture Of every
species of plant within its range. The
book has finally appeared. and its friends
have every reason TO be proud of IL.
Tho volume before us is the first Of three
volumes TO constitute An illustrated Flora
of The Northern United States. Canada, and
enc British Possessions from Newfoundland to the
Parallel Of the Southern Boundary Of Virginia,
and from the Atlantic Ocean Westward To the
Ioed MoYfdtdn." Charles Scribner's Sons) The
authors are DR.. Nathaniel Lord Britton, Emeri-
tus Professor Of Botany in Columbia University
aud Dlrector-in-Ch Of the Now York Botanl-
cal Harden. and Judge Addison Brown. Presi-
dent Of the Torrey Botanical Club OF New
York city. This first volume comprises the
plants from the lowest ferns to the carpet-weeds
(OphtoolossdceB to AisodceU), the latter plants
being represented in this country by the Sea
Pnrslane (Sesurtum) and the truo carpet-weed
(Afolluoo perticilldtd). 1t contains more than
600 pages and several hundred drawings.
"The enterprise tho preface explains. was
protected by Judge Brown and maintained
and supervised by him throughout" The exc
cution Of the work has been Immediately in the
hands Of Prof. Britton. who has called various
specialists to his aid. The work " has been dill
gently prosecuted for the past six years." and
the remaining portion Twill DO issued as rapidly
rs it can be printed. the text being already
written and the figures drawn" The en-
tire work Is to comprise something over
1000 Illustrations. These Illustrations while
small about two by three inches) are re-
markably clear and characteristic, and they
are set directly against the descriptive text, q
circumstance which contributes much TO their
usefulness, These figures have been drawn
under the direct supervision of the authors and
from the plants themselves. and show he
salient features of the plants as well rs any
ANAL figures can; but In such critical groups as
the sedres, the pondweeds, and some OF the
grasses the cuts must be studied most faithfully
in connection with the text, else the general
student is likely to BIO led astray.
To the amateur and even to the general run
of botanists. this book will come rs q distinct
innovation. In the first place. the arrangement
or sequence of the orders is radically unlike
that of our standard manuals. 1t is customary
60 follow the De Candollean order, beginning the
fora with tho buttercup family and running
aiong through the mustard. pink, pea, rose, and
parsley families. with the compositB or sum
flower tribes we'll toward the front OF the
scheme. Yet in this volume none of these fam
flies are mentioned. All this is the result Of
the modern evolution teaching, which at
tempts to consider first those orders which
evidently appeared first in point OF time. or
which at any rate, are simplest in structure,
and to make a gradually ascending scale. In
stead of beginning with tho buttercups and
ending with the club MOSES. therefore,, with the
conifers sandwiched in between the exogens
and the endogens. this book begins with the
ferns, proceeds to the eouisetums and club
moses. thence to the cone-bearing plants
and their kin (pines. spruces, cedars. and
yews), thence to the ~cattails, p~ondweeds, wa
ter plantains. grasses, sedges, ~duckweeds,
rushes. lilies. smaryllids. irids, orchids. wal
nuts and hickortes. poplars and willows.
rirches, oaks. mulberries, knotweeds and
pigweeds; and the third volume will wind
mp with tho composite, which the authors. in
common with most botanists. regard as the
highest or latest general plant type. This sys-
tenn is that of Engler and Prantl's Natural
Plant Families" q work which is now contin-
uing and which represents, moro nearly than
any other single work. the matured convic-
tons of systematists respecting the course of
the vegetable creation. This logical and scien-
tiHc arrangement gives the book an almost
unique value among American manuals. and
will awaken correct conceptions of the afini-
ties of pie nts among our students.
Another innovation is the independence of
the convictions respecting the limits of species
and families. Throughout tho book there Is .
most marked tendency to give specific and
family names to smaller groups than has been
the habit with American botanists. Thus. while
the last edition of Gray's Manual refers tho
common spiderwort to one species (Trddescdntid
Vtrotnfcd). Britton refers 1t to three species: and
what are two species of blue-eyed grass Tor
Sisfninchtum) in Gray. are three species in
Brittou. What students in Gray know as
che CuptltferG. or oak family, is here
broken up into the Betuldce1. or birch family.
and the Fd0dceG. or beech family. the latter
comprising the oaks. The LatdceG is now
parcelled into the HdldrthdceG, or bunch-hower
family: lily family proper, COnrdlldridceB or
Dly-of-the-valIey family, and Smfldceg smi-
lax family. The authors very forclbly justify
this dismemberment Of the old classification
lines by saying that lit has the distinct ad-
vantage of decreasing the size OF the groups.
and thus materially facilitates their study"
This breaking up of the old lines has necessi-
tated making the descriptions anew directly
from the plants, SO that the book
has In IL almost nothing which is
copied from tho older manuals. We doubt
81 the descriptions of the species will
be found to be so pithy and designative as those
Of Gray. for that author had n distinct genius
for that kind of systematic work. The present
book has given particular attention to tho sta
tistical or numerical measurements of plants.
and ono wishes that n few informal remarks as
TO the habits and pecufiarities OF the plants
had been thrown in now and then. On the whole,
It seems 70 us that the breaking up OF the old
Unsatisfactory lines is q distinct advantage to a
perspicuous study ofIplants; but We cannot help
feeling that certain cases specific names have
been given TO forms which. even for purposes of
description. cannot be kept apart.
The most emphatic innovation In tho book is
the multitude of new names which are used.
Premium for Goodverd, DrDOpterts for Aspfdt-
Gm, Torylon for Mdclurd. Vd0nerd for Smild-
Gina. IrophOrtB for Setdrtd, and scores of others.
will make ones head swim when he comes TO
substitute them for the long-familiar names.
This changing of names is for tho purpose of
bringing into use tho very Oldest tenable names
OF the various groups and species, and thus to
contribute In the end, to . stable nomenclature.
But IL must be said that the rules under which
these changes are mado arc by no means &C
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