David K. Ferguson

Ceratophyllum (Ceratophyllaceae) from the Miocene of Eastern China and its Paleoecological Significance

Abstract Vegetative shoots and a newly discovered fruit of Ceratophyllum are described from diatomite of the middle Miocene Shanwang Formation in Shandong Province, eastern China. Based on the fruit, the fossil can be referred to C. muricatum subsp. muricatum. The presence of this Ceratophyllum indicates that the climate was slightly warmer and more equable than today.

Historical Biogeography: An Introduction by Jorge V. Crisci, Liliana Katinas and Paula Posadas

This work focuses on the indigenous folk traditions of the British Isles, as distinguished from imported knowledge associated with classical medical traditions and plants disseminated by migrating peoples and the Church. One might not have imagined that European ethnobotanical knowledge was in danger of extinction. The usually illiterate inhabitants of floristically distinct areas, though, did not produce their own herbals to compete with classical texts, and their local traditions have been neglected and forgotten over time. Allen and Hatfield have sifted through hundreds of modern and historical sources to assemble scattered bits of folklore into a thorough compilation. Each chapter covers a major taxonomic group, within which one to fourteen families are treated. For each species listed, its scientific name, common name and distribution are given, followed by one to several paragraphs on recorded uses. If there is one serious flaw, it is that species are not organized in any coherent fashion; several species from a single genus are placed together, but neither genera nor species are alphabetized. When there are numerous useful species in a family, this is a real inconvenience. Despite the poor arrangement, this is definitely not one of those shallow and sloppy herbal references for uncritical laymen. Every bit of information is documented, and every chapter has hundreds of endnotes. The authors add notes if a plant’s identity is questionable, or if a reported use is suspected to derive from academic medicine rather than indigenous practice. Geographic locations are given as precisely as possible, enabling the authors to discuss cultural patterns. For example, certain traditions are more popular in Viking-influenced coastal areas, and Irish uses of a given species often differ from British uses. Some local practices paralleled European practices that remain popular to this day: hawthorn for heart problems, elderflower for colds, bilberries for diarrhea. But other plants that were highly regarded in Europe had very little folk use in Britain, and still others had peculiar regional uses. The European botanicals that have enjoyed lab studies and clinical trials were those preserved by academic medicine. While many forgotten local remedies deserve to be forgotten, some might prove their value, if they are ever tested. The book includes an appendix on veterinary use and indices of uses, scientific names and common names. It is illustrated with line drawings from older works, including a 1902 English flora and two much better drawn sixteenth-century German herbals, and a small section of color photographs. Many works of similar scholarly value are printed in denser type without illustrations and sold for twice the price. But if your interests lie in European ethnobotany or English floristics, this book is a bargain not to be missed.

Flora of China Volume 22: Poaceae

Grasses occupy a wide variety of niches in China. They occur in those areas where the climate is either too dry or too cold for trees. Large tracts of the northern and western provinces consist of steppe, so in these areas grasses form an important part of the vegetation. On the other hand, in the warmer and more humid areas of the country, bamboos play a prominent role in secondary forests. It is therefore hardly surprising that this family is one of the largest in China. With a total of 226 genera and 1795 species, the Poaceae (Gramineae) is only surpassed in its diversity by the Asteraceae (Compositae). Collating all the information into one volume of the Flora of China (FOC) must have been a herculean task. Fifteen Chinese authors and nine from Canada, Russia, Switzerland, UK, and USA were involved. Their work and that of the various editors deserve our praise. The typography and layout are also excellent. In this way a maximum amount of information has been compressed into a minimum of space without losing clarity. The account starts with a description of the family, its distribution in China, references to the five volumes on grasses published in the Chinese language Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae (FRPS) between 1987 and 2002, a glossary of botanical terms used in the Poaceae, and drawings of the critical characters; this is followed by a systematic list of the tribes and genera and an indented key to the tribes. Each tribe starts with the names of the authors responsible for the account followed by a description of the tribe, its representation and distribution in China, a discussion of any taxonomic problems, and an indented key to the genera. As in the case of the tribes, the names of the responsible authors are indicated at the start of each generic account. Each genus is described with an indication of its distribution and number of subordinate taxa, and any taxonomic problems inherent to the genus are noted. This is followed by an indented key to the species and descriptions of the individual taxa. The scientific name is followed by the authority, the bibliographic citation, the Chinese name, its Pinyin transliteration, and any synonyms. The description itself, which includes flowering and fruiting times, and often chromosome number, is followed by a short indication of habitat and its distribution within and, if relevant, outside China. Chinese endemics are high-lighted by a bullet, which makes for easy recognition. Additional comments on the taxonomy, which follow the description, will undoubtedly prove useful to those using this flora. Any infraspecific taxa are keyed out and diagnosed. A comparison with the FRPS shows that the FOC is not simply a translation. Quite a number of changes have been made: some genera and species have been sunk, with others reduced to subspecific or varietal rank or replaced by the valid name. A great effort has been made to check the correct authorities for those taxa recognized. While the taxonomy of some large genera such as Bromus, Festuca, and Puccinellia are, with the exception of some lumping, little changed from the account in FRPS, others like Poa have undergone a major revision. There are even some new species (Agrostis sinorupestris, Poa qinghaiensis, P. sunbisinii) described in this volume of FOC. Almost 30% of the Chinese grasses are bamboos. For many years the only English-language account of the Chinese bamboos was by Wang and Shen (1987), who included 29 native genera and 238 species. In the present account, the figures are bumped to 33 native genera and 531 species. Some of the difference is related to new taxa which have been described since Wang and Shen’s book was written; for instance, the endemic genus Gaoligongshania was established in 1995. Only five of the 33 native genera (15%) are endemic. However, at the specific level, endemism in the bamboos reaches a staggering 88%! It is not clear to what extent this high level of endemism is related to specific niches and the long flowering cycles (up to 150 years), or if it simply reflects a reluctance on the part of plant taxonomists to attribute fragmentary vegetative material to well-known taxa. The time is surely ripe to investigate the bamboos using molecular techniques. In the meantime, the FOC will represent an important source of information for bamboo fans. The present volume of FOC concludes with four valuable indices: a List of Nomenclatural Novelties, an Index to Chinese Names, an Index to Scientific Names, and an Index to Families in the FOC and the FRPS. Overall, the present volume can be considered a great success. However, I do have two minor criticisms. I believe that those taxa described in FRPS should, if possible, be referred to in FOC. After all, what does a busy collections manager do with herbarium material of Puccinellia angustata, P. borealis, P. bulbosa, P. capillaris, P. choresmica, P. convoluta, P. geniculata, P. grossheimiana, P. intermedia, P. limosa, P. pulvinata, P. sevangensis, P. sibirica, and P. tenella described in FRPS but not mentioned in FOC? Are they synonyms and, if so, which species do they really belong to? The other criticism concerns the US price. Why does this volume cost more than four times as much as in China? If it wasn’t for the weight (at 2.4 kg it’s no light reading), it would almost be worth waiting until you are next in the Peoples Republic to obtain a copy of this excellent flora.

Flora of China Illustrations Volume 6: Caryophyllaceae through Lardizabalaceae by Guanghua Zhu (ed.)

This work focuses on the indigenous folk traditions of the British Isles, as distinguished from imported knowledge associated with classical medical traditions and plants disseminated by migrating peoples and the Church. One might not have imagined that European ethnobotanical knowledge was in danger of extinction. The usually illiterate inhabitants of floristically distinct areas, though, did not produce their own herbals to compete with classical texts, and their local traditions have been neglected and forgotten over time. Allen and Hatfield have sifted through hundreds of modern and historical sources to assemble scattered bits of folklore into a thorough compilation. Each chapter covers a major taxonomic group, within which one to fourteen families are treated. For each species listed, its scientific name, common name and distribution are given, followed by one to several paragraphs on recorded uses. If there is one serious flaw, it is that species are not organized in any coherent fashion; several species from a single genus are placed together, but neither genera nor species are alphabetized. When there are numerous useful species in a family, this is a real inconvenience. Despite the poor arrangement, this is definitely not one of those shallow and sloppy herbal references for uncritical laymen. Every bit of information is documented, and every chapter has hundreds of endnotes. The authors add notes if a plant’s identity is questionable, or if a reported use is suspected to derive from academic medicine rather than indigenous practice. Geographic locations are given as precisely as possible, enabling the authors to discuss cultural patterns. For example, certain traditions are more popular in Viking-influenced coastal areas, and Irish uses of a given species often differ from British uses. Some local practices paralleled European practices that remain popular to this day: hawthorn for heart problems, elderflower for colds, bilberries for diarrhea. But other plants that were highly regarded in Europe had very little folk use in Britain, and still others had peculiar regional uses. The European botanicals that have enjoyed lab studies and clinical trials were those preserved by academic medicine. While many forgotten local remedies deserve to be forgotten, some might prove their value, if they are ever tested. The book includes an appendix on veterinary use and indices of uses, scientific names and common names. It is illustrated with line drawings from older works, including a 1902 English flora and two much better drawn sixteenth-century German herbals, and a small section of color photographs. Many works of similar scholarly value are printed in denser type without illustrations and sold for twice the price. But if your interests lie in European ethnobotany or English floristics, this book is a bargain not to be missed.