Table Of Content

180 BLUMEA—Vol. 41, No. 1, 1996 Review RUTH SCHNEEBELI-GRAF: Bliitenland China. Botanische Berichte und Bilder. I. Zierpflanzen: Vorkommen Symbolik Wirkstoffe. II. Nutz- und Heilpflanzen: VorkommenSymbolik Wirkstoffe. 2nd Ed. Birkhauser Verlag, Basel, Berlin, Boston, 1995. I: 157 pp., 146 col. illus., 30b/w illus. ISBN 3-7643-5182-9. II: 160pp., 72 col. illus., 96b/w illus. ISBN 3-7643-5183-7.Both hardcover. Price: DM 44.00each. Series (two parts): ISBN 3-7643-5188-8.Price:DM75.00. Twoattractivelooking, well-produced bookletsintheGermanlanguage. Thefirstvolumeonornamentalscontains(1) anoriginal introductiontotheplant geography ofChina, 12pages and,indeed, not morethan a very simplified introduc- tiontothephysical, climatological and vegetational diversityofChina;(2) atransla- tionoffivechapters from E.H. Wilson, AnaturalistinWestern China(1913), viz. onthefloraofwestern China, on travelsinNW Hupei, andon thefloraofIchang, Emei Shan, andWa Shan(more than 50pages); (3) anumberof‘plantportraits’, morethan40paragraphs eachcovering onespecies or sometimesa genus,altogether morethan60pages; (4) alistoftheolderplant huntersinChina(almost all ‘expatri- ate’, covering onatotalof42collectorsonly 3 withChinesenames!), alistoflitera- turereferencesandanindexto (scientificand German) plant names. Thesecond volumeon (otherwise) usefulplantscontains(1) asanoriginal contri- butionakind ofhistory(time table)ofChinainshortsentences,arranged according tothedates from-3000till 1992, andstressing thehappenings relatedtothebook’s subjects; (2) a German translationofachapter in Bretschneider’s ‘Botaniconsini- cum’giving anindexto theplantsin themostfamousChineseherbalShennungpen ts’ao king, thenames updated by theauthors; (3) a translationoffourchapters from thework by E.H.Wilson, mentionedabove,viz. thoseonwild andcultivated fruits, usefultrees,Chinesemedicinalplants,andtea; (4) anumberof‘plantportraits’ (from Bambusseto Zitrone), altogether some 80pages, mostly onfoodplants butalso on plants withtechnicaluses, always stressing medicinaluses whetherornot substanti- ated;(5) anumberofnotes,alistofliteraturereferencesandanindex tonames. Much inthese books is not original, but thatis not to saythat itiswithoutinter- est. As an introductiontoChinesebotany thebooks will bequiteuseful forbotanical tourists, etc. Itis notatall critical when listing medicinaluses andonly repeatsthe usual unsubstantiatedlistofillnessesandeffects.Lists of'Wirkstoffe' (active com- ponents), sometimesadded, andin alphabetical order, do inmy opinion not contri- butemuch totheunderstanding.The plant portraits alsocontainallkindsofmore or less obsoletestories, legends, literary sidelines andpoems, adding to thevariation andtothecharm, butnot tothebotanical value. Thebooks are illustratedby a large numberofcoloured, reduced but very high- qualityreprints ofplates inBotanical Magazine, andsome black-and-whitedrawings fromIconographia Cormophytorum Sinicomm,ofamuchlesser quality.InWilson's chapters someofhis photographs arereproduced fromhisoriginal glass negatives, andtheirqualityvalidatesastatement Ioftenmake,thatphotographs haveneverbeen betterthanwhenittookatleast5 minutes(and aworkman'sdailywages) totakeone. C.Kalkman