Table Of Content

RHODORA, Vol. 99, No. 900, 380-381, 1997 pp. BOOK REVIEW mon Families of Flowering Plants by M. Hickey and + King. 1997. 212 ISBN 0-521-57281-9 xii $64 pp. illus. 0-521-57609-1 (cloth), $22.95 Cambridge (paper). Univ New sity Press, York, NY. This 100 Flowering down Plants. Scaled to concentrate on 25 >f common families iosperm families among ships them. The section represents an expansion from the previous offers title. It botany amateur refresher course to professional botanists. Included a short ac- is Kingdom and diagram a manzing monocots, followed by a comprehensive treatment < The lorphology. structures and fruitin drawings stem and foliar features, and inflorescence, perianth, androecium, gynoecium, seed, seedling, fruit throughout The second section of book the on concentrates detailed de- common scriptions of 25 angiosperm chosen families, for their economic, ornamental, and ecological com- importance. This part prises the majority of book the and covers 19 dicot and 6 monocot families, taxonomically arranged. Each family treatment includes overall distribution, general economic features, and ornamental and aspects, intrafamilial Every classification. family account is followed by a detailed description of one at least (up to four) representative The species. species accounts include information on distribution, vegetative and floral characteristics (including flo- I i \. f * -* • * alternate draw internal or external floral details and/or full useful feature a composed section is of comparativ four 380 Book Review 381 1997] Each which have tables. table contains three families superficially similar characters. The table compares features of flowers and An some and fruits and, in instances, leaves inflorescence types. example of compared families includes Ranunculaceae-Saxifra- A gaceae-Rosaceae and Liliaceae-Amaryllidaceae-Iridaceae. se- complement lected bibliography and comprehensive glossary also the treatments in the book. The most pleasing attribute of the book prolific use of is its Both detailed and diagrammatic illustrations are well illustrations. One prepared and usually dedicated to a full page. feature that may be North American users the authors' adop- distressing to is Most book tion of unfamiliar representative species. species in the common Old World, and merely introduced into parts are in the Common of North America. Families of Flowering Plants offers fundamental knowledge of flowering plant form and terminology. many taxonomic of im- descriptions presents concise, useful It portant plant families and would be a welcome addition to any need understand botanist's references, as well as to those with a to flower gardeners, structure (illustrators, etc.). — Donald Padgett, Department of Biology, Southwest Mis- J. MO 65804. souri State University, Springfield,