Intermountain Flora: Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A.: Volume Three, Part A: Subclass Rosidae (except Fabales) by Arthur Cronquist, Noel H. Holmgren, Patricia K. Holmgren PDF
Preview Intermountain Flora: Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A.: Volume Three, Part A: Subclass Rosidae (except Fabales) by Arthur Cronquist, Noel H. Holmgren, Patricia K. Holmgren
RHODORA, No. 319-321, 1998 Vol. 100, 903, pp. BOOK REVIEW Intermountain Flora: Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, Volume Three, Part A: Subclass Rosidae {except Fa- U.S.A.: bales), by Arthur Cronquist, Noel H. Holmgren and Patricia ISBN 446 0-89327-375-9 $75 K. Holmgren. 1997. (hard- pp. New NY. The York Garden, Bronx, Botanical back). magnus work volume opus seven This the penultimate in a is of intermountain west, an area of the western the Dlants the r United which includes of Utah, most of Nevada, and States all and Oregon. Twenty-five parts of Arizona, California, Idaho, by making, completion has been long awaited years in the its volume community. This of and treats ecologists the botanical all of Fabales (published sepa- the Rosidae with the exception the and and authored by Rupert Barneby), for the B, rately as part some most treatment of of the provides a synthetic time, first Comdex families in the region. The North America. an It is two decades and new have been discovered the past of species in The completion of the recorded. frequent range extensions are rmountain remote For the time in the publication of the series, there is a first — convention each family byline authorship for a attributing which enormously helpful in assigning responsibility for the is author of taxonomic Arthur Cronquist, the this treatments. first when he died volume, was working on treatments in actively Much work was form and in need of 1992. of his in draft my Noel sense of the situation that considerable is editing; names Holmgren add as Holmgren and did not their Patricia Of 40 fami- made the extensive revisions. authors unless they parentheses) work, authorship (indicated in lies treated in the some problematic of and treatments evenly divided fairly is Rosaceae Apiaceae (AC), welcome: groups are especially NHH, PKH), and Grossulariaceae (NHH), Onagraceae (AC, (PKH). While work important in a number of ways, its chief this is 319 320 Rhodora 100 [Vol. few significance lies in the fact that regional floras rival the Intermountain Flora in scope or Previous volumes have detail. been used as a standard against which other works are floristic judged, and the present volume no exception. Following the is format used in the five volumes, Noel Holmgren and Pa- first Holmgren made welcome tricia a addition to the standard format commonly by treating cultivated horticultural taxa in the keys. As with the standard format, native and naturalized taxa are all accompanied by lengthy morphological descriptions, illustra- and taxonomic and synonymy which tions, full nomenclatural includes bibliographic citations and type specimen information basionyms. for Descriptions of and all habitat distribution are often accompanied by a discussion of morphological variation by geographic region and the ensuing problems with taxonomic circumscription. References to dissenting points of view are usu- ally provided, and the authors spare no effort in offering lengthy discussions about problematic and complexes. species species The text of the Intermountain Flora with personal rich field is observations providing found no De- details in other reference. cades of experience volumes and are distilled in the the treat- ments show a zealous attention to detail. Users of the flora will be by delighted and the clearly written keys, lively discussions, lavish illustrations. While anyone working with the treatments might disagree with some of the circumscriptions of taxa in the flora, no one can fault the make enormo enhancing popularity its The appreciati lie. ^ "whose to artists Jeanne R. Janish, Bobbi Angell, and Robin Jess, drawings skillful give vivid life to the text." My only criticisms of this volume are the omission of an in- troduction providing background information on the the ab- flora, sence of a bibliography of previous volumes, and no mention of volume the final (number two), which will include a key to fam- my During ilies. fifteen years as the curator of the Intermountain "When Herbarium, the question was asked most was freauentlv I ?> volume le next of the Intermountain Flora be publisher "When the question be volume will will a synoptic w Knowing tied?" that the Holmgrens complete will this Book Review 321 1998] we owe community them in the near future, in the systematic our and gratitude hearty congratulations. — Leila M. Shultz, Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA 02138, and Laboratory of Utah State Univer- the Floristics UT Logan, 84322-5215. sity,
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