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460 Rhodora 98 [Vol. RHODORA, No. 460-462, 1996 Vol. 98, 896, pp. BOOK REVIEW — Michigan Flora, Part IIL Dicots (PyroJaceae Compositae) by Edward G. Voss. 1996. xix + 622 771 maps, 266 line pp. drawings, 8 color plates. $15.00 (cloth). Cranbrook Institute Michigan of Science Bulletin 61 and University of Herbari- Ann um, Arbor, MI. begun more 40 book Part of a project than years ago, this monumental completes a study of the seed plants of Michigan. Edward Michigan Flora, Part by G. Voss, an excellent III, is gym- book an excellent Part (Voss 1972) covered the in series. I nosperms and monocots, Part (Voss apetalous and II 1985), the polypetalous dicots, Part the sympetalous dicots. Save for the III, from Michigan absence of the pteridophytes the series, three its parts parallel both in coverage and family sequence the three and Brown volumes of Gleason's (1952) Britton Illustrated A^^u' Flora. Voss In the course of the requisite research for the three books, more specimens from studied than a quarter million collected He Michigan during the 19th and 20th centuries. estimates that the number of Michigan specimens in the state's several herbaria A has more than doubled over the past 40 years. similar estimate would likely be valid for most states of the Midwest. In the all, maps three books contain county dot distribution for ca. 2,450 species, each dot substantiated by at least one of the herbarium The maps specimens. with and are rich dots, the distribution pat- some terns they display interesting and in cases provocative. cire They remind one of the need for an atlas of plant distribution Manual covering of Gray's range (Fernald the states the all 1950). Michigan Flora, Part III treats the plants of 33 dicot families, those of the large family Compositae or Asteraceae occupying 40% taxonomic The about of the text. text includes thorough, usually multi-charactered, dichotomous keys for species identification. The keys are often augmented by discussion of additional character-state differences, combinations, and nuances that further and serve to distinguish the various species, hybrids, infraspecific The comprehensive some taxa. habitat statements will also, in — Book Review 461 1996] of unknowns. About one-third of cases, aid in the identification and/or m some photographs of 50 of with eight plates of attractive color the species. The section closes with a set of master keys to fam- woody ihes and to special groups, e.g., aquatic plants, plants, Michigan covering three parts of the Flora, all and Nuggets abound discussion of individual genera spe- in the A few examples a brief history of the harvesting of cies. are: common World War milkweed from during the seeds of II floss Hemp War by ''Milkweed Floss Division of Industries/' the Cyno- headquartered Petoskey, Michigan; the speculation that at Henry was borage noted by glossiim boreale the blue-flowered Michigan David Thoreau during his travels in in 1861; a discussion of the commercial growing of peppermint in Michigan, in- Mentha town cluding notes on the estciblishment of the of most whose post office closed in 1954; the observation that in when ma- Michigan species of Viburnum a fruit purple-black is may when some green" "although be red (ouch!); ture, it it is name thoughts on the gender of the generic Bidens\ a discourse comments on on taxonomic problems genus Aster, and the in the the spread'' of the European thistle Cirsium pahistre into ''tragic wetlands. natural The three-part Michigan Flora will be of great value to pro- and botany students dealing with plants of the fessional botanists Midwest, Northeast, and Ontario. will be of great utility to the It work them individuals whose interest or brings into contact all such those concerned with the with the region's plant as life, occurrence of identity of plants growing in wetlands or lakes, the between and or wildflowers, the relationship plants insects trees between and and the preservation of rare species or plants soils, "A Voss an or important natural areas. flora," as writes, "is in- ventory or census of a basic resource." LITHRATURE CrFFD Book American Fernal]^ M. 1950. Gray's Manual of Botany, 8th cd. L. New York. Co., New Brown Gleason, H. a. 1952. The Britton and Illustrated Flora of the New Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The York Botan- NY. Garden, Bronx, 3 vol. ical Gymnospcrms and Monocots. Michigan Voss, G. 1972, Flora, Part E. I, 462 Rhodora [Vol. 98 Cranbrook Institute of Science Bulletin 55 and University of Michigan ML Ann Herbarium, — Arbor, — Michigan 1985. Flora, Part Dicots (Saururaceae Cornaccac). II, , Cranbrook Institute of Science Bulletin 59 and University oi Michigan Ann Herbarium, Arbor, MI. — Tom CoopcRRiDnR, Department S. of Biological Sciences, Kent OH 44242 State University, Kent, Note: and Parts are available for $12.50 each from I II the N Cranbrook Woodward Institute of Science, 1221 Ave., Box P.O. MI 801, Bloomfield, 48303-0801 (phone 810-645-3239 810- or 645-3203).— £^/.