Table Of Content

BOOK REVIEW Weber Ronald Wittmann. Colorado and 1996. Flora: LiAM A. C. (ISBN 0-87081-387-0, Eastern Slope (Revised Edition). pbk). AND: 524 Niwot. University Press of Colorado, $29-95, xl + pp. Weber Ronald Wittman. Colorado William and 1996. Flora: A. C. Western Slope (Revised Edition). (ISBN 0-87081-388-9, pbk). 496 University Press of Colorado, Niwot. $29.95, xxxvii + pp. illiam Weber a veritable Roger Tory Peterson of Colorado Botany, given his fifty is Given Weber 1987, 1990) and are of considerable merit. their stril Key and Fen equence of Preface, Introduction, to Families, Ferns Common Names, and Angiosperms, Figures, Glossary, Index to I , The hydrologic Continental Divide separates the geographical i . 'olumes. The Eastern Slope flora treats approximately 2300 spe some 2100 not Slope covers species. Infraspecific raxa, flora •n (Snow 1992-1' g efforts Both volumes begin wit physiognomic wherein p The High North Plains, The Sawatch Range and Upper Arkansas San Luis Valley; ; The Wet Mountain Valley and Spanish Peaks. These categories are followed by 1 Endangered Revegeta- of Zones, Plant Geography, Habitats, Rarity, Floristic s How Some Learn Recognize the Big Families, Plants, Floristic Statistics, to to 1 One "How C ov,LTsight in to oUect and Preserve Botanic Specimens" was their leglecting al r men ow common to tion the n increas ingly use of Glob Positioning Systems GPS) al sys- ( terns to pinpoint collection localities on labels, and the importance such data wi have for 11 1 use wit:h Geographical Infoi•mation Systems (GIS). n Witl-lin each lajor category (Ferns and Fern Gymnosperms, Allies, etc.) th e taxa are , arranged alphabetically by amily and by genera The w.thi, families. family generic f 1 arid descnp. graphic ranges; medicinal. ornamental, and al folk uses invita- ,^s, , botanize might be . The discove:red (Easteirn Slope vo lume). species descr.pt relevant and geo- fc , m graphic ranges an included. havTnot'used'thrpresent volumes ; I the field, bui based on t R persona ce during a ten year residence in the ocky Mountain region, found the I Key to the Famil,lesofearlie Interspersed in the Easte rn Slope are two sets of 3 2 color photographs, wllereas the , Westerr Slope ha four sets of 16 photographs. The have no apparent 1 s se ts taxc otner logical arrangement such as Hower color (popular in some guides), but in most in stances the photos are crisp. The Eastern slope text followed by 103 black and white is Ann plates prepared by Papageorge, Carolyn Ensle, and Harold Roberts, nearly of which all The only obvious printing problems spotted were large columnar gaps in the Index I tc Names Scientific 488, 492, 494) and fuzzy 47 Western (pp. text in the Slope manual. (p. 1) The biggest concern with these volumes, like their predecessors, the extensive use is ol names generic unrecognizable to even well-trained students of the North American flora. The following examples probably ring few bells of recognition to most American plant systematists: Sabina monosperma, Bolophyta alpina, Breea arvemis, Psychrophila leptosepaUi. Cylindropyrum cylindrkum, Nuttallia decapetala, or Seriphidium tridentatum. These are recog- leptosepala, Aegilops cylindrkum, Mentzelia decapetala, and Artemisia As an example tridentata. at the family level, the authors segregate Alsinaceae from a larger and more inclusive Caryophyllaceae, which does not accord with other modern Hartman (Larson 1986; floristic Weber often has merely raised existing infrageneric : However, now ric level. a phylogenetic analysis seen is by phylogenetic worl J Brown, O.K., H.E. Luther, and W.John Kress. 1993. Comments on the responsibilines 154-1 of taxonomists. Bromeliad Soc. 43: 56. J. An Columbia Cronquist, a. 1981. integrated system of classification of flowering plants. Hickman, Tiiejepson Manual: Higher Hartman, R.L. 1993. Caryophyllaceae. In: J.C. ed. 475-497. Plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley. Pp. Great Larson, G.E. 1986. Caryophyllaceae. Great Plains Flora Association, Flora of the In: 192-214. University Press of Kansas. Pp. Plains. Wasmann Wyoming. The Journal of headwaters region of the Yellowstone River, the' Biology 50(l-2):52-95. Thorne, 1992. An updated phylogenetic classification of the flowering plants. Aliso R.F. Weber, W.A. 1987. Colorado Western Slope. Colorado Associated University Press, flora: Boulder. Colorado Associated University Press, 1990. Colorado Eastern Slope. flora: Niwot. — Box Neil Snow, Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. 299, St. Louis, Missouri, QLD 63166. Current address: Queensland Herbarium, Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, 4068. Australia.