Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada, Second Edition by Henry A. Gleason, Arthur Cronquist

2004·1.3 MB·English

by  Review By: Janet R Sullivan

RHODORA,
No. 185-187, 2004
Vol. 106, 926,
pp.
BOOK REVIEW
Manual Vascular Plants Northeastern United States and Adjacent
of of
Canada, Second Edition by Henry A. Gleason and Arthur
+ ISBN
993
Cronquist. 1991 (seventh printing, 2004). xlvi
pp.
New
The York
0-89327-365-1 $69.00 (hardcover). Botanical
NY.
Garden Bronx,
Press,
—
My
ww wondering why do you want book
e-mail read: Just the
reviewed when the second edition has been out for years?" The reason
now new
wonderful book, seventh printing, has several
is that this in its
make worth your buying copy. Most
and useful features that will a
it
made
noticeably: the cover has changed, corrections have been in the
now
the indexes have been expanded, and there are photographs
text,
and biographies of Gleason and Cronquist included the volume.
short in
The new The
thing you'll notice the cover. bright green, slightly
first is
flexible, hard cover has been replaced by a stiffer cover that is darker green
and illustrated with an impression of a beautiful drawing of Lihodendron
by Bobbi Angell. Inside the front cover there the helpful
tulipifera is still
map
outline of the 48 contiguous states with the shaded portion re-
A
presenting the coverage of the Manual. very useful feature printed inside
UNH
we
back cover something have been having students
the is a ruler, at
books The Manual dimensions have been
tape into their for years.
increased slightly while retaining the pagination of previous printings;
Companion.
thus, the page numbers match those in the Illustrated
still
made
There have been several positive changes in the front matter. First,
now
there a table of contents, which will be very helpful for locating
is
Of number
a family quickly. course, you can find the page for a family
still
by scanning the expanded index section. Second, there a foreword
is
made Manual
Holmgrens changes and
written by the describing the to the
Holmgren
Noel has
asking for corrections for future editions. Third,
Henry Gleason and Arthur
contributed short biographies of Allan
—
who
Cronquist a delight for of us love history as well as systematics.
all
The photos are classics, too: Dr. Gleason with an armload of folders of
herbarium specimens, and Dr. Cronquist in his office with his feet up on
absorbed book and surrounded by books and specimens.
the table, in a
summary has been added the page with
Fourth, a short to
floristic
"more
frequently used abbreviations. Fifth, the listing of frequently cited
suppose was
botanical authors" has been out of this printing.
left I it
keep manageable and those abbreviations can
difficult to this to a size,
list
am
be found elsewhere, but sad to see gone because like to think that
it 1
I
185
186 Rhodora
[Vol. 106
students in systematics classes found helpful and interesting. Sixth, the
it
moved
glossary has been to follow the text.
new
Although
the printing not a revision of the text of the second
is
some
edition, does incorporate corrections nomenclature suggested
in
it
by members of the botanical community. In addition, in some cases
nomenclature has been changed agree with published volumes
to that in
of Flora of North America North of Mexico and synonyms have been
added. Author abbreviations have been standardized agree with
to
A
Brummitt and Powell's /\/f//w/w of Plant Names. very helpful change,
I
now
names
think, that a period follows only those are abbreviated;
is that
common
name name
several spaces set off the from the scientific and
the description. Miscellaneous errors have also been corrected during
The we
proofreading. very useable keys and thorough
descriptions are
familiar with from previous printings constitute the bulk of the volume.
The
back matter has been changed considerably and
this printing,
in
now A
includes the glossary and an expanded index section. couple o(
changes
style to note in the glossary are that there no longer a wide
is
space setting off the term from its definition (I'm sorry to see that gone
now
because found and
helpful, visually), there a blank
I it is line to
indicate the transition to the next letter in the alphabetical listing of
The
terms. terms are still easy to pick out in the because of the
list
A
new
boldface type. big change in the printing of the Manual the
is
revised and expanded indexing, contributed by Neil Harriman.
In this
common
volume, and names have been
scientific put into separate
me
which
indexes, be kind of
will frustrating for since frequently find
I
myself wrong
drifting into a search of the other books with
list in
down
separate indexes (the side of being bilingual with respect to plant
As more
names). a benefit, entries are offered in each index. In the index
names, have been
to scientific infraspecific taxa not those
all listed, just
Synonyms
in selected genera. and taxa casually mentioned the
in text
are listed as well, and are set apart by being in italic type. In the separate
common
much
index to names, a more detailed listing provided than
is
in previous printings with the combined index. The result an index
is
number
section that almost double the of pages than previous
is in
printings, and which should prove be extremely The
to useful.
last
change book
to this section of the that there are no Ionizer blank pases
is
available for notes.
The new
final page of this printing of Gleason and Cronquist's
Manual
of Vascular Plants has a photo of Arthur Cronquist's back as he
My
walks off into the woods, a book held behind him. favorite since
—
now
published in second edition the very useable and corrected and
its
Book Review
187
2004]
—
my
Manual
expanded will continue to be choice in the field as well as
microscope.
the
at
—
New
Janet R. Sullivan, Department of Plant Biology, University of
NH
Hampshire, Durham, 03824.