N OUVELLES DE L'O PTIMA par JOSÉ M. IRIONDO
Le Xème Colloque de l'OPTIMA se tiendra à Palerme en septembre 2001. Bientôt vous recevrez la première circulaire. Veillez à vous inscrire et à soumettre vos résumés en temps utile. N'hésitez pas à prendre contact avec le Pr. F. Raimondo à Palerme ou le Secretariat de l'OPTIMA à Madrid si vous avez besoin d'informations supplémentaires. Les dernières nouvelles du Colloque seront disponibles sur le Web à l'adresse : http://www.bgbm.fu-berlin.de/OPTIMA/. Nous souhaiterions également vous inviter à participer au processus de désignation des bénéficiaires des Médailles d'Or et d'Argent de l'OPTIMA qui seront décernées au Xème Colloque en envoyant vos propositions au Secrétariat de l'OPTIMA.
COMITÉ INTERNATIONAL
En 1999, les membres du Comité ont approuvé le rapport annuel et le rapport financier pour 1998, soumis par le Secrétaire au nom du Président et du Conseil Exécutif. Le Comité a également désigné le Dr. Santiago Pajarón et le Dr. Federico Fernández-González comme vérificateurs des comptes pour l'année 1999.
CONSEIL
Le Conseil a donné son accord pour maintenir sans changement les cotisations des membres de l'OPTIMA pour l'année 2000. Le Dr. Stephen L. Jury a été désigné pour assurer la fonction de Membre Suppléant au Comité Scientifique de la Fondation Pro Herbario Mediterraneo.
SECRÉTARIAT
Le Secrétariat s'est occupé de la gestion des comptes de l'OPTIMA et de ceux de la Commission des Publications et de la Commission des Prix, ainsi que de la gestion de la vente des publications et de la tenue des fichiers des membres. Le Secrétariat de l'OPTIMA a également assuré la liaison entre les membres du Conseil et du Comité et les groupes de travail et commissions de notre Organisation. Les autres activités en cours comprennent la publication des Nouvelles de l'OPTIMA et la mise à jour du site Web de l'OPTIMA. L'annuaire des membres, qui était en cours de transfert pour consultation sur le site Web de l'OPTIMA, a été ajourné en raison de problèmes légaux.
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 9 Nouvelles de l’OPTIMA
DÉCÈS restaurée. Le projet de restauration a été confié à d'éminents architectes de la région. Sur le front des publications, le Volume 9 de Flora Mr. Michel Kerguélen, Paris, France, décédé en Mediterranea a été publié en Décembre 1999. Les 1999. Volumes 11 et 12 de Bocconea ont également été publiés Le Pr. G. Orshan, Jerusalem, Israël, décédé en 1999. avec les résultats du IVème Iter Mediterraneum à Le Pr. Dr. Hüsnü Demiriz, Caddebostan Istanbul, Chypre et le catalogue des macroalgues marines Turquie, décédé en Mars 1999. Le Pr. Demiriz avait benthiques de la côte italienne de la Mer Adriatique. organisé le Vème Colloque de l'OPTIMA à Istanbul en 1986 et fut membre du Comité International pendant de L'ATLAS DES ORCHIDEES MEDITERRANEENNES nombreuses années. ARRIVE ! Le Pr. Dr. Jaako Jalas, membre fondateur de l'OPTIMA, Helsinki, Finlande, décédé en novembre 1999. La Dr. Patricia Geissler, Chambésy, Suisse, décédée La Commission pour la Cartographie des Orchidées en avril 2000. Méditerranéennes a fait des progrès considérables sur l'atlas. Après une longue période de préparation, il a été Le Dr. Henk ‘t Hart, Utrecht, Pays-Bas, décédée en possible de réaliser une base de données numérique juillet 2000. pour imprimer les cartes de distribution. Le territoire Des notices nécrologiques détaillées de ces complet s'étend d'ouest en est des Iles Canaries à l'Iran, membres éminents de l'OPTIMA seront publiées dans et de la Libye au sud jusqu'à la latitude 48° au nord. Une les prochains numéros de Flora Mediterranea. maison d'édition a été contactée pour publier le travail. La Commission envisage maintenant de compléter l'atlas avec une présentation complète de toutes les orchidées européennes-méditerranéennes (texte et iconographie). LE POINT SUR LES COMMISSIONS
LA CAMPAGNE DE PROPOSITIONS POUR LES PAYSAGES VEGETAUX DU BASSIN ATTRIBUTIONS DE MÉDAILLES DE L'OPTIMA MEDITERRANEEN EST MAINTENANT OUVERTE !
La Commission pour la diffusion des connaissances La Commission des Prix reçoit dès maintenant les sur les plantes méditerranéennes progresse propositions pour la Médaille d'Or et les Médailles constamment dans l'élaboration du livre "Paysages d'Argent de l'OPTIMA, qui seront décernées au végétaux du Bassin méditerranéen". La plupart des prochain (Xème) Colloque de l'OPTIMA à Palerme, Italie. chapitres sont en cours de révision. Ceux qui concernent La Médaille d'Or de l'OPTIMA sera décernée à un(e) les Balkans, la Sicile, la Syrie et le Liban, ainsi que les botaniste qui, par son activité, est reconnu avoir apporté Enclaves Méditerranéennes, sont en préparation. Les une contribution exceptionnelle à la phytotaxinomie de la seuls chapitres qui manquent encore sont ceux sur région Méditerranéenne. Chypre et les Iles de la mer Égée. Trois Médailles d'argent de l'OPTIMA seront Les prochaines étapes comportent l'achèvement des décernées aux auteurs des meilleurs articles ou livres sur chapitres manquants, la mise au point scientifique et la phytotaxinomie de la région Méditerranéenne publiés linguistique finale, la recherche et la sélection des en 1998, 1999 ou 2000. photographies, cartes et autres illustrations. Pour la Médaille d'Or de l'OPTIMA, contentez-vous Pour plus d'informations, contacter le Prof. Uzi d'envoyer le nom de votre candidat et d'exposer Plitmann, Department of Botany, The Hebrew brièvement les raisons qui justifient votre proposition. University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel. E-mail: Pour les Médailles d'Argent de l'OPTIMA, vous pouvez [email protected] soumettre pour étude des articles ou des livres publiés en 1998, 1999 ou 2000. Envoyez vos propositions à: José COMMISSION DE L'HERBARIUM M. Iriondo, Dpto. Biología Vegetal, E.U.I.T. Agrícola, Universidad Politécnica, E-28040 Madrid,Espagne; Fax: MEDITERRANEUM +34 1 336 5656; E-mail: [email protected]. Les réglements d'attribution des Médailles d'Or et Le processus d'acquisition de l'immeuble qui doit d'Argent de l'OPTIMA, tels qu'ils ont été modifiés par héberger l'Herbarium Mediterraneum est maintenant une décision du Conseil de l'OPTIMA en date du terminé. La construction, située à proximité du Jardin 10.03.1978, sont les suivants : Botanique de Palerme, sera très prochainement
10 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 September 2000 Nouvelles de l’OPTIMA
3. Les lauréats seront choisis par une Commission des Médaille d'Or de l'OPTIMA Prix dont les recommandations seront soumises au Conseil de l'Organisation pour ratification et 1. Un prix sera décerné tous les trois ans à un(e) approbation. botaniste dont on estime que l'activité a apporté une contribution exceptionnelle à la phytotaxinomie de la 4. Le prix sera décerné à l'occasion d'une réunion région méditerranéenne. triennale de l'Organisation. 2. Le prix consistera en une médaille en or. 5. En principe, un prix est attribué pour chaque année de la période de trois ans, mais la Commission des 3. Le lauréat sera choisi par une Commission des Prix Prix est libre de proposer l'attribution de plus d'un dont la recommandation sera soumise au Comité prix pour une même année, ou qu'aucun prix ne soit International de l'Organisation pour ratification et attribué une année. approbation. 6. Les auteurs dont les articles ou les livres seront 4. Le prix sera décerné à l'occasion d'une réunion soumis à la Commission des Prix peuvent être triennale de l'Organisation. choisis ou non parmi les membres de l'Organisation. 5. Aucun membre de la Commission des Prix ne pourra 7. Aucun membre en activité de la Commission des être proposé. Prix ou du Comité International ne pourra être désigné pour le prix. Médailles d'Argent de l'OPTIMA 1. Les prix seront décernés tous les trois ans aux auteurs des meilleurs articles ou livres portant sur la phytotaxinomie de la région méditerranéenne et publiés pendant la période précédente de trois ans. v v v v 2. Les prix prendront la forme de médailles en argent.
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 11 O PTIMA NEWS by JOSÉ M. IRIONDO
The X OPTIMA Meeting will be held in Palermo in September 2001. Soon you will receive the first circular. Please, make sure you register and submit the abstracts in due time. Do not hesitate to contact Prof. F. Raimondo in Palermo or the OPTIMA Secretariat in Madrid if you need further information. The latest news on the meeting will be available on the Web at: http://www.bgbm.fu-berlin.de/OPTIMA/. We would also like to invite you to participate in the process of designation of the OPTIMA Gold and Silver Medals to be awarded at the X OPTIMA Meeting by sending your proposals to the OPTIMA Secretariat.
INTERNATIONAL BOARD
In 1999, the Board members approved the annual report and the financial report for 1998, submitted by the Secretary on behalf of the President and the Executive Council. The Board also appointed Dr. Santiago Pajarón and Dr. Federico Fernández-González as auditors for the year 1999.
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
The Council approved to keep OPTIMA membership fees unchanged for the year 2000. Dr. Stephen L. Jury was elected to fill the position of Substitute Member on the Scientific Committee of the Foundation Pro Herbario Mediterraneo.
SECRETARIAT The Secretariat was active keeping OPTIMA’s accounts and the accounts of the Publications Commission and Prize Commission and managing publication sales and membership files. The OPTIMA Secretariat also functioned as a liasing centre for Council and Board members and the working groups and commissions of our organization. Further activities taking place at this moment include the edition of OPTIMA Newsletter and the updating of the OPTIMA Website. The membership database that was going to be made available through the OPTIMA Website has been temporarily postponed due to legal problems.
12 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 September 2000 OPTIMA News
DEATHS Mediterranea was published in December 1999. Bocconea Volumes 11 and 12 were also published with the results of the IV Iter Mediterraneum in Cyprus and Mr. Michel Kerguélen, Paris, France, died in 1999. the Catalogue of the benthic marine macroalgae of the Prof Dr. G. Orshan, Jerusalem, Israel, died in 1999. Italian coast of the Adriatic Sea. Prof. Dr. Hüsnü Demiriz, Caddebostan Istanbul, Turkey, died in March 1999. Prof. Demiriz organised the ATLAS OF MEDITERRANEAN ORCHIDS COMING V OPTIMA Meeting in Istanbul in 1986 and was a SOON! member of the International Board for many years. Prof. Dr. Jaako Jalas, founding member of OPTIMA, Helsinki, Finland, died in November 1999. The Commission for the Mapping of Mediterranean Orchids has made considerable progress on the atlas. Dr. Patricia Geissler, Chambésy, Switzerland, died in After a long period of preparation, it was possible to April 2000. construct a digital database for printing distribution Dr. Henk ‘t Hart, Utrecht, The Netherlands, died in maps. The complete territory reaches from the Canary July 2000. Islands in the west to Iran in the east and from Libya in Full obituaries of these prominent OPTIMA members the south to a latitude of 48º in the north. A commercial will be published in future volumes of Flora publisher has been contacted and will publish this work. Mediterranea. The Commission now intends to enlarge the atlas with a complete presentation of all European-Mediterranean orchids (text and icono-graphy).
UPDATES ON COMMISSIONS NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR OPTIMA MEDAL AWARDS! VEGETAL LANDSCAPES OF THE EDITERRANEAN M The Prize Commission is now accepting proposals for recipients of the OPTIMA Gold Medal and the The Commission for the Diffusion of Knowledge on OPTIMA Silver Medals to be awarded at the Mediterranean Plants is steadfastly progressing on the forthcoming X OPTIMA Meeting in Palermo, Italy. book “Vegetal Landscapes of the Mediterranean”. Most The OPTIMA Gold Medal will be awarded to a of the chapters are in the revision process. Chapters on botanist who, by his or her activity, is considered to the Balkans, Sicily, Syria and Lebanon and have made an outstanding contribution to the Mediterranean Enclaves are in preparation. The only phytotaxonomy of the Mediterranean area. chapters that are still missing are those on Cyprus and Three OPTIMA Silver Medals will be awarded to the the Aegean Islands. authors of the best papers or books on the The next steps include the completion of the lacking phytotaxonomy of the Mediterranean area that were chapters, final scientific and lingual editing, and the published in 1998, 1999 or 2000. compilation and selection of photographs, maps and For the OPTIMA Gold Medal, simp ly send the name other illustrations. of your candidate and briefly state the reasons that For further information, please contact: Prof. Uzi support your proposal. For the OPTIMA Silver Medals, Plitmann, Department of Botany, The Hebrew please submit papers or books published in 1998, 1999 or University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel. E-mail: 2000 for consideration. Send your proposals to: José M. [email protected] Iriondo, Dpto. Biología Vegetal, E.U.I.T. Agrícola, Universidad Politécnica, E-28040 Madrid, Spain; Fax: +34 1 336 5656; E-mail: [email protected]. HERBARIUM MEDITERRANEUM COMMISSION The regulations of the OPTIMA Gold and Silver Medals, as amended by the Executive Council of The acquisition process of the building that will OPTIMA by decision of 10.3.1978, are as follows: house the Herbarium Mediterraneum has now been completed. The structure, located next to the Botanical Garden in Palermo, will be restored in the near future. OPTIMA Gold Medal The restoration project has been assigned to prominent 1. A prize will be awarded every three years to a architects of the area. botanist who, by his or her activity, is On the publishing front, Volume 9 of Flora considered to have made an outstanding
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 13 OPTIMA News
contribution to the phytotaxonomy of the 3. The prize winners will be selected by a Prize Mediterranean area. Commission and its recommendations will be 2. The prize will consist of a gold medal. submitted to the Council of the Organization for ratification and approval. 3. The prize winner will be selected by a Prize Commission and its recommendation will be 4. The prize will be awarded at a triennial meeting submitted to the International Board of the of the Organization. Organization for ratification and approval. 5. Normally, one prize is available for each year of 4. The prize will be awarded at a triennial meeting the triennium; the Prize Commission is free of the Organization. however to propose that in single years more than one prize, or no prize at all, be attributed. 5. No member of the Prize Commission will be eligible for consideration. 6. Both members and non-members are eligible to submit papers or books for consideration by the Prize Commission. OPTIMA Silver Medals 7. No current member of the Prize Commission or 1. Prizes will be awarded every three years to the International Board will be eligible for the prize. authors of the best papers or books on the phytotaxonomy of the Mediterranean area published in the preceding three-year period. 2. The prizes will take the form of silver medals.
ËËËËË
C ONSERVATION N EWS
SURVEY OF WILD SPECIES CONSERVATION IN GENETIC RESERVES
The Wild Species Conservation in Genetic “the location, management and monitoring of Reserves Task Force of the European Cooperative genetic diversity in natural wild populations Programme for Genetic Resources (ECP/GR) is within defined areas designated for active, undertaking a survey of current reserves where the long-term conservation” genetic diversity of plant genetic resources for food Therefore, to be considered a genetic reserve the and agriculture (PGRFA) is conserved. The objective is following two criteria must be met: to identify geographical and technical gaps in the a. the population of the target taxon must be actively current reserve network and so identify existing and managed to promote the long-term health of novel sites that require increased support as well as the population, and future research objectives. b. the target taxon population at the site must be To avoid confusion of what constitutes a reserve monitored, either in terms of population for wild species conservation, genetic reserve density or genetic diversity. conservation is defined as:
14 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 September 2000 Conservation News
If you are responsible for a genetic reserve in which PGRFA taxa are conserved, could you please complete the questionnaire below as fully as possible. Reserve Details Target species: Location: Country: Province: Settlement: Land area: ha Latitude: N Longitude: W/E Altitude: m
Organisation ______Key Personnel ______managing site ______
______Financial support ______Land ownership ______(e.g. public / private ______(e.g. public /______/ other) ______private / other) ______
Reason(s) for ______establishment ______
Management ______interventions ______
Monitoring ______procedures ______
Involvement of ______local people ______
Users of reserve 1 2 3 4
Link to ex situ ______conservation ______
Access policy for ______diversity ______
Breeder’s ______Molecular ______evaluation? ______evaluation? ______
Please return the form to Chair of the ECP/GR Genetic Reserve Task Force, Nigel Maxted, School of Biological Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 15 Herbarium News
Fax work: (44) 121 414 5463, Email work: [email protected]. or [email protected].
16 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 September 2000 Conservation News
H ERBARIUM N EWS * edited by PALOMA BLANCO
IBERIAN MYCOLOGICAL HERBARIA by FRANCISCO PANDO
The starting point of Iberian mycology can be de Alcalá de Henares, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona Km. placed at the beginning of the 19th century, with studies 33.600, E-28875 ALCALÁ DE HENARES, Madrid, by M. Lagasca (1802), S. Rojas Clemente (1864) and J. Spain). Started in 1978, this collection holds 27,052 Cavanilles (1802). These authors were the introducers specimens, mainly Agaricales, “Gasteromicetes”, of cryptogamy in Spain. During the rest of the century, Myxomycetes from the Iberian Peninsula. The principal hardly any mycological works were published. We can collectors are J. M. Barrasa, M. Checa, R. Galán and G. mention the appendices found in the works by M. Moreno. Loan service. Keeper: F. J. Rejos. E-mail: Willkomm and by F. Loscos y Bernál & J. Pardo y [email protected] (soon to be changed to Sastrón. [email protected]) Telephone: +34 918854965 / +34 During the first third of the 20th century, mycology 918854924; Fax: +34 918855066 became the subject of prominent botanists like T. Aranzadi, P. Font Quer, R. González Fragoso, T. M. BCC (Dpt. de Biología Vegetal (Unitat de Botànica) Losa España, J. Veríssimo Almeida, M. C. Rezende- Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Pinto and M. Souza Câmara along with some prominent Diagonal, 645. E-08028 BARCELONA, Spain). Started in professors from abroad including R. Heim, R. Maire, A. 1920, it holds nearly 30,000 specimens, mainly A. Pearson and R. Singer. Their work set up a base for Dothideales, "Gasteromycetes", Myxomicetes and the study of fungi on the Iberian Peninsula. This effort Russulales, from the Iberian Peninsula, specially from was continued after the Spanish Civil War by authors Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Important collectors like L. M. Unamuno and M. J. Urries. However, the are E. Gracia, X. Llimona, J. Llistosella, M. P. Martín, A. tradition had been largely lost by the 60´s until it was Rocabruna, D. Sierra, M. Tabarés and J. Vila. Remarks: taken up once again by F. D. Calonge, who was closely Herbarium of the "Societat Catalana de Micologia" (c. followed by a new generation of mycologists: G. 5000 specimens) kept and managed in BCC. Loan Moreno, E. Pérez Moral and M. T. Tellería. These service. Keeper: Dr. Jaume Llistosella. E-mail: mycologists, through their work and their students, laid [email protected] Collection mana-ger: Antoni the foundation for the currently large Iberian Sànchez-Cuxart. E-mail: acuxart@ porthos.bio.ub.es Mycological community. Nowadays, the Iberian Telephone: +34 934021471/ +34 934021472, Fax: +34 934 Fungus Flora Project, sponsored by the Spanish 112 842. Herbarium information available at: government, conveys most systematic mycological http://www.ub.es/div3/ serveis/d3serv06.htm studies. A great number of the specimens studied by BIO (Dpto. de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de mycologists from Spain and Portugal – as well as from Ciencias, Universidad del País Vasco, Apartado 644, E- abroad – are kept in the herbaria listed below. I hope 48080 BILBAO, Spain). Started in 1981, it contains 8,000 that the information presented here contributes to a specimens, mainly Aphyllophorales from the Basque better knowledge of this relevant mycological resource. country. Loan service. Keeper: Isabel Salcedo. E-mail: A list of Iberian fungus collections follows. The [email protected] Telephone: +34 946012613, Fax: information provided for each herbarium was kindly +34 944648500 submitted by their keepers. I would like to acknowledge GDA-GDAC (Herbario de la Universidad de Granada, c/ their cooperation here. Rector López Argüeta nº 8, E-18071 GRANADA, Spain). AH (Dpto. de Biología Vegetal (Botánica), Universidad Started in 1853, it keeps 6,000 specimens mainly
* Please send all items suitable for publication under this heading directly to the editor of this column: Paloma Blanco, Real Jardín Botánico, Plaza de Murillo, 2, E-28014 Madrid, Spain.
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 17 Herbarium News
Agaricales, Aphyllophorales, Boletales and Truchero and G. Moreno. Keeper: María A. Carrasco. Lycoperdales from Andalusia. The principal collectors E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: +34 are A. Ortega, G. Moreno and F. Esteve-Raventós. 913944781 / +34 913944414, Fax: +34 913945034. Remarks: GDA and GDAC have recently merged. 80% of the collection is databased. Loan service. Keeper: J. MAF (Dpto. de Biología Vegetal, II, Facultad de Eduardo Linares Cuesta. E-mail: [email protected] Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pza. de / [email protected] Tele-phone: +34 958246329, Fax: +34 Ramón y Cajal s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, E-28040 958243254. Herbarium information: www.ugr.es/ MADRID, Spain). Started in 1892, it keeps between ~herbario 2,500-3,000 specimens from Spain, mainly Aphyllophorales. An important collector is B. Lázaro LISU (Museu, Laboratório e Jardin Botânico, Ibiza. Loan service is temporarily suspended as the Universidade de Lisboa, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 58, collection is being catalogued. Keeper: José Pizarro. E- 1294 LISBOA Codex, Portugal). Started in 1878, it keeps mail: [email protected] Telephone: +34 12,000 specimens mainly Aphyllophorales from 913941769, Fax: +34 91394 1774. Portugal. Important collectors are P. Coutinho and J. Pinto-Lopes. Loan service. Keeper: Ireneia Melo. E- PAMP (Dpto. Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias, mail: [email protected] Telephone: +351 213921802, Fax: +351 Universidad de Navarra, E-31080 PAMPLONA, Spain). 213970882. Started in 1970, it keeps approximately 1,200 specimens mainly Coprophylus fungi from Navarra. Important LOU-Fungi (Centro de Investigacións Forestais e collectors are Luis Miguel García Bona and Maria José Ambientais de Lourizán-Centro de Información e Solans. Loan service restricted to revised and Tecnoloxía Ambiental-Consellería de Medio Ambiente- databased specimens. Keeper: Alicia Ederra Indurain. E- Xunta de Galicia. Apartado de Correos 127, E-36080 mail: [email protected] Telephone: +34 948425600 ext. PONTEVEDRA, Spain.) Started in 1990, it holds nearly 6406, Fax: +34 948425649. 8,000 specimens, mainly Agaricales and Aphyllophorales, from the northwestern Iberian SALA (Dpto. de Biología Vegetal, Facultad de Biología, Peninsula. Two holotypes: Amanita porrinensis L. (Botánica), Universidad de Salamanca, SALAMANCA, Freire & M. L. Castro and Gyroporus ammophilus (M. L. Spain.). Started in 1995, it keeps 1,300 specimens, mainly Castro & L. Freire) M. L. Castro & L. Freire. Important Agaricales from the western and central Iberian collectors are Marisa Castro, Luis Freire, Francisco J. Peninsula. Loan service. Keeper: Enrique Rico Fernández de Ana Magán and their teams. Loan Hernández. Collection manager: Fco. Javier Hernández service. Keeper: Francisco Javier Fernández de Ana- García. E-mail: herjavi@ gugu.usal.es Telephone: +34 Magán. E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: 923294469, Fax: +34 923294484. +34 986856400 ext. 291, Fax: +34 986856420.
TFC Myc (Departamento de Biología Vegetal MA (Real Jardín Botánico-CSIC, Pza. de Murillo, 2, E- (Botánica), Universidad de La Laguna, 38071 La 28014 MADRID, Spain). Started in 1755, it holds 72,000 Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain). Started in 1969, specimens mainly Aphyllophorales, Dothideales, it keeps 9,300 specimens, mainly Aphyllophorales, "Gasteromycetes", Myxomycetes, Phomales, Agaricales, "Gasteromycetes" and Myxomycetes. The Phyllostictales, Uredinales and Ustilaginales from the Canary Island area is particularly well-represented. Iberian Peninsula. Important collectors are R. González Important collectors are A. Bañares, J.R. Rodríguez- Fragoso, J. Urries, J.M. Unamumo, L. Crespí I. Zubía, Armas, J. Mosquera, A. Rodríguez and E. Beltrán. Loan F.D. Calonge, M.T. Tellería, C. Lado, F. Pando and service. Keeper: Dra. A. Losada Lima (No Vascular Balensón. Fungi are kept in two separate collections: Plants). Telephone: +34 922318438 / +34 922318436. For MA-FunHist (specimens included before 1976) and Fungi contact: Esperanza Beltrán-Tejera. E-mail: MA-Fungi (specimens included after 1976). Loan [email protected] Telephone and Fax: 922318600. service. Keeper: Francisco Pando. E-mail: pando@ma- rjb.csic.es Telephone: +34 914203017, Fax: +34 91 4200157. Remarks: The collections are fully databased REFERENCES: and accessible via Internet at: http://www.rjb.csic.es/ CAVANILLES, A. J. (1802). Descripción de las herbario/crypto/cryphola.htm plantas… Imprenta Real. Madrid. MACB (Dpto. Biología Vegetal I, Facultad de Biología, CLEMENTE, S. de ROJAS (1864). Plantas que viven Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad espontáneamente en el término de Titaguas, pueblo de Universitaria, E-28040 MADRID, Spain). Started in 1966, Valencia, enumeradas en forma de índice alfabético. it keeps 87 specimens from the center of the Iberian Revista Progr. Ci. Exact. 14: 563-567. Peninsula. Important collectors are M.T. Tellería, LAGASCA, M. (1802). Introducción a la Criptogamia de
18 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 September 2000 Herbarium News
España. Anales Ci. Nat. 5: 135-215. MELO. 1995 LOSCOS BERNÁL, F. & J. PARDO y SATRÓN (1863). 2. Myxomycetes I. Ceratiomyales, Liceales, Series inconfecta plantarum indigenarum Aragoniae, Echinosteliales Trichiales / LADO, C. & F. PANDO. Typographia E. Bolchmann et fil. Dresdae. 1997 WILLKOMM, M. (1852). Fungi. In: Sertum Florae 3. Gasteromycetes, I. Lycoperdales, Nidulariales, Hispanicae sive Enumeratio systematica omnium Phallales, Sclerodermatales, Tulostomatales / plantarum,..., Flora 35:536-539. CALONGE, F. de. 1998 4. Laboulbeniales, I. Laboulbenia / SANTAMARIA, S. ------1998 Cuadernos de trabajo de Flora Micológica Ibérica . Madrid: RJB (CSIC), 1990. Flora mycologica iberica Madrid-Berlin-Stuttgart: Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC - J. Cramer Information on literature, chorology and databases of Iberian fungi (14+ volumes). 1. Aphyllophorales resupinatae non poroides, I. Acanthobasidium-Cytostereum / TELLERÍA, M. T. & I.
F IELD W ORK N EWS*
OPTIMA ITER IX by DR. STEPHEN JURY**
Iter Mediterraneum IX took place along the Black splendid flora including Rhododendron ponticum, Sea Coast of Bulgaria from 20 May – 9 June 1999. The Daphne pontica, Ilex colchica, Prunus laurocerasus 12-person expedition to this species rich and relatively and Vaccinium arctostaphylos as an understorey of unknown area was led by Mr. Dmitar Uzunov. Over Fagus orientalis. This Euxine element was mentioned 2,500 collections were made with duplicate sets for the by Oleg Polunin in his Wild Flowers of Greece and the participating institutions (Berlin, Catania, Palermo, Balkans, but has effectively been inaccessible being in Reading, Sevilla and Sofia). a restricted area. The Iter worked from the southern border to the At Reading, all the specimens (c. 2000) from the “steppe” near the Romanian border. The best/worst day Optima Iter VIII to Calabria have now all been mounted, was in the Strandja Mountains, right against the identified and incorporated for use. The collection data Turkish border, when the collections were so numerous can be viewed through our Herbarium Homepage over that pressing only finished at 3 a.m.! This area has a the Internet at: www.herbarium. reading.ac.uk
* This column is edited by the Secretary of the "Commission for Floristic Investigation" of OPTIMA, Prof. Dr. B. Valdés, Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avda. Reina Mercedes s/n, E-41080 Sevilla, Spain. Please send all items suitable for publication under this heading directly to him. ** Extracted with permission from Herbarium News, University of Reading (1999).
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 19 TH X OPTIMA ITER MEDITERRANEUM (SE-FRANCE, 26 MAY - 3 JUNE 2000) by MICHAELA MARIA SONNENTAG presentation. Beyond that, the personal engagement The tenth Iter Mediterraneum - organized by two and devotion of the few people working in the garden is scientific institutions of Nice, the Botanical Garden and obvious in every respect. the Museum of Natural History - took place in SE- The first station of the expedition was St.-Vallier- France, mainly in the Maritime Alps. de-Thiey, a small village situated about 35 km west of Nice on the Route Napoléon (700 m above sea level). On the morning of 27 May we were introduced to the Organizers: vegetation, geology, climate and geographical features Alziar, Gabriel, Jardin Botanique de la Ville de Nice of the selected area. Until 1 June we visited various Ewald, Philippe, Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, Nice locations in the marvellous surroundings such as Vallon de Barosse. There we worked in a rather dense forest of Quercus pubescens with some clearings Senior participants: dominated by Genista cinerea. We also visited the Certa, Guiseppe, Università degli Studi di Palermo Forêt de Briasq (karst-plateau with Quercus pubescens Everest, Ayse, Mersin Üniversitesi and Pinus sylvestris) and the spring of the Estéron river Gambino, Alessandro, Università degli Studi di Palermo (e.g., aquatic: Potamogeton spec., Nasturtium spec., humid: Eriophorum spec, Narcissus poeticus, dry: Thomine, Jean-Charles, Jardin Botanique de la Ville de Globularia cordifolia, Anthyllis montana, Hippocrepis Nice (assistant, 2nd week) comosa). On the rather isolated Mont Arpille we Triphon, Jean-Luc, Jardin Botanique de la Ville de Nice collected in dry grassland with dense clusters of Buxus st (assistant, 1 week) sempervirens and Ribes uva-crispa. During the first week we collected 564 numbers of specimens Junior participants: altogether. Domina, Gianniantonio, Università degli Studi di On 2 June we moved to Puget-Théniers (about 70 Palermo km north of St. Vallier on the Var river, 400 m above sea level). On our way we stopped twice to make Pina Gato, Francisco, Universidad de Sevilla extensive collections in a mixed forest with Quercus Sonnentag, Michaela, Freie Universität Berlin / pubescens, Ostrya carpinifolia and Pinus sylvestris Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin- near Conségudes and - for the first time on siliceous Dahlem substratum (sandstone) - near St. Pierre (163 numbers of specimens). The study area is situated in the departments The next day we climbed the mountains north of Alpes-Maritimes (24 locations), Alpes-de-Haute- Léouve to the Col de Roua (1282 m). The landscape and Province (8 locations) and Var (3 locations) between the vegetation were really fascinating there. Walking 48°32’-48°57’ N and 4°47’-5°19’ W. For the floristic through a forest of Quercus pubescens and Pinus investigation of this poorly known area, collections of sylvestris we passed clearings with dry grasslands and vascular plants were carried out at altitudes between springs with Pinguicula vulgaris, Eriophorum spec. (350-) 700-1400 (-1680) m above sea level. and Luzula nivea, which forms dense patches and As variable as the geomorphological landscapes gives the meadows a very special aspect. Nevertheless, (high cliffs, gorges, crests, karst, deeply embanked we were all glad to reach the summit. There, we enjoyed valleys) are the substratum (calcareous, marls, pelites, the refreshing wind and the beautiful view of the sandstones) and water availability (dry to aquatic) adjacent mountain ridges. We also had the pleasure to within the studied habitats. The flora of the region is find Centaurea balbisiana, which had never been essentially compound of mediterranean, provencal and collected before in this massif. south-alpine elements. We spent the next five days on Mount Mayola, the The program started on 26 May in the afternoon banks of the Var and the Chalvagne river, the Col du with a visit to the Botanical Garden of Nice. The Fam and other locations of diverse character. Botanical Garden was created in 1983 and now has over In all we collected 1341 numbers of specimens, with 3500 species on 3 hectares. In spite of a low budget and a multitude - as expected - belonging to the large consequent lack of staff, the Garden is well-developed Poaceae, Fabaceae and Asteraceae families. and has a certain originality due to the form of Some words about the group: Although there were
20 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 September 2000 Field Work News
a few language problems at the beginning, the joint and P. Ewald for the perfect orginization. I never ate so interest in nature made us forget about the difficulties. luxuriously and deliciously in the field as on that trip. Very soon we became accustomed to speaking a mixture There was no lack of anything - not even a cup of of French, English, Spanish, Italian and even German. coffee after lunch. As the German saying is: “Leben wie Thus, it was possible to become a close group working Gott in Frankreich!”. hand-in-hand and therefore being more effective. A motto which led us through the whole expedition: “This Michaela Maria Sonnentag. Freie Universität Berlin, is not a competition, this is school!”. I have to confirm Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie, Pharmazie. Institut für this: I really learned a lot, above all because everybody Biologie, Systematische Botanik und shared his knowledge. Pflanzengeographie. Altensteinstraße 6, D-14195 Berlin As we were the only two women I felt rather Tel. (++ 49 30) 83 85 31 65, Fax: (++ 49 30) 83 85 54 34 featherbedded by the male participants, who were always very polite and attentive. Every day we got e-mail: [email protected] fresh flowers (☺) and - whenever possible - somebody collected the sweet “fruits” of Fragaria vesca for us. In the second week when I wanted to close a thick press I was even asked: “Are you able to handle it?” (no comment). iiiii Last but not least, I would like to thank G. Alziar
W EB N EWS * edited by Jose M. Iriondo
ECOLOGICAL MODELING LINKS (http://www.wcmc.org.uk/species/plants/plants-by- taxon.htm). The contents of this database are the same as those found in the corresponding IUCN publication: Modeling tools are increasingly being used in name of the taxon, synonymy, conservation status, different aspects of botany, such as plant conservation. distribution information and relevant bibliography. Ever thought of browsing the exciting world of However, being in a searchable database format the modeling? Now, you have a chance to do it simply by information can be extremely useful as one can perform clicking http://dino.wiz.uni-kassel.de/mod-info/all. html. queries by taxon, family or country. The second This web page includes registers and sources of database contains all plants that are covered by CITES ecological models, and an extensive list of links to (Convention on International Trade of Endangered journals, societies, initiatives, databases and Species) and provides information on synonymy, documents related to ecological modeling. common name, native distribution, CITES Appendix (I, II or III), date listed, listing notes, country of origin, and export quotas for each country THREATENED AND PROTECTED (http://www.wcmc.org.uk/CITES/eng/dbase/index. PLANTS AT WCMC shtml). Finally, plants that are covered by European Union regulations can be found at http://www. wcmc.org.uk/species/trade/eu/database_plants.htm. Three important datasets regarding threatened and This database has a structure similar to the previous protected plants are available at the Web site of the one and also incorporates information on CITES World Conservation Monitoring Centre. The first one is species. the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants with information on all globally threatened plant taxa
* Please send all items suitable for publication under this heading to the editor of this column: Jose M. Iriondo, Dpto. Biología Vegetal, EUIT Agrícola, Universidad Politécnica, Ciudad Universitaria, E-28040 Madrid, Spain.
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 21 Field Work News
LAND PLANTS ONLINE RJB “HERBARIO DE CRIPTOGAMIA” ON LINE This web site (http://www.science.siu.edu/ landplants/index.html) focuses on the phylogenetic This Web-accessible database (http://www.rjb. relationships among embryophytes and provides csic.es/herbario/crypto/crydb.htm) contains detailed information on the biology of these organisms information on the specimens of the collections of the including phylum descriptions, life cycle accounts and “Herbario de Criptogamia” at the Real Jardín Botánico comparisons among existing molecular and de Madrid, which includes seaweeds, bryophytes, morphological phylogenetic hypotheses. A remarkable lichens and fungi, totaling over 125,000 specimens. The number of photographs are presented that illustrate queries can be performed by multiple criteria such as plant habit, gross morphology, anatomical features and genus, locality or habitat, and the output contains ultrastructural details. Additional features are links to additional interesting data such as all identifications botanical experts, arranged according to organism done on the material, whether the specimen is the groups, and to other web sites that relate to plant nomenclatural type, and a location map for geo- evolution, phylogeny and taxonomy. referenced specimens.
PROJECTS
EURO+MED PLANTBASE: A NEW EURO-MEDITERRANEAN INITIATIVE IN PLANT SYSTEMATICS by M.A. CARINE, V. H. HEYWOOD & S.L. JURY
The Euro+Med PlantBase project aims to provide an conservation, legislation and other purposes has never on-line database and information system for the vascular been greater. Indeed, the Convention on Biological plants of Europe and the Mediterranean, against an up- Diversity gives rise to new needs for inventories and to-date and critically evaluated consensus taxonomic assessments on the state and trends of species and an core of the species concerned. The first phase of this increasing number of international and regional project now has financial support for three years from conventions include lists of species to be considered for the European Union under Framework V. conservation purposes. The need for this new initiative in Euro- In addition to taxonomic and floristic data, a great Mediterranean plant systematics is readily apparent. amount of information has been amassed on the biology, Since the completion of Flora Europaea (Tutin et al., mapping, phytochemistry, karyology, uses and 1964 – 1980) and three of six volumes of Med-Checklist conservation of European plant species and no (Greuter et al., 1984 – 1989), large numbers of new taxa consistent attempt has been made to bring this together have been described from the Euro-Mediterranean and relate it to an agreed taxonomic framework. The region. Most remain to be adequately assessed. A large agreed taxonomic framework provided by Euro+Med number of country Floras have also been produced PlantBase will, therefore, be used by many different which naturally tend to adopt a national rather than a kinds of users whose work is impeded by the absence of European perspective and for some countries there are such an agreed background. up to six or more authoritative treatments available for The Editors of Flora Europaea readily the same taxon. As a consequence, the consensus acknowledged the fact that the area they termed ‘Greater established by Flora Europaea and, in part by Med- Europe’, i.e. the area dealt with in Flora Europaea, Checklist, has been overtaken by events. together with the countries bordering the Mediterranean, A partial revision of the first volume of Flora is phytogeographically a more natural unit than is Europaea (Tutin et al., 1993) included nearly ten-per- Europe alone. The close relationships between many cent additional species but a decision was made not to European plant species, especially in southern parts of revise the other four volumes in a similar way. However, the continent, and those growing in neighbouring the need for an agreed taxonomic framework for Mediterranean countries is well known, and these are
22 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 September 2000 Projects
compelling reasons for extending the taxonomic consensus for the entire Euro+ Mediterranean region, an The Euro+Med PlantBase will also be hot-linked area estimated to contain approximately one-eighth of through the ‘beads’ to ‘satellite’ data sets where more global vascular plant species. detailed information would be available. Many such A key component of the new Euro+Med PlantBase datasets already exist electronically or are presently initiative is the mechanism of regional co-operative being actively developed by individuals, organisations revision of the taxonomic status of all families, genera, and institutions. Examples include the OPTIMA species, subspecies and, where appropriate, cultivars chromosome database in Patras, the rare plant described from the Euro-Mediterranean region. The information database in Madrid, the Atlas Florae organisation of this work follows that established by the Europaeae database in Helsinki, the FAO and IPGRI highly successful Flora Europaea project and involves crop and genetic resources databases, the specialists from over fifty countries and territories within UNEP/WCMC species, protected areas and trade the region. The revisionary process will result in an databases. The main thematic coverage envisaged by agreed taxonomic core which will be one of the main these associated projects in satellite databases will be: outputs of the project. Specifically, this will comprise: · maps · the scientific name of each taxon · ecology – habitats, communities, biotopes · the author citation · phytosociology · the place of publication · illustrations, slides, drawings, SEMs, habitat, photographs · the basionym · karyology · selected synonyms · phytochemistry · distribution – worldwide, within the region and by territories · biosystematics · status of occurrence – native, introduced, · horticulture naturalised, cultivated · conservation status · endemic to region/country/territory · legal protection · description (standardised for auto-translation) · economic uses – medicinal and aromatic, fuel, fibre, · growth form – revised Raunkiaer system food, ornamental · ecology – basic habitat type · genetic resources, including crop relatives · phenology · threats, including weediness, invasiveness, parasitism. · karyology – chromosome number(s) and ploidy level (referring to native occurrences) These classes of information will be organised and co-ordinated by groups of appropriate specialists. Thus Surrounding the core data, there will be a set of the taxonomic data will be revised and assessed by minimal summaries of verified data, termed ‘beads ’, on taxonomists, the ecological information by ecologists topics such as: and phytosociologists, and the conservation information · distribution maps by conservation and genetic resource organisations. · phytosociology – to the level of alliance and order The European Union-funded Phase One of the project will start to develop all three aspects of · representative illustrations – line drawings, colour Euro+Med PlantBase. The following institutions have plates, photographs received EU funding for this phase of the project: · biosystematics – breeding system, crossability, · Centre for Plant Diversity and Systematics, School of hybridisation Plant Sciences, The University of Reading, UK · phytochemistry · Universidad de Sevilla, Departmento de Biología · conservation status (national and global, following Vegetal y Ecología the IUCN categories, for species) · Department of Botany, Università de Palermo, Sicily, · legal protection (Protected Areas such as National Italy Parks, Biosphere Reserves, Natural Parks) · Dept. of Biodiversity Informatics, Botanical Garden · economic or scientific importance and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Freie · genetic resources – status, availability and location Universität Berlin, Germany of germplasm · Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC, Madrid, Spain · growth habit – tree architecture, etc. · Botanischer Garten der Universität Bern, Switzerland
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 23 Projects
· Royal Botanical Garden. Edinburgh, UK The long-term aim is to have a decentralised database. · Institute of Botany of the Slovak Academy of However, initially the development of the core database Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia and work on design and software development are co- ordinated at Reading. The set of names and associated · Institute of Botany of the Bulgarian Academy of data originally developed at Reading by the European Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria Science Foundation European Documentation System · Finnish Museum of Natural History, Botanical (ESFEDS) has been used to provide the initial starting Museum, University of Helsinki, Finland point for Euro+Med PlantBase. Work to supplement this · The Botanical Institute, University of Patras, Greece with information available in the MedChecklist database, the Flora of Macaronesia dataset, and published Floras from the Euro-Mediterranean region will soon start. Specifically, Phase One will result in the following output: Amongst the outputs planned from the Euro+Med PlantBase initiative are: · a consensus synonymic checklist of all European vascular plant species. · A consensual Synonymic Conspectus of the Plants · new taxonomic treatments of several important of the Euro-Mediterranean Region (SCOPER) that will groups. be revised periodically (possibly every five years) but · the first ever working list of plants of the entire Euro- with Internet links to later data, both verified and Mediterranean region which can be used to unverified. It will be available on the Internet. This will determine priorities for future revisionary work. provide the scientific community, the European Union, individual countries and conservation agencies with a · software development for the future management of single key source of electronically available information the project on the plant biodiversity of the region. · development of several ‘beads’ including those dealing with distribution, mapping, karyology, · CD ROMS and other electronic outputs (as they conservation and genetic resources. develop) of various classes or combinations of data, such as wild relatives of crops, medicinal and aromatic plants, weeds, reafforestation species, their geographic The second and subsequent phases of the project distribution, ecological preferences, and their will proceed as further funding becomes available. phytochemical characteristics, genetic resources and The Euro+Med PlantBase project is organized as a conservation status. decentralised federal structure throughout the area. It comprises National and Territorial Centres throughout · Hard copy ad hoc ‘tailor-made’ handbooks, Floras, Europe and the Mediterranean which will co-ordinate the illustrated keys or other desired outputs that are needed checking of data relevant to the Country or Territory in by various classes of consumers. question, Regional Centres which will provide advice on local botanical expertise, Taxonomic Centres, which After several years of planning, the project is now will provide expertise in particular groups of plants and firmly underway and the Secretariat would be pleased to other Co-operating Centres and Institutions. receive details or enquiries from any botanists in the Euro-Mediterranean region keen to co-operate in this A Steering Committee is responsible for the overall exciting new initiative in plant systematics. Further scientific, administrative and financial aspects of the details may be obtained from: project. Editorial Panels are being established for individual families or groups of related families. These Euro+Med PlantBase Secretariat. Centre for Plant will ensure that the accounts of the groups concerned Diversity and Systematics. School of Plant Sciences. The are prepared in accordance with agreed editorial University of Reading. Reading, RG6 6AS, UK procedures, they will maintain liaison between the Fax: + 44 (0)118 9753676 authors and specialists in the National and Regional Centres and will check that comments and suggestions Email: [email protected] from them have been taken into account. The European http://www.herbarium.rdg.ac.uk/EuroMed/Euro+Med.ht Union-funded phase of the project is managed by an ml Executive Committee, and the day-to-day management is the responsibility of the Secretariat based at the University of Reading.
REQUEST FOR Thymelaea tartonraira (L.) All.
24 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 September 2000
As a part of a research project dealing with tartonraira native from the following places: Algeria, phylogeny and biogeography of the genus Thymelaea, Tunisia, Italy (specially Sicily and Sardinia), Greece we are currently studying the highly polymorphic taxon (Cephalonia, Euboea, Jalkidiki Peninsula, Tasos, Crete), T. tartonraira. Our intention is to clarify its systematics European Turkey and Cyprus. and phylogeography using molecular techniques and Please do not mix the material from different taking into account a high number of populations all individuals and do not forget to write down all the over its distribution area, which is strictly information concerning the locality, province, Mediterranean. department or region, altitude, date, collector, etc. We have collected samples of numerous Please do not hesitate to tell me how I can pay you populations, mainly from those present in the western back for this favour. Perhaps we could exchange Mediterranean region. However, material from some Thymelaeaceae. other populations is more difficult for us to get, so we Contact: David Galicia-Herbada; Dpto. Biología ask for your help in doing this task. (Botánica), Fac. Ciencias (Biológicas), Universidad We would like to obtain well-dried material Autónoma de Madrid; 28049 Madrid, Spain. E-mail: (herbarium specimens or pieces of young branches with [email protected]. plenty of leaves desiccated in silica-gel) of 5-10 individuals from each population of Thymelaea
M EETINGS
I SYMPOSIUM "ISLAND ECOSYSTEMS - A CONSERVATION AND M OLECULAR APPROACH" F UNCHAL, MADEIRA ISLAND - PORTUGAL, 5-9 MARCH 2001
The meeting organised by Centre of Biological and The symposium will be held in Funchal (Madeira Geological Sciences will focus on work carried out on Island, Portugal) and will run from 5 Monday, to 9 Island Ecosystems although papers on non-island Friday, March 2001. The official language will be research will be considered if they contribute in some English. way to our understanding of this subject. The symposium will be based primarily upon submitted SYMPOSIUM SECRETARIAT papers volunteered by intending delegates; but there will be a limited number of Plenary lecturers invited by Mafalda Fonseca: Tel: + 351 291 233229 the Scientific Committee focusing on major themes. Isabel Marques: Tel: + 351 291 231101 There will also be a series of specialist workshops. Address: Apartado 105. P-9001-902 Funchal. Madeira. Some of the papers will be presented as posters. Portugal
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 25 Projects
S YMPOSIUM ON MEDITERRANEAN PLANT COLLECTIONS: NEEDS AND OPTIONS. X OPTIMA MEETING, PALERMO 2001
It is planned to hold a half-day symposium on this including DNA studies, but DNA may be damaged by topic. The problems arising from historical matters, fungicide and pests treatments. (Many of these are databases and computer tools will be presented. Papers anyway now considered hazardous under present will also deal with case studies and possible future health and safety legislation.) DNA extraction, analysis opportunities. It is expected that there will be and publication of results may contravene the discussion and some proposals that might be submitted Convention on Biological Diversity, yet few herbaria for consideration and action by the OPTIMA have considered rational policies on the use of their Commission for Herbarium Mediterraneum. specimens. Many herbaria are creating databases of There are several different sorts of herbaria serving information from their collections in a haphazard way very different roles, but these roles have often become that makes it difficult to exchange data with others, or confused. There are now many herbaria in the results in lower usage and standing in the botanical Mediterranean area that are either new or being community. revitalised, which are lacking sources of expert help and Not only is it planned to address some of these advice. Therefore, there is a need to provide issues, but also to consider the implications of charging information, and sources of information, on specialists, for services, including identification for commercial techniques, supplies and herbarium data. There are companies, and obtaining grant money for processing other herbaria that are in danger of being closed and voucher specimens. their collections left to deteriorate in bad storage or I would appreciate your views and ideas on these even destroyed. There are universities with herbaria matters so that we can develop the symposium and that now undertake no taxonomic work and universities create an appropriate strategy for Mediterranean with small, new herbaria that are investing in taxonomy. herbaria to adopt. Please contact Dr Stephen L. Jury, Many collections now appear to be situated in the Centre for Plant Diversity and Systematics, The School wrong place. This means that specimens need to be of Plant Sciences, The University of Reading, loaned or botanists need to travel. There are no Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AS, UK. Fax: +44 (0)118 coherent policies and each centre writes its own rules. 975 3676; E-mail: [email protected] Specimens are required for destructive sampling,
A NNOUNCEMENTS*
3-8 September 2000 Barcelona. The Universitat de Iberian Peninsula. Barcelona (UB), the Ministerio de The Fourth IAL Symposium. This Symposium is a Educación y Cultura, and the Barcelona. continuation of a series of Generalitat de Catalunya international meetings on lichen The Fourth International (Autonomic Govern-ment of biology, which started in Berlin Symposium, arranged by the Catalonia) will act as main 1969, and continued in Bristol 1974, International Association of sponsors. The lichenologists of the Münster 1986 (IAL 1), London Lichenology, will be held from 3-8 Grup de Recerca de Criptogàmia 1989, Madrid 1990, Lund 1992 (IAL September 2000 at the Facultat de (Dept. de Biologia Vegetal, UB) will 2) and Salzburg 1996 (IAL 3). It Biologia, of the Universitat de act as the Local Organising aims to bring together scientists Barcelona (UB). Most of the Committee, assisted by an and students from different fields sessions will take place in the Aula Advisory Board composed of such as mor-phology, physiology, Magna, Avda. Diagonal, 645, leading lichenologists of the ecology, chemistry and classic and
* Coordinated by S. Pajarón and J.M. Iriondo. Please, send your announcements to S. Pajarón, Dpto. Biología Vegetal I Fac. Biología, Univ. Complutense, Ciudad Universitaria, E-28040 Madrid, Spain. E-mail: [email protected]
26 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 September 2000 Announcements
molecular systematics, in order to details of pre-, mid-, and post- Glasshouses. The major themes of extend our knowledge of the conference tours, please check the the congress will be: Building lichenized fungi. web site at: http://www. public awareness, Working with Information: IAL4 – AOPC. botany.uwc.ac.za/medecos/index.ht different audiences, and Raising Edif. Colon, Avda. Drassanes, 6-8. m. the status of education within and Barcelona, Spain. Tel.: +34 93 302 For any enquiries, please feel outside Botanic Gardens. 7541. Fax: +34 93 301 1255. E-mail: free to contact the conference co- More information: BGCI, [email protected] More information at ordinator, Glaudin Kruger, at: “Partnership for People and the Symposium Website: [email protected]. Plants”, Descanso House, 199 Kew http://www.bio.ub.es/ ial2000.htm Road, Richmond, surrey TW9 3BW, UK. · · · · · Tel.: +44 020 8332 5953/4; Fax: +44 · · · · · 020 8332 5956
11-16 September 2000 E-mail: [email protected] 4-9 September 2000 Algae and Extreme Environ-ments. Curso Livre de Etnobotânica. Vila Ecology and Physiology. · · · · · Real, Miranda do Douro, Portugal. Trebon, South Bohemia, Czech
Concepts and perspectives of Republic. Ethnobotany as a scientific dis- All aspects of the ecology and 15-21 October 2000 cipline. Methods for gathering physiology of Cyanobacteria and V Reunión de la Red de Herbarios ethnobotanical information. Medi- algae of the natural and the man- de Mesoamérica y el Caribe. cinal plants. Landscape ecology, influenced objectively extreme and Universidad de Puerto Rico. ethnobotany and conservation. marginal ecosystems will be The V Reunión de la Red de Aromatic and medicinal plants in considered. Herbarios de Mesoamérica y el rural development. The conference will be held at Caribe will be hosted by the Lectures, study visits, field the AURORA Spa complex. Trebon Herbarium of the Department of work and lab work, for a total of 40 is a historical town reserve Biology (MAPR) at the University hours. founded in the 13th century, of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus Contact: Commisâo Organi- situated 145 km south of Prague, next fall. The meeting has been zadora do curso Livre de Etno- Czech Republic. scheduled for the week of 15-21 botânica. Universidade de Tras-os- For more information, please October, 2000, principally at the Montes e alto douro/ departamento contact: Václav Bauer and Dana UPR Mayagüez Campus. We are de Protecçâo de Plantas. 5001-911 Švehlová. Algae conference also counting on the collaboration Vila Real. Portugal. Tel.: +351 259 Secretariat. Institute of Botany AS of other botanists and herbaria in 350 515; Fax: +351 259 350 480; E- CR, Dukelská 135, CZ-379 82, Puerto Rico, and we are planning a mail: [email protected] Trebon, Czech Republic. Tel.: +420 visit to two herbaria in San Juan as http://www.utad.pt/~etnobotn 333 721156; Fax: +420 333 721136; well as to the UPR Botanical Garden. The central theme of the E-mail: jelster@butbn. cas.cz meeting will be the role of herbaria
11-15 September 2000 in conservation. Among the Ninth International Conference on · · · · · activities will be conferences, field Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems trips, a workshop, meetings, and (MEDECOS 2000) – Stellenbosch, 13-17 October 2000. the presentation of the results of South Africa. current projects of the Red. 1 st European Botanic Garden Contact: Ms. Vélez; E-mail: The theme of the conference is Education Congress “Partner-ship [email protected] ”Mediterranean-type ecosys-tems - for People and Plants” Past, present and future". Much Botanic Gardens Conservation interest has been expressed in this · · · · · conference, and we are expecting International in association with The Birmingham Botanical Gardens good representation from all parts st of the world with MTEs. & Glasshouses present the 1 16–20 October 2000 European Botanical Garden For the latest details on Education Congress “Partnership 27th Annual Natural Areas MEDECOS 2000, including the for People and Plants”. The Conference — Managing the preliminary list of sessions, congress will take place at The Mosaic: Connecting People and keynote and other invited Birmingham Botanical Gardens & Natural Diversity in the 21st speakers, registration details etc, Century. St. Louis, Missouri.
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 27 Announcements
The Natural Areas Asso- Department of Conservation, P.O. Algal pigments; Biological ciation, the member agencies of the Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102- interactions in seaweed mari- Missouri Natural Areas Committee, 0180; Phone: (573) 751-4115 ext. culture; Integrated aquaculture and and the Missouri Department of 183; E-mail: learyk@ bioremediation; Coalescent Conservation invite you to attend mail.conservation.state.mo.us. seaweeds, Low-volume, high-value the first Natural Areas conference http://www.conservation.state.mo. algal products. of the new century. It will be held us/nac/. Further information: The in St. Louis, Missouri, just a short Secretariat. XVIIth International walk from the Gateway Arch · · · · · Seaweed Symposium. P.O. Box National Monument. The 34098, Rhodes Gift 7707, South celebration of the bicentennial Africa. Tel.: +27 824687504; Fax: anniversary of the Lewis and Clark +27 21 650 4041; E-mail: Expedition has begun in St. Louis, 25-27 October 2000 [email protected]; http:// and our banquet speaker, Dr. www.uct.ac.za/conferences/iss: Daniel Botkin, will discuss the Third Ecuadorian Botanical http://www.butbn.cas.cz/alga.extre historical and future implications of Congress. Quito, Ecuador. m/ their trip. The plenary and FUNBOTANICA (Ecuadorian concurrent sessions will address Foundation for Research and different aspects of biodiversity Development in Botany) and · · · · · and how humans fit into the new Herbario Nacional del Ecuador century of management. On QCNE will host the Third
Tuesday, October 17, Dr. Jerry Ecuadorian Botanical Congress Franklin, Professor of Ecosystem from 25 - 27 October 2000 in Quito. 12-16 February 2001 Analysis at the University of For more information or to submit Ecology of Insular Biotas - Victoria Washington in Seattle, titles of presentations, go to the University of Wellington, New Washington, will speak about FUNBOTANICA web site (http:// Zealand. "Bridging Science and pagina.de/funbotanica) and select The conference will focus on Management." Wednesday mor- “Congresos” from the menu or e- ecological patterns and processes ning, Dr. Peter Raven, Director of mail inquiries to funbotanica@ of particular importance to isolated the Missouri Botanical Garden, will pagina.de. biotas, including true islands, address "Opportunities and natural habitat islands (e.g. ponds) Problems of Biodiversity." · · · · · and artificial habitat islands (e.g. Following him, Dr. William Burch, reserves). Examples of suitable Professor at Yale Univer-sity, will topics for papers include: dispersal speak about "Finding the natural and gene flow within and among synergy between human diversity 28 January – 2 February isolated populations; ecology of and global biodiversity." Excellent 2001 small populations; ecological field trips will highlight the conse-quences of disharmonic tremendous natural diversity found XVIIth International Seaweed floras and faunas; the relevance of in Missouri. Pre-conference and Symposium. “Seaweeds: Science island biogeography principles in Conference trips include and technology for sustainable conservation; islands as model opportunities to tour the Missouri industry”. University of Cape ecosystems; comparative ecology Mines State Historic Site, hike the Town, South Africa. of true islands vs. habitat islands. Sunklands Conservation Area, and The International Seaweed visit the Missouri Ozark Forest Symposium is held every three Ecosystem Project research center. years under the auspices of the · · · · · Participants will have their choice International Seaweed association. of viewing native flora and fauna It is the foremost international on a trip to Danville Glades and meeting on seaweed research and 2-6 July 2001 Graham Cave State Park, utilisation. This is the first to take Legumes Downunder — The spelunking in Fisher and place in Africa. Fourth International Legume Mushroom Caves, learning about The Scientific programme Conference. Canberra, Australia geologic features at St. Francois includes plenary sessions, mini The Fourth International Mountains Natural Area, floating symposia, posters sessions, mid- Legume Conference will be held the Mississippi River, or a number symposium excursions and pre- from 2-6 July 2001 on the campus of other opportunities. and post-symposium tours. The of Australian National University Contact: Kate Leary, Con- following mini symposia are in Canberra, Australia. The ference Coordinator, Missouri. planned: Algal biotechnology; scientific program includes
28 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 September 2000 Announcements
symposia on systematics, utili- include a status report, conser- orchid conservation specialists, zation, infra-specific genetics, land vation techniques, networking, researchers and practitioners, to rehabilitation, symbiosis, action plans and programmes, and develop an understanding of phytochemistry and electronic education. global issues in orchid conser- resources. Field trips throughout Contact: The British Pteri- vation. The Congress will cover Australia are being planned in dological Society, Dept. of Botany, topics including phylogeny of the conjunction with the meeting Co- Natural History Museum, Crom- Orchidaceae, population biology, organizers are Mike Crisp, well Road, London SW7 5BD, U.K. pollination biology, propagation Australian National University, Jim science, germplasm storage, con-
Grimes, RBG Melbourne, Joe Miller, servation genetics and taxonomy Centre for Plant Biodiversity · · · · · with opportunities for specialist Research, and David Morrison, workshops in orchid conservation University of Techno-logy, 24-28 September 2001 techniques and orchid recovery Sydney. For further details and to programs. Pre- and post-con- express interest in attending the First International Orchid ference tours will explore the conference please check the Conservation Congress. Perth, incredible diversity of orchids and website at http://www.science. Australia. remarkable wildflowers of south - uts.edu.au/sasb/legumes.html. Kings Park & Botanic Garden west Western Australia. The first in conjunction with the Orchid circular will be available in April Specialist Group of the Species 2000 and a call for papers will · · · · · Survival Commission of IUCN-The follow soon after.
World Conservation Union, Contact: The Congress 23-26 July 2001 Botanic Gardens Conservation Secretariat Dr Kingsley Dixon International, and the Australian Fern Flora Worldwide: Threats Kings Park & Botanic Garden West Network for Plant Conservation are and Responses. University of Perth 6005 Western Australia Tel: pleased to announce: The 1st Surrey, Guildford, U.K. ++61 (0)8 9480 3614 Fax: ++61 (0)8 International Orchid Conservation 9480 3641 Email: This symposium is being Congress (Incorporating the 2nd [email protected]. gov.au organized by the British International Orchid Population Pteridological Society and the Biology Conference) Perth, Wes- IUCN Species Survival Com- tern Australia The Congress will mission Specialist Group for bring together for the first time, Pteridophytes. The sessions will
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 29 NOTICES OF PUBLICATIONS*
edited by WERNER GREUTER
Cryptogamae remarks. This appendix adds a theoretical aspect to a book that is otherwise destined primarily to 1. Julio AFONSO CARRILLO & Marta SAN- practical use by marine biologists, also providing SÓN – Algas, hongos y fanerógamas mari- valuable advice on specimen sampling and pres- nas de las Islas Canarias. Clave analítica. ervation techniques. W.G [Materiales Didácticos Universitarios, Bi- ología, 2.] – Universidad de La Laguna, Santa 2. Giovanni FURNARI, Mario CORMACI & Do- Cruz de Tenerife, 1999 (ISBN 84-7756-478-7). natella SERIO – Catalogue of the benthic 254 pages, figures, map; paper. marine macroalgae of the Italian coast of the Adriatic Sea. [Bocconea, 12.] – Herbarium Don’t expect to find dinophytes or marine Mediterraneum Panormitanum, Palermo, diatoms mentioned: although the title fails to say “1999” [2000] (ISBN 88-7915-012-x). 214 so and a corresponding statement is hidden away pages, map; paper. in the introduction, the treatment restricts itself to pluricellular benthic (or more precisely, anchored) The present inventory of the benthic red, organisms. In spite of this restriction, the book brown, and green algae known to occur along the fills a real gap, being the first comprehensive aid Italian coast of the Adriatic sea lists 556 species for identifying marine flowering plants, macroal- (642 taxa) in all. It is based on a painstakingly gae, and fungi of the Canary Islands. thorough compilation of published literature data, The authors have produced a practical key, but no new, original sampling of the area has yet not of a kind that would be suited for ama- apparently occurred, nor have unpublished her- teurs or for use in the field. Identification must barium records been taken into account. Every almost invariably rely on microscopic characters effort has been made to correlate literature data requiring dissection. The key is however well published under various names with the currently suited for students, including undergraduates, as accepted taxonomic categories, but verification of it uses obvious characters whenever possible the correct identity of the actual material was and describes them with simple, consistent terms carried out only in a few exceptional cases. that are moreover explained in a glossary. Also, When one accepts these limitations, one will all final and some intermediary key leads are illus- find this to be a useful summary of present-day trated by artless but useful little drawings in the knowledge of the inventory and distribution of margin. No less than 645 species are keyed out, algae in the Adriatic sea. Its practical value is 23 blue-green algae, 370 red algae, 118 brown somewhat impaired, however, by a far from user- algae, 110 green algae, 3 flowering plants, and 21 friendly presentation of the data. The index, by fungi. Only few of them (17 to be exact) are re- epithets only, has no page references, nor is there puted endemic, but in time 89 taxa, including 78 an index to generic names that would expedite the species, have first been described based on Ca- finding of relevant entries. The inclusion of a kind narian material, most of which have since been of synonymy in the enumeration of localities and synonymised. An appendix accounts for each of sources leads to redundancy (especially as the them, with indication of type, original locality, same name, when its author citation varies, or iconography, taxonomic disposition, and critical when it is absent, is treated as if it were distinct).
* Please send all items for review directly to the editor of this column: Prof. W. Greuter, Botanischer Garten & Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Königin-Luise-Str. 6-8, D-14191 Berlin.
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (1) Publications
The nomenclature has been revised and updated, in the greenhouses and in the lab. The aspects to conform with modern standards, but some considered range from the analysis of flower spellings appear to be ill advised (Cladostephus morphology and correlated functional traits (e.g., is masculine not neuter, and arbuscula, used as nectar production) through life cycle and phenol- an epithet, is a noun in apposition, not a three- ogy studies, pollination surveys, classical bio- ending adjective). Finally, individual checklists systematic investigations such as chromosome are appended at the end for each of the 8 recog- studies, experimental crosses and self-in- nised geographic regions, an arrangement that is compatibilty tests, to the assessment of genetic extremely wasteful of space: these 8 lists might variability within and genetic distances between usefully have been combined into a single, infor- populations by means of electrophoretic isoen- mative tabular disposition. zyme analysis. Some nomenclatural novelties (awkwardly The West Mediterranean area has been de- listed in the middle of the text, on p. 158, and not fined in a wide sense, ranging from the Maca- mentioned to in the summary) have been pro- ronesian islands to the Alps and Tunisia inclu- posed by Furnari within the catalogue. There are sive. Within this area, 30 species of Aconitum, three infraspecific new combinations under Ce- Consolida, and Delphinium (33 taxa if subspe- ramium siliquosum, one new species in Gelidium cies are included) are known to occur, of which 20 (I could not check the validity of its name), and (22) have been studied, i.e., exactly two thirds. one alleged new combination in Zanardinia. The According to my count, 19 of the 30 species (not latter is unfortunately invalid, as full reference to 21 as the author has it) are endemic to the area, of the basionym is missing. It is here validated as which 14 have been investigated: a very satisfac- Zanardinia typus (Nardo) P. C. Silva, comb. nov. tory coverage in view of the wide methodological ( Stifftia typus Nardo, Consid. Alg.: 13. 1835) range and of accessibility constraints for in situ [Paul Silva’s extensive information on this subject studies. Field work extended to four different is gratefully acknowledged]. W.G countries (Spain, France, Tunisia, and Morocco), with Algeria (understandably) and Portugal (sur- prisingly) being left out. Dicotyledones This is a truly impressive work. It deepens considerably our knowledge of the background against which evolution in this tribe has taken 3. Maria BOSCH I DANIEL – Biologia de la reproducció de la tribu Delphinieae a la place. Let me point out a few among the many interesting results. Most of the species investi- Mediterrània occidental. [Institut d’Estudis gated are either strict outcrossers or show a low Catalans, Arxius de les Secciones de Cièn- self-pollination rate (which is not surprising in a cies, 120.] – Institut d’Estudis Catalans, Sec- group in which the flowers show marked insect ció de Ciències Biològiques, Barcelona, 1999 pollination syndromes), but selfing outweighs (ISBN 84-7283-451-4). 375 pages, figures, ta- cross-pollination in the annual Delphinium subg. bles, graphs, maps, 4 extra plates of colour Staphisagria. Reproductive barriers between photographs; paper with dust jacket. Price: species belonging to different subgenera are 3,500 Pta. close to absolute, and they are rather high (less In this nicely produced and tightly edited than 34 % seed set) between different Consolida volume, Maria Bosch presents us with a multidis- species, but fairly low (50 % on average) within ciplinary study in reproductive biology of the Delphinium subgenera. Field studies demon- western Mediterranean representatives of the strated that pollination efficiency is not the result tribe Delphinieae. The work is a corollary of the of specialisation of the plant on a particular insect in-depth study of this tribe carried out by César species (depending on composition of the local Blanché and his co-workers in Barcelona (see fauna, various bumblebees, and also some other OPTIMA-Newsletter 30: (3)-(4). 1996) The un- insects such as butterflies, may act as pollina- derlying research has been conducted primarily in tors), but rather of the faithfulness of pollinators the field, where no less than 39 populations in 30 to one particular kind of flowers. When one con- different localities have been studied, then partly siders the fact that Delphinieae flowers are
(2) OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 September 2000 Publications
elaborate structures, with a complex arrangement different localities were considered, and for the E. of highly specialised perianth segments, nectar- squamigera group, 43 populations from 38 locali- ies, and stamens, it is rather surprising to find ties. The treatment comprises an in-depth mo r- that targeted cross pollination, after all, is left to phological analysis of vegetative and flowering the “judgement” of the animals. parts, a micro-morphological study of leaf sur- The book is well presented, nicely illustrated, faces, pollen grains, and seeds, and careful and most extensively referenced (it includes no caryogram analyses. The taxonomic conclusions less than 35 pages of bibliography). Many read- appear to be solidly founded. They are laid down ers will appreciate the informative, extensive in formal treatments including full specimen cita- English summary. The author has been awarded tions and distribution maps. In the E. flavicoma the Bofill i Poch prize for her work – a well de- group, 9 species are recognised (or 13 taxa, if the served recognition on which she is to be heartily subspecies level is included); in the E. squa- congratulated. W.G. migera group, 7 species (12 taxa) were retained. There are some notable differences between two treatments, concerning both the plants them- 4. Joan SIMON PALLISÉ & Josep VICENS selves and the way in which they were studied. FANDOS – Estudis biosistemàtics en Eu- The Euphorbia flavicoma group is European to phorbia L. a la Mediterrània occidental. [In- sub-Mediterrenean in distribution, does not reach stitut d’Estudis Catalans, Arxius de les Sec- N. Africa nor the Balearic islands, and all popula- ciones de Ciències, 122.] – Institut d’Estudis tions sampled grow on the European mainland Catalans, Secció de Ciències Biològiques, (from Portugal to S.E. France, with one locality in Barcelona, 1999 (ISBN 84-7283-482-4). 704 the border zone of Italy). The E. squamigera pages, figures, tables, graphs, maps; paper group is genuinely Mediterranean, being absent with dust jacket. from France and most of Italy; the populations studied are from the Maghreb countries, Malta, This book is a kind of Siamese twin. It con- Sicily, the Balearic Islands, Portugal, and Spain. sists of two distinct works by separate authors, In his analysis of the E. squamigera group, Vi- subsequently patched together into a single co- cens has used a biometric and statistical ap- authored volume in such a way that it is now far proach, by principal component analysis and from obvious who was responsible for which UPGMA phaenograms, based on 62 morphologi- part. The studies concern the western Mediterra- cal, chromosomal and ecological characters. No nean representatives of two natural groups of such analysis is present in the E. flavicoma spurges, both belonging to Euphorbia subsect. treatment. Also, Vicens appears to be a freak of Galarrhaei (the perennial members of E. sect. nomenclature, as he has carefully typified all Helioscopiae), and were conducted in parallel by names and synonyms, whereas Simon carefully two young researches at the Botanical Labora- bypasses nomenclatural complexities (much more tory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Barcelona University: numerous in his group), neglects synonym typi- the E. flavicoma group was dealt with by Simon fication, and dismisses the oldest name, E. ver- Pallisé and the E. squamigera group, by Vicens rucosa L. (in our opinion, the correct name for E. Fandos. For the purpose of publication, their two brittingeri) without even the slightest attempt at treatments were clamped together with a common typifying the Linnean binomial. (As has long introductory chapter (pp. 15-76) and a combined been known, the obligate lectotype of E. verru- bibliography (pp. 677-704). cosa is specimen XVI(2): 38 in Burser’s herbarium The work was carried out basically on live at UPS, probably from Ingolstadt in Bavaria; plants sampled in the natural populations and which is the same as E. brittingeri.) transplanted into the greenhouse, and secondar- In a general way, and this nomenclatural ily, on populations represented by herbarium drawback notwithstanding, both treatments are material only. The study is broadly based, mi - excellent samples of skilful, modern taxonomic pressively so for that kind of biosystematic ap- work done with great enthusiasm and extreme proach, as numbers will confirm: for the Euphor- application. The two authors have, most deserv- bia flavicoma group, 80 populations from 59 edly, been awarded jointly the Pius Font i Quer
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (3) Publications
Prize for 1996. The usefulness of their work for user-friendly but extremely space-economic ar- those not familiar with the Catalan language is rangement. An extensive and intelligently written unfortunately impaired by the absence of an discussion examines possible correlation between English summary (in fact, there is no summary at the various parameters studied and their func- all). Another sorry fact is the poor readability of tional interdependency. graphs and maps, due to a low-quality scanning The present study could not possibly cover procedure. In the Euphorbia squamigera treat- every aspect of floral biology. For example, co- ment in particular, where different diminutive rolla architecture and nectar composition are distribution symbols are used, the maps are al- scarcely touched upon. Even so, the variety of most unintelligible. W.G. features studied is astounding. One may perhaps regret the limitation to a restricted area, obviously 5. Tomás RODRÍGUEZ-RIAÑO, Ana ORTEGA- caused by considerations of practicability. How- OLIVENCIA & Juan A. DEVESA – Biología ever, a majority of the taxa have wide distribu- floral en Fabaceae [Ruizia, 16.] – Real Jar- tional ranges, some occurring throughout the dín Botánico, Consejo Superior de Investiga- Mediterranean area if not beyond, so that the ciones Científicas, Madrid, 1999 (ISBN 84-00- book is of obvious practical interest for all Me- 07823-3). 176 pages, figures, tables, graphs, diterranean botanists. One might perhaps have maps; flexible cover. wished more copious and more refined illustra- tions, but then, an artless sketch can often illus- The title is overly ambitious and somewhat trate a concept quite as adequately as a sophisti- misleading: This booklet does not of course deal cated drawing by a professional. W.G. with the legumes of the world, but only with a small selection: about three quarters of the papil- ionoid flora growing in the Estremadura region, in Monocotyledones the south-western part of the interior of peninsu- lar Spain. But even with this limited scope 6. Robert PORTAL – Festuca de France. – enough was left to see and find, and the wealth of Published by the author, 16 rue Louis Bri- information here presented is truly impressive. oude, F-43750 Vals-près-Le Puy, 1999. 371 The authors have examined the features rele- pages, figures, maps; flexible cover. vant for pollination in 168 of the 215 known wild taxa of the area, represented by almost 500 differ- Fescue grasses are a nightmare for field bot- ent populations. Their data include biometry anists, professionals and amateurs alike, except (flower size and pollen measurements), androe- for a few cracks. Festuca systematics is an area in cium and gynoecium morphology, reward types, which taxon splitting has, some will feel, caused a flower colour, pollen presentation mechanism, difficult problem to become impossible – while pollen-ovule ratio, and reproductive system. others maintain that thanks to sensible splitting, The first chapter is a terse, informative and leading to sharper and less ambiguous taxon utterly readable review of what has been pub- definitions, the subject has at last grained con- lished on the subject in a widely scattered litera- tours. Whether it be for the better or worse one ture. No textbook could do better. Next follows may dispute, but the splitting trend is real. Just the core of the work, the detailed characterisation look at some figures: Bonnier & Layens recog- of the features studied. The author uses extant nised a dozen Festuca species in France, (dis- and also some newly developed typological cate- counting those that are now placed in Vulpia); gories to describe, e.g., the various kinds of an- Coste and Fournier raised the number to 28 and droecium configuration and their correlation with 26, respectively; Kerguélen & Plonka in 1989 had nectar production, filament shape, anther inser- already 69, and now we stand at 75. tion types, shape and position of stigma and Three years before, the same Portal had pub- style, and the well known tripping mechanisms lished a precursor of the present book, restricted (valvular, pump, brush, or explosive) of pollen to the fescues of the Massif Central (see OPTI- presentation. The data proper are presented in MA Newslett. 32: (4)-(5). 1997). He then treated 40 tabular form in an appendix, a perhaps not very recognised taxa (30 species). Now that the frame
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has been widened to the whole of France, the prises exactly 75 % of the Swiss orchid flora! This number of taxa is 107. The treatment is still essen- is a remarkable score, when one compares the tially the same, with the figures of 1996 reused, ecological, latitudinal and altitudinal amplitude of when appropriate, in a slightly reduced size to fit Switzerland with that of the tiny area of Liechten- the now format. An original, endearing feature of stein. Two species (Ophrys sphegodes and Spi- the book is its introductory potpourri of critical, ranthes aestivalis) have disappeared from the humorous or helpful sketches by nine fellow territory 40 and 60 years ago, but on the reverse, amateur botanists struggling with fescue grasses, two supplementary ones are here first recorded under the common header “Ce qu’ils en pensent” (Epipactis muelleri) or for the first time definitely (what they think of it). confirmed (E. purpurata). When presenting Portal’s first Festuca book- What is remarkable about this book is not so let three years ago, I wrote: “It may function as much the abundant and beautiful photographic the diving-board for anyone who has the courage documentation it includes (orchid books have to jump into the cold water of fescue identifica- been spoiling us lately by the quality and variety tion”. Honestly, I did not find the time as yet for a of their illustration), but the extremely thorough dip, but with the present extended treatment at and detailed documentation of orchid occurren- hand, I should guess that the water has now ces. This documentation is based, not only on warmed by a few degrees. Portal’s precise termi- field studies by the author, his family and numer- nology, his elaborate descriptions and, first and ous correspondents, but also on an exhaustive foremost, his skilful and accurate drawings both search of literature and collections, including of general habit and analytical detail, are invalu- photographing archives. Every species is able helps for identification. The single disadvan- mapped, and the maps do not only show the tage of the book is the alphabetical arrangement exact locations, including of extinct populations, of species (in which it follows its scientifically but also population size. Since 1985, the known more ambitious model, Kerguélen & Plonka’s stands are being monitored recurrently, year by 1989 revision), as it makes it difficult to compare year. closely related and easily confused taxa. W.G. This is not a new book. A first edition of it has been published in 1991, in the same serial and 7. Hans-Jörg RHEINBERGER, Barbara RHEIN- with the same volume number, and has sold so BERGER & Peter RHEINBERGER – Orchi- well that a new, updated edition has become deen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein. 2. ver- possible. The 15 % increase in page number is besserte und nachgeführte Auflage. largely due to the updating of localities and moni- [Naturkundliche Forschung im Fürstentum toring results, but also to the addition of one Liechtenstein, 13 [ed. 2].] – Regierung des newly discovered species (mentioned above) and Fürstentums Liechtenstein, Vaduz, 2000 to the welcome addition of an index. The most (ISBN 3-9521855-0-7). 269 pages, colour pho- encouraging message of the second edition is the tographs, tables, maps; paper. report that the decline of orchid habitats and orchid populations, which had been described as Ever heard of Liechtenstein? Perhaps as a tax alarming in edition 1, has now apparently come to paradise, or as a curiously atavistic political con- a hold. This obviously results from the recent, struct? Hardly will it ever have been mentioned to keen public awareness of the value of our natural you as a botanical highlight, though. This small heritage and of the need to protect the natural independent principality in the heart of Europe, biological diversity in terms of species and habi- squeezed in between Switzerland, with which it tats – an awareness to which books like the pres- shares its currency, and Austria, which it is about ent one have substantially contributed. W.G. to follow into the European Union, renowned for its beautiful post stamps, is also we now learn a 8. C. A. J. Kreutz – Die Orchideen der Türkei. natural Garden of Eden. Beschreibung, Ökologie, Verbreitung, Ge- No less than 48 species of the orchid family fährdung, Schutz. – Privately published have so far been recorded for Liechtenstein. In Landgraaf [orders: B. J. Seckel, Langkamp- other words, the orchid flora of the state com- weg 1 NL-8101 AR Raalte], 1998 (ISBN 90-
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (5) Publications
9011307-x). 768 pages, photographs and maps in colour; cloth with dust jacket. Price: 293 DM.
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This is a great book, not only in sheer size; a species (+ 32) and Orchis with 28 species (+ 8). heavy one, in contents as well as in physical Among the medium-sized to small genera there weight. To start with its most immediately striking have been changes regarding Dactylorhiza with feature, the illustrations, it likely beats all quality 12 species (+ 3), Epipactis with 9 species (+ 2), records so far – which in the field of orchid Serapias with 6 species (+ 3), Platanthera and photo-documentation, where standards are in- Himantoglossum, each with 3 (+ 1) species. Only credibly high anyway, really means a lot. You can Cephalanthera (6 species) and Listera (2 spe- leaf through the book from one end to the other cies) have remained unchanged. The raise in and will not find a single flower close-up, habit or species numbers has been partly caused by flo- habitat photograph, or landscape, that is not ristic additions, but for the largest part, by the technically perfect and beautiful at the same time. splitting tendencies now prevailing, in particular, There is also the sheer quantity to consider: I did in the genus Ophrys. There are polymorphic not attempt a count, nor are the photographs groups in that genus which have been pulverised numbered, but there are over 1300 of them, by into swarms of ill defined microspecies that will about 30 different people but mostly by the hardly stand the test of time – the Ophrys fusca author himself. Yet, those selected for publication group being the most prominent example. Yet, an are just a tiny fraction of the 60,000-plus slides in attempt at a formal treatment of the observed Kreutz’s slide archive! Add that the scale of variability it is far preferable to permitting that reproduction is generous (many of the pictures variation to be lost and hidden from sight by are full page size, c. 30 ´ 22 cm), and that the sheer neglect. By bringing out into the open the quality of print and paper is excellent, and you problems of Ophrys systematics, Kreutz’s book may guess what marvels to expect. will predictably lead to a proliferation of further From the above, you might think of the vol- binomials and species descriptions. Yet in the ume as a first-rate picture book, as the ultimate long term it may permit a sensible synthesis re- iconography of Turkish orchids – which indeed it flecting an improved understanding of the evolu- is. But it is much more. It is an most accurate and tionary background of the observed morphologi- detailed taxonomic survey, by the top expert of cal patterns. the subject. While lacking keys for identifying the This book, which by its many merits leaves species, it has everything else you would expect the reviewer in search for appropriate superla- from a full-scale monographic treatment, includ- tives, presents many other positive aspects that ing synonymies, descriptions, discussion of cannot all be mentioned in a review but must be diagnostic features, indication of habitat, phenol- left for the user to discover. The inclusion of 20 ogy and distribution, and ample critical notes. additional species, whose presence in Turkey is Particularly useful, and indeed a major achieve- questionable or which were reported in error, all ment, are the computer generated distribution of them illustrated by photographs from outside maps for all species, in which old and new rec- Turkey, is among such welcome additional fea- ords appear in different colours. Naturally in a tures. There are introductory chapters on Turkey group like the orchids, the pictures themselves as a whole, and distressing data on the loss of are the most helpful device for species identifica- orchid habitats and depletion of their popula- tion. The fact that several flowers from different tions. The single most important feature that plants and usually different populations are rep- many will miss is an index to scientific names – a resented for each species, giving an impression minor drawback in a work which, otherwise, sets a of its natural variation, is thus a major asset. worthy final crown on 20th-century literature on It is of interest to compare Kreutz’s treatment orchids. W.G. with that published 14 years earlier by Renz & Taubenheim in Davis’s Flora of Turkey. The Floras number of genera (24), and that of monotypic genera (15), has remained the same, yet the total number of species has increased by far more than 9. Mohamed FENNANE, Mohamed IBN TATTOU, half, from 93 to 143. Most of the increase con- Joël MATHEZ, Aïcha OUYAHYA & Jalal cerns the two large genera, Ophrys with now 59 EL-OUALIDI (ed.) – Flore pratique du Maroc.
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (7) Publications
Manuel de déterminatin des plantes vascu- presentation, frequently used in the past but now laires. Volume 1, Pteridophyta, Gymnosper- largely obsolete, is a corollary of the space- mae, Angiospermae (Lauraceae- economic style of the Flora; and in fact, once you Neuradaceae). [Travaux de l’Institut Scien- get used to it, you will find it quite handy. It tifique, Série Botanique, 36.]– Institut Scien- would be even more easily assimilated by the tifique, Université Mohamed V, Agdal, Rabat, user if there were a clear typographical distinction 1999 (ISBN 9954-0-1456-X). XIV + 558 pages, between the normal key leads and the entries for map, drawings, cloth with dust-cover. the taxa. The editors modestly admit possible imper- Of all peri-Mediterranean countries Morocco fections of their book, asking for feedback. At a has the third largest number of endemic species, cursory glance I did note a few details (mostly and the second largest rate of endemism after real minutiae) that might perhaps be improved, Anatolia; but so far it was also the single country including the following ones. The term “gyno- that was lacking its own national flora. Therefore, phore”, correctly defined in the glossary, was the publication of the present bokk is not only misapplied in silenoid Caryophyllaceae in the gratifying but is a truly major event. The new sense of “anthophore”, which term was omitted Practical Flora is the result of the combined from the glossary. In the initial list of abbrevia- efforts of 10 different authors of which no less tions, “sched.” stands for herbarium labels, not than 7 are Moroccan – a most remarkable rate. herbarium specimens. The principles of synon- The five editors, among which Joël Mathez from ymy, as they were clearly and correctly spelled Montpellier aptly personifies the traditional sci- out in the introduction, have not been consis- entific and political link of Morocco with France, tently followed. For instance, “Cheilanthes pteri- can take justified pride in their achievement. dioides” in the sense of Med-Checklist, and as Not for nothing does the word “pratique” to the type variety or form in the two other basic appear in the title. The Flora is in essence an reference works as well, should be listed as a extended key for identification, in which each last misapplied name under C. acrostica. Polypodium lead serves to diagnose a terminal taxon. The vulgare is obviously circumscribed so as to in- book uses a simple language, the technical slang clude P. cambricum, accepted as distinct in Med- is reduced to the essential minimum, which is well Checklist and as a separate subspecies, P. vul- explained in a generously illustrated glossary at gare subsp. serratum, by Maire, but neither the end. Non-taxonomists, including students, synonym is mentioned. “Dryopteris aculeata amateurs and practitioners, will therefore be able subsp. aculeata”, cited under Polystichum setife- to use the Flora with relative ease. The presenta- rum as a heterotypic synonym, is in fact a misap- tion is very condensed, not only due to concis e- plication by Maire (and is also a homotypic ness of the diagnostic (rather than descriptive) synonym of the accepted name of a different matter but also thanks to the use of standardised species, P. aculeatum). abbreviations for corollary data (life form, flow- The flora is expected to be complete in three ering period, ecology, distribution, degree of volumes. Of these, vol. 1, with 1204 numbered endemism) and the almost complete absence of species out of an estimated total of 4200, will be literature references. Distribution within Morocco the smallest. It comprises the pteridophytes, is given by territories that are based, by generali- gymnosperms, and the first part of the dicots, up sation, on those used in Sauvage & Vindt’s torso to and including Rosaceae. It is very carefully of a Flora of Morocco. Synonymy has been re- edited, neatly printed on good quality paper, duced to the bone (i. e., to names adopted in solidly bound, and generously illustrated by 75 either Maire’s Flore, or Jahandiez & Maire’s plates of drawings of excellent craft, often show- Catalogue, or Med-Checklist) but endeavours to ing relevant analytical details. With the exception make the essential distinction between homo- of two plates of Cistaceae which are due the typic, heterotypic and misapplied names. The tragically deceased Christian Raynaud, all are by single feature that will likely cause initial difficul- a local artist, Kamal Hormat. ties to most users is the fact that the key appears This book, and even more so the whole Flora to pervade the generic treatments. This mode of once it will be complete, will be a monument to
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the glory of Moroccan science. Most of the credit a major publication on the subject, the tribe that goes, as must be emphasised, to the botanists of includes the type of the family name is desig- the Institut Scientifique in Rabat, who not only nated by its correct name, Fabeae, rather than by supervised the editing but wrote most of the the widely but incorrectly used Vicieae. For two family and genus treatments. Contributions from other tribes, Cytiseae (usually known as Geniste- outside include the Fagaceae by Zine El Abidine ae) and Astragaleae (more often, Galegeae), the (Salé), the already mentioned Cistaceae by Ray- adopted nomenclature is, I believe, still subject to naud (ex Montpellier), and a number of co- caution. authorships by Salvo Tierra (Malaga: Pterido- phyta), Mathez (Montpellier: Gymnospermae, The Cytiseae pose particularly arduous prob- Aizoaceae, Potentilla, Loeflingia) and Fatima El lems of generic delimitation, which each author Alaoui Faris (Science Faculty, Rabat: Crassula- tends to answer in a different, individual way. ceae). Most appropriately, Maire’s spiritual heir This tribe has its main centre of diversity on the and nestor of North-Africa-based French bota- Iberian peninsula, so that the Flora iberica nists, Pierre Quézel, wrote the preface. treatment will probably have signal function for many. It adopts a narrow generic concept in the Many are those who await impatiently the Genista group, where Chamespartium, Ptero- two volumes yet to come! W.G. spartum and Teline are accepted as distinct – the latter becoming even less natural than usual, in 10. Santiago CASTROVIEJO (gen. ed.), S. TA- the reviewer’s mind, through inclusion of a sec- LAVERA, C. AEDO, S. CASTROVIEJO, C. tion with two species normally assigned to Cyti- ROMERO ZARCO, L. SÁEZ, F. J. SAL- sus. On the reverse, Chamaecytisus (a largely GUEIRO & M. VELAYOS (vol. ed.) – Flora non-Iberian group) is included in Cytisus. Even iberica. Plantas vasculares de la Península when severed of some of its components, Geni- Ibérica e Islas Baleares. Vol. VII (I), Legumi- sta remains by far the largest genus, with 39 spe- nosae (partim). – Real Jardín Botánico, Con- cies, followed by Ulex (15), Cytisus (14), and sejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Adenocarpus (10). The major genus in Astra- Madrid, 1999 (ISBN 84-00-07821-7). XLV + 578 galeae is of course Astragalus itself, with 41 pages, map and drawings, cloth with dust- species, of which one (A. gines-lopezii) – same cover. as Galega cirujanoi – has been published just ahead of the Flora treatment. The major genus in When I last wrote on Flora iberica in this the Fabeae, Vicia, happens to have the same column (in OPTIMA Newsletter 34: (2)-(3). 1999), species number as Astragalus (41), mainly due to I noted that “volume 7 on the legume family ... its author’s very narrow species concept in, e.g. may now be expected any time”. The consider- the Vicia sativa and Vicia villosa complexes. The able size of that family has prevented my predic- second largest genus of the last-named tribe is tion to become fully true. It is now the second Lathyrus, with 32 species. half of the legume treatment that “may be ex- pected any time”. At the risk of repeating myself (an obvious As I wrote a very full review of volume 6, the danger when a multi-volume work is concerned), present one can be somewhat more concise. First let me state that this is perhaps the most com- as to contents. Full treatment is given to 36 gen- plete, most thoroughly edited and best standard- era and 275 species, representing the subfamily ised flora that has ever been produced, at least in Mimosoideae and Caesalpinioideae (neither of Europe. One gets the impression that every detail which has native representatives in Spain, with has been checked and rechecked. To mention just the arguable exception of Ceratonia siliqua) and one ancillary point, the Appendix giving the the first half of the Papilionoideae. The latter etymology of the many plant epithets appearing make up the bulk of the volume, especially their in the text has been very thoroughly researched three large tribes Cytiseae (16 genera, 116 spe- and is full to the brim of interesting and obvi- cies), Astragaleae (6 genera, 57 species), and ously reliable information. Santiago Castroviejo Fabeae (4 genera, 78 species). I was pleasantly and his team are, once more, to be heartily con- surprised to find that, perhaps for the first time in gratulated on their achievement. W.G.
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (9) Publications
11. Karl Heinz RECHINGER † (ed.) – Flora ira- species groups. This section had been revised by nica. Flora des iranischen Hochlandes und Podlech in 1988. der umrahmenden Gebirge. Persien Afgha- The book, regrettably, lacks an index of new nistan, Teile von West-Pakistan, Nord-Iraq, combinations and newly described taxa. On cur- Azerbaidjan, Turkmenistan. Lfg. 174, Papi- sory screening I found one newly described lionaceae III, Astragalus [I], by Dietrich section (most appropriately dedicated to Karl- PODLECH. – Akademische Druck- und Ve r- Heinz Rechinger), one new subsection, and two lagsanstalt, Graz, “1999” (ISBN 3-201-00728-5, explicit transfers to subsectional rank. Another, the whole work). 350 pages, 227 extra plates implicit and as it seems unintentional such trans- of photographs, paper. Price: DM 903. fer (Astragalus subsect. Chlorostachys) is found on p. 68. Podlech appears to assume that subsec- Alas, the founder, editor and main author of tional names repeating the sectional epithet as Flora iranica, Karl-Heinz Rechinger, is no longer their final epithet are autonyms – but they are with us: he died at the end of 1998, aged 92 (see not. A parallel case is A. subsect. Caprini (DC.) Lack in Taxon 48: 419-426. 1999). It was his dream Podlech, inadvertently validated in Podlech’s to see his monumental work completed, and one earlier monograph. may easily imagine the joy with which he would Apart from these details, the treatment of have saluted the present volume. It is a book of nomenclatural aspects, including typification, is great strategic importance for the work’s comple- exemplary. It is one of the traditional and, to me, tion, as is denotes a first and substantial step positive traits of this Flora that specific and sub- towards to the accomplishment of an almost specific epithets are capitalised were appropriate superhuman last effort, tackling the huge genus – not a very popular policy nowadays, but a Astragalus which, in the study area, is repre- useful and informative one (if you dislike it, you sented by about 1000 species. can easily decapitalise those epithets; but the ap- The whole generic treatment is now planned propriate use of capitals is a skill now largely lost to span four volumes, three devoted to the de- among younger plant taxonomists). At the recent scription of the individual taxa, followed by “the International Botanical Congress in St Louis a general part with detailed information about char- proposal to abolish that option and make lower- acters of the genus, full synonymy, literature, a case epithets obligatory caused lively debate and survey and a determination key for all repre- eventually failed by an incredibly narrow margin. sented species” – as the author, Podlech, tells us. The prominent example of Flora iranica shows The first Astragalus volume includes the treat- how fortunate that failure has been. ment of the annual representatives (12 sections The present treatment includes full identifica- with 40 species) and the first part of the perenni- tion keys under each section, but no such key for als with basifixed hairs (18 sections, 271 species). identifying the sections themselves. This is a Almost three-quarters of the species are illus- decidedly bad point, considerably reducing the trated by high-quality photographs of representa- usefulness of the book up to the time when the tive herbarium specimens. Generous illustration is last, forth portion of the generic treatment will be essential in this large and polymorphic genus, yet published. There is not even a complete overview it would have been more than welcome if draw- of the sections, or of other possible major subdi- ings of analytical details, e.g. flower dissections, visions of the genus (on p. 63, an “Astragalus could have been added. subg. Astragalus” suddenly appears, that is not All annual sections, and all the medium-sized mentioned elsewhere nor has a counterpart under or large perennial ones here treated, had been which the preceding annual sections could be previously monographed by either Podlech him- placed). self or one of his pupils. Therefore, the major task Publication is stated on the cover to have for the author has been of an editorial nature, and occurred in September 1999, but must in fact have it would be unrealistic to expect many innovative taken place around the turn of the year (review features in this book. By far the largest section is copies were mailed on 19 January 2000). The A. sect. Caprini, with no less than 171 species publisher’s rather loose handling of publication digested in 4 subsections and numerous informal dates is not, however, a new fact to be lamented.
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More worrying is the pricing policy. If the pub- within Lysimachia, never properly explained and lisher’s indication of sales price, quoted above, is hardly followed by anyone, has been maintained. correct, then the latest volumes of Flora iranica The Primulaceae treatment, the first in order will be unaffordable to many, even to institutional and in size, is also the most innovative, which is libraries. (Note, however, that in Koeltz’s online partly explained by the fact that the Flora iranica catalogue the book is offered for DM 630, still a treatment of that family, by Wedelbo in 1965, was high price, but a somewhat more reasonable one.) among the first published and the need for an At least in the two copies seen by me, the inside update was particularly obvious. Also, the largest back cover, where the first half of the family di- genus, Dionysia, consists mainly of rare, local gest should appear, is left blank – not a very endemics, several of which were discovered but disturbing omission, since the information on that recently. To the 19 species of Dionysia known page would not have changed since last time (see from Iran in 1965, no less than 11 have since been OPTIMA Newsletter 33: (4)-(5). 1998), but per- added: 5 described by Wendelbo himself, one by haps indicative of a certain neglect, by the pub- Grey-Wilson in 1974, and 5 authored or co- lisher, of a work which should be among those in authored by Ziba Jamzad who authored the pres- which he takes high pride. ent treatment. Another new, endemic taxon de- The bottom line of this review is an urgent scribed since 1965 is Corthusa matthioli subsp. and sincere wish: That the few steps remaining iranica, whose discovery added the whole genus for completion of this Flora not be missed; that as new to the country’s flora. Floristic additions Podlech as the author of most of the still wanting are Androsace armeniaca and Anagallis arvensis portions, the publisher as an important actor in subsp. foemina. Last, the placement of Primula the background, and first and foremost, Wilhel- capitellata in the synonymy of P. algida is a mina Rechinger, the soul and motor of the whole taxonomic innovation. enterprise, join their efforts and make completion The Guttiferae, which should better be happen. W.G. known as Hypericaceae (as the tropical Clusia- ceae are now generally considered as a distinct family), consist of the single genus Hypericum, 12. M. ASSADI, M. KHATAMSAZ, V. MOZAF- now counting 19 species in Iran. Since the Flora FARIAN & A. A. MAASSOUMI (ed.) – Flora iranica treatment was published by Robson in of Iran. No. 25: Primulaceae, by Z. JAMZAD 1968, Robson himself had revised the nomencla- (ISBN 964-473-079-8); No. 26: Nyctagina- ture and classification of what is now H. sect. ceae, by F. FADAIE (ISBN 964-473-078-X); Hirtella, adding two species and two subspecies No. 27: Guttiferae, by R. AZADI (ISBN 964- in the H. hyssopifolium group. Also, Assadi 473-060-7). – Research Institute of Forests discovered and described an exciting new en- and Rangelands, [Tehran], 1999. 93 + [2], 16 + demic species, H. dogonbadanicum, whose sec- [2], 62 + [2] pages, drawings, maps, paper. tional placement was unclear to him and which is One small and two medium-sized fascicles of here assigned to H. sect. Campylospermum. The this new national Flora of Iran (see OPTIMA account duly incorporates all these changes plus Newsletter 34: (4). 1998) have been published one floristic addition, H. elongatum subsp. mi- during the last year. This looks like a substantial crocalycinum. slowing down of the production rate, unless, as Finally, the Nyctaginaceae account also one may hope, it is indicative of some sizeable adds one species to the country’s flora, Commi- morsel that obstructs the pipeline. The high qual- carpus helenae, previously known from adjacent ity standards of the taxonomic treatments, illus- areas in Pakistan. W.G. trations and distribution maps have been main- tained. The delimitation of genera has remained Flower books remarkably stable when compared with Rechinger’s Flora iranica, ensuring continuity of treatments at least within Iran: even the num- 13. Walter STRASSER – Pflanzenwelt von Zy- bering of genera has remained unaltered. This pern als Ergänzung zum Buch Pflanzen des means that Wendelbo’s inclusion of Asterolinon Peloponnes. Jan. 2000. 2. erweiterte Auflage
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (11) Publications
Mai 2000. – Privately published, [Steffis- The first portion of the booklet (pp. 4-62) is burg], 2000. 78 pages + 1 + 13 sheets, numer- devoted exclusively to Strasser’s own, somewhat ous drawings, map; paper, plastic front cover sketchy but very useful plant drawings. There are sheet. 314 of them, 232 in the first portion and 82 in the “Ergänzungen” (complements), representing When looking at this pamphlet you would almost as many different species. They are di- hardly expect to find it reviewed among the gested among the same 9 practical groups, based “Flower books”, and indeed it would fit much on plant habit or flower colour, as the Peloponne- better under the heading “Excursions”. The rea- sus book (q.v.). When, as happens exceptionally, son I have placed it here is that it is an avowed a species shows notable variation in flower col- complement to the German edition of Strasser’s our, its drawing will appear twice in different “Plants of the Peloponnese”, earlier presented groups; Ranunculus asiaticus, flowering white, here (see OPTIMA Newsletter 32 (12). 1997, and, yellow or red, beats the record by a triple portrait. for the English edition, 34: (5)-(6). 1999). The new Adding these 300+ species to the almost 1100 booklet, which bibliographically is rather a night- Peloponnesus plants that were portrayed earlier mare, places itself in the context of two consecu- and also occur in Cyprus, you get the impressive tive group excursions to Cyprus, to which total of 1400, the near total of the island’s flora. Strasser served as botanical guide: the first by This is, needless to say, an impressive score and the Berne Botanical Society, from 25 March to 5 results in an unprecedented Cypriot botanical April 2000, the second by the “Baumeler hiking iconography. group”, from 8 to 22 April. I can confirm by and large the positive im- pression that I conveyed in my reviews of the The cover page, quoted above, gives a dou- Pelopennese books with regard to the quality and ble date and declares the book to be a second usefulness of Strasser’s drawings. There are rare edition. The first edition (not seen by me) must be exceptions. Minuartia picta is an unusually bad assumed to have been published on the first date, portrait, especially in its vegetative parts which in January 2000, and apparently consisted of are also erroneously characterised in the caption: pages 1-48 plus an early version of the indices, the leaves of this species are neither whorled nor now on pages 63-78. It is a safe guess that it was fleshy (there is a good photograph of M. picta in produced for the benefit of the excursion partici- “Wild flowers of Cyprus”, by George Sfikas, p. pants – among whom it may, as a side effect, 133, where it is misnamed M. sintenisii). have promoted the sale of the Peloponnesus On practical trial, one will likely find that book. Pages 49-62 appear under the subtitle “Er- having to use of the two picture sets of this gänzungen im Mai 2000”, so they belong to the booklet along with the third, major set of the second edition. A third part is appended at the Peloponnesus book is cumbersome. It would be end which, bibliographically, might best be welcome, and would come as no surprise, if a treated as an independent publication, with its consolidated edition for Cyprus alone were soon own title page plus 13 sheets printed recto only, to be published. We wish Strasser good success, with a title that reads “Wanderungen für Blumen- should he so decide. W.G. freunde in West-Zypern. Ende März - Ende April 2000. Botanische Leitung: W. Strasser. Pflanzen- 14. Friederike SORGER – Einige Endemiten aus listen”. This was published in Steffisburg in May der türkischen Pflanzenwelt im Bild [Stap- 2000 and includes chorological data on plants fia, 54.] – Biologiezentrum des Ober- found during the group excursions, or the pre- österreichischen Landesmuseums, Linz, 1998. paratory excursions made either by the author 110 pages, numerous colour and one black- alone or with Cypriot resident Charlotte Schmid. and-white photographs, map; paper. The data are presented in Strasser’s usual tabular style (see OPTIMA Newsletter 30: (26). 1996) and Friederike Sorger has travelled through Ana- are based mostly if not exclusively on field notes: tolia like few other botanists, gathering incredible voucher specimens, if they exist, are not men- treasures in terms of plant specimens and photo- tioned. graphs all along. Some of her data she has pub-
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lished. A series of her colour photographs of contributed a picture book with 342 colour pho- plants, including 34 endemic ones (not again tographs (not counting some insets) illustrating reporduced here), appeared in Stapfia (34: 103- as many species of Ankara’s city flora. Most of 271. 1994), but many remain hidden in her files. the photographs are of pretty good quality, al- The present fascicle consists almost entirely though inevitably a few are less than satisfactory, of 169 photographs representing 126 different being overexposed, or out of focus, or otherwise plat taxa, all endemic to Turkey and often ex- technically defective. ceedingly rare, plus a few of the landscapes in As the authors claim, their nicely printed which they were found. Some of the pictures are book “serves a touristic and an educational func- of herbarium specimens, including the single tion”. They are likely correct if by education they black-and-white photograph (of Centaurea ap- mean, teaching respect for and appreciation of pendicigera). Mostly, however, the plants are the multiformity and beauty of plants. I am less portrayed alive in their native habitat. How many convinced of the educational value in a botanical of these species had never been illustrated before sense, as errors of form (spelling of names) and in a publication, perhaps never photographed by fact are far too numerous. You need not be a anyone, the reader is left to guess – they must specialist of the flora of Anatolia to perceive that certainly be many. But rarity is not the only crite- a substantial proportion of the identifications are rion that makes this booklet unique: there is unreliable. Some errors are due to mere transposi- beauty, too, that counts. Not every photograph is tion of photographs (of which there are four on technically perfect, as the author herself modestly each right-hand page, with corresponding de- admits, but a majority of them meets professional scriptive and explanatory text on the preceding standards of quality. left-hand page). Sometimes left and right pictures Apart from endemic status, the author has have been reversed, e.g. between Hypecoum been guided by two other criteria in her selection, imberbe and Fumaria officinalis, Silene sub- both showing her scientific mind: in all cases, the conica and S. conoidea, Lonicera etrusca and L. identity of the plant has been verified by a spe- nummulariifolia. In one case the switch is diago- cialist; and of each a voucher specimen exists. nal (Bromus tectorum and B. sterilis), and in Data on these vouchers are regrettably missing in another case it carries over several pages (An- the figure captions which serve as explanatory themis tinctoria on p. 88-89 and Picris strigosa text. Writing is not Mrs. Sorger’s main passion, on p. 102-103). More numerous are plain misiden- for sure! But in hunting, sampling and photo- tifications, of which I cannot of course provide an graphing her plants she is not easily surpassed.W.G. exhaustive list but will mention examples. “Ceras- tium perfoliatum” is Stellaria media, already 15. Sadýk ERÝK, Galip AKAYDIN & Ayhan represented in the foregoing photo- GÖKTAª – Baþkentin doðal bitkileri. – An- graph;“Geranium rotundifolium” is certainly not ÇeVa & Ankara Üniversitesi Basýmevi, 1998 that species, but most likely, G. asphodeloides; (ISBN 975-482-436-3). IX + 195 pages, numer- “Cirsium arvense subsp. vestitum” looks rather ous colour photographs; hard cover. Price: like some species of Centaurea; “Carlina oligo- 7,000,000 TrL. cephala” is Scolymus hispanicus; “Sonchus “The native plants of the Capital” [in transla- asper subsp. glaucescens” is S. oleraceus; tion] is a promising title for a Turkish book. From “Convolvulus arvensis” is likely C. althaeoides; the short English preface, we learn that no less “Veronica hederifolia” represents V. persica; than 1115 species of flowering plants have been “Prunella orientalis” is Ajuga reptans; “Orni- recorded as growing in the native state within the thogalum narbonense” is a species of O. sect. residential parts of Ankara, and that no less than Ornithogalum; “Gagea peduncularis” is G. 16 % of them are Turkish endemics. This is an bohemica; “Orchis anatolica” is O. pallustris, impressive record and fully justifies the authors’ and “O. laxiflora”, Dactylorhiza iberica; and declared intent to preserve as much as possible “Melica ciliata” is, most likely, a relative of of this natural diversity. Achieving this goal Pennisetum. obviously presupposes public awareness and Don’t get me wrong. My aim is not to criti- political goodwill. To that effect, the authors have cise the authors, and certainly not discourage
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (13) Publications
them, but to enable them to correct the present Floristic inventories and checklists shortcomings of their book for the desirable and not unlikely case that it might be re-edited. Also, in the same time, I hope by these stray remarks to 17. Giôrgos SFÊKAS – Ta futa tou Umêttou. – help the user, and to encourage him or her to look Privately assembled/duplicated, [Athens, at the book with a similarly critical but also be- 1999]. [14] sheets, paper, plastic front cover nevolent mind. W.G. sheet. The Hymettus ridge, bounding the Greek Capital towards the east, is one of the hot spots Botanical calendars of Greek botany, from where several plants first became known. Its flora is notoriously rich and varied, and one is surprised to find that the pres- ent inventory of its vascular plant taxa, mainly 16. Dêmêtrês K. HRISTODOULAKÊS – Endê- based on Sfikas’s personal collections but also mika kai spania futa tês Samou. Êmerologio on a cursory literature survey, should list no more 2000 / Endemic and rare plants of Samos. than 410 species and subspecies. The author Calendar 2000. – Mouseio Fusikês Istorias himself is aware of the fragmentary nature of his Aigaiou, Palaiontologiko Mouseio Mutim- checklist, as he estimates the actual number of niôn Samou & Idrima Kônstantinou & Marias plant taxa present to be close to or even in excess Zêmalê, [1999]. 15 boards with colour photo- of 600. graphs. The author’s interest in Mt Hymettus stems from his involvement with the reconstruction of the old botanical garden, situated on the western While not usually a friend of ephemera like slopes close to the Kaisariani Monastery. His ef- calendars, I cannot resist mentioning the present forts have naturally concentrated on the area of one in view of the high quality of its photographs the “Aesthetic Wood” of Kaisariani, but they and also, principally, of the interest and rarity of also extended to all other parts of the mountain, the plants portrayed. By the selection of its sub- east and west, north and south, and to the sum- jects this is much more than a nice adornment for mit ridge. Thus, his list includes indication of the your office: it is a genuine piece of botanical distribution of each taxon in terms of 7 discrete iconography, not to be lightly discarded. areas of the Hymettus range, except for species that are either “widespread” or “non-located”. Thirteen species growing naturally on the Curiously, Sfikas was unaware of the cata- island of Samos, many endemic, are represented. logue of the flora of Mt Hymettus published by Carlina tragacanthifolia is on the cover, and the Zerlentis in 1965. That list comprises 601 species, individual months feature Cynoglossum aucheri, many more than the new one, and demonstrates Fritillaria forbesii (flower and fruit), Datisca that Sfikas’s numerical estimate is on the low cannabina, Erodium vetteri, Scutellaria orienta- side. Comparing the two lists, one finds that lis subsp. alpina, Asperula samia, Alyssum several taxa listed by Sfikas are additional to samium, Anthemis rosea subsp. rosea, Centau- those known to Zerlentis, so that the number of rea rechingeri, Atraphaxis billardierei, Silene taxa so far recorded from Mt Hymettus probably urvillei, and Centaurea xylobasis. Needless to approaches 650. W.G. say, the quality of the print, on glossy, heavy cardboard, is excellent. An bilingual introductory text (in Greek and English) draws attention to the 18. Ori FRAGMAN, Uzi PLITMANN, David HEL- riches of the Greek flora, to the phenomenon of LER & Avi SHMIDA – Checklist and eco- endemism, and to the threat of immediate loss logical data-base of the flora of Israel and its that many rare species now face. The calendar surroundings, including Israel, Jordan, the itself is an excellent means of spreading the mes- Palestinian Autonomy, Golan Heights, Mt. sage among those concerned, thereby assisting Hermon and Sinai. – Herbarium Medi- Greek nature conservancy in its valuable efforts.W.G. terraneum Panormitanum, Mifalot “Yeffe
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Nof” & the Middle East Nature Conservation corrigenda at the beginning, which in turn ni - Promotion Association, Jerusalem, 1999 cludes a misprint (“Acer monspessulatum”), fol- (ISBN 965-90245-0-9). 107 + (69) pages, two lowed by a statement to the effect, that “minor folded insets, flexible cover. spelling mistakes will be corrected in the next edition”. Such minor mistakes include a misprint This new and fully up-to-date checklist for in the main title as it appears on the cover (but the vascular flora of Israel and environs was not on the title page), and, in the list itself, generated, as a selective printout, directly from a “Azolla filicaulis” instead of A. filiculoides. Of database held by the Israel Plant Information course, the really important message one is to Centre (Rotem) and the National Herbarium of the retain is that there will soon be a next edition. We Hebrew University. It consists of a essentially look forward to it. W.G. English part, paginated 1-107, and a primarily Hebrew part whose pagination, running back-to- front according to usual standards, is (1)-(69); Excursions both meet somewhere in the middle. The main checklist in the first (English) part is arranged alphabetically by Latin plant names, and its coun- 19. Salvatore BRULLO & Giovanni SPAMPI- terpart in the Hebrew portion, alphabetically by NATO – Società Italiana di Fitosociologia. Hebrew vernaculars. There is also a third ar- Escursione sociale inAspromonte, 28 Mag- rangement, by modern English plant names, gio - 2 Giugno 1999. Guida-itinerario. – Edi- which is however incomplete as only about half media, Reggio Calabria, 1999 (ISBN 88-86046- of the taxa bear an English designation. For each 12-X). 86 pages, maps, tables, graphs, paper. species listed, the family assignment, abundance Price: 16,000 Lit. in Israel, growth form, and rough distribution Aspromonte is a mountain massif situated at within the territory and among its main climatic the very tip of the Italian boot: a geologically zones are indicated. As the subtitle clarifies, the varied area, reaching almost 2000 m of altitude, inventory is not limited to the national bounda- now for the most part included in the Aspro- ries of Israel but includes Jordan and a number of monte National Park. The Italian Phytosociolo- neighbouring territories, essentially those that are gical Society studied the massif and surrounding or have been under Israeli military administration. coastal areas during five days in summer 1999, An important complement to the core lists are under the expert leadership of Brullo and Spamp i- 5 appendices (again in two distinct language nato, who wrote most of the present account. versions) enumerating species believed to be The first 36 pages of the booklet are devoted extinct, casual occurrences, taxa of doubtful sys- to a description of the area, of the physical envi- tematic status, a few that in the field are easily ronment as well as the various vegetation types. confused with similar ones, and those of which This portion includes a special chapter on pedol- the occurrence in Israel is doubtful. The second ogy, authored by Buscolo & Sidari. In the sec- longest of these lists is, distressingly, that of as- ond, somewhat larger part the results of the ex- sumed extinctions on which 46 binomials appear. cursion are outlined, starting with a brief descrip- If I read this correctly, it only refers to extinctions tion of the itinerary. At the core there are 52 phy- on the national territory of Israel, which would tosociological relevés in tabular form. Finally, mean that one of the two endemics on the list, there is a critical revision, by Rossi & Foggi, of Plantago maris-mortui, while extinct in Israel the Festuca material collected during the excur- proper, would still survive in Jordan and the Sinai sion, in which 7 taxa are recognised. peninsula. The second listed endemic, however, This is no cheaply produced grey literature Silene telavivensis, is thought to be definitely item, but a nicely printed, well illustrated, informa- extinct as it has never be collected outside of tive botanical monograph of a little known area of Israel. southernmost Italy. Three pages of bibliography This list is useful as a working tool. Appar- list vegetation studies along with floristic and ently it was produced in some haste, without taxonomic contributions. W.G. much time for proof-reading. There is a list of
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (15) Publications
20. Ina DINTER – “Europas schönste Küste”. Algarve. Portugal. Botanische Exkursion vom 13.-24. März 1999. Nachtrag zum Ex- kursionsskriptum. – Privately assembled/du- plicated, D-74348 Lauffen, 1999. 22 sheets, drawings; paper, plastic front cover sheet.
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21. Ina DINTER – Griechenland Euböa Sporaden. Flora hellenica. Teil 1: Fundorte. – Privately Insel Euböa. Botanischer Studienaufenthalt duplicated, Berlin, 1997. 44 sheets, stapled. auf einer wenige bekannten Insel, 8.-21. Mai 2000. – Privately assembled/duplicated, D- 24. Rita EISENBLÄTTER & Eckhard WILLING – 74348 Lauffen, 2000. [2] + 43 sheets, several Kurzbericht über unsere Sammelreisen black-and-while and 2 colour illustrations and 1999 nach SO-Griechenland für die Flora maps; paper, plastic front cover sheet. hellenica. Fundorte und Artenliste. – Pri- vately duplicated, Berlin, 1999. [64] unpaged Indefatigably busy in working out ever new sheets, 1 colour photograph, stapled. Mediterranean excursion routes for her guided Since I reviewed Eisenblätter & Willing’s naturalistic tours, Mrs Dinter has, this time, dis- 1998 report and locality list for their Greek jour- covered the island of Euboea. The present “tour neys (see OPTIMA Newsletter 34: (9)-(10). 1999) I companion” version of the corollary document received three more fascicles of the same kind: incorporates the results of her preparatory excur- two for the three preceding years and one for sion to the places to be visited, which took place 1999. Together, and including the 1998 account, from 1 to 11 May 1999. they convey a detailed and comprehensive pic- The Euboea guide booklet follows the same ture of the activities of these two collectors over general pattern as its immediate predecessors the last five years. From 1995 to 1999 inclusive, (see OPTIMA Newsletter 34: (8)-(9). 1999), again they undertook 8 expeditions to Greece, 5 in mentioning herbarium voucher numbers when spring (March-April) and 3 in summer (June-July). specimens exist. It is a new, welcome addition to a They spent 167 days collecting in the field, i.e., 5 ½ series which, by now, has reached an impressive months, during which time they collected 41,084 size and variety. specimens (not counting a few duplicates), or 246 The other item mentioned above belongs to per collecting day on average. I can only reiterate the category of post-excursion “elaborations” what I stated last time: that they are certainly the and links with the excursion guide booklet re- most assiduous and productive team ever to viewed last time as item No. 12. It is of a novel collect Greek plants. Their methodical way of style: not a kind of second updated edition as gathering, described last time, ensures that their used to be the case, but a complement to the harvest represents a balanced and equally spaced “tour companion” version. Its essential part is a inventory of the flora of the territories visited, cumulative list, with locality numbers, of the thus providing an ideal, unbiased basis for distri- plants observed and sometimes collected by the bution mapping. It should be noted, however, excursion participants. The second half (fol. 12- that they have so far covered only part of the 20) brings the label texts of the 35 specimens national territory of Greece: they have not visited newly collected by the author; 17 of the corre- a single island during these five years, nor have sponding taxa are represented by a drawing (16 they explored northern and north-eastern Greece reproduced from Valdés & al.’s Flora vascular de apart from the Pindus range, which means that Andalucía occidental, one from Flora iberica). the whole of Thrace and most of Macedonia and Finally U. Barth, a participant to the excursion, Thessaly have been left for the future. has contributed a list of 83 bird species that were One may of course ask if such extensive col- noted. W.G. lecting is compatible with present-day ethics of nature conservancy and with the need to safe- guard plant diversity. As a reaction to my previ- 22. Rita EISENBLÄTTER & Eckhard WILLING – Kurzbericht über unsere Sammelreisen ous review I received an outraged letter from the 1995 und 1996 nach S-Griechenland für die Presidency of the Hellenic Society for the Protec- Flora hellenica. Teil 1: Fundorte. – Privately tion of Nature, expressing shock at the number of duplicated, Berlin, 1996. 35 sheets, stapled. specimens collected and concern at “the con- tinuous and systematic depletion of the plants of 23. Rita EISENBLÄTTER & Eckhard WILLING – Greece, in a predatory manner”. This reaction is Kurzbericht über unsere Sammelreisen understandable, and I should have foreseen it. It 1997 nach S- und NW-Griechenland für die seems to me that it does not only reflect a genu-
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (17) Publications
ine concern (which I will try to dispel) but also, 25. Walter STRASSER – W- und S-Peloponnes regrettably, the lingering mistrust of many nature 1998 mit Baumeler. – Privately duplicated, conservationists against the scientist, especially Steffisburg, 1999. [1] + 39 sheets, maps, 2 taxonomist, in whom they should, rationally, see drawings; stapled, plastic front cover sheet. their closest ally. Let me quote from my reply, which raises points that are of general signifi- 26. Walter STRASSER – Kreta 1999, botanische cance beyond the concrete case at hand. Studien, z.T. unterwegs mit Baumeler. – Pri- “By his investigation activities, Dr. Willing is vately duplicated, Steffisburg, 1999. [1] + 48 rendering excellent services to the knowledge of sheets, map, drawing; stapled, plastic front the Greek flora, the distribution and variability of cover sheet. its constituent taxa (especially of the common ones!), and he is thereby ultimately providing There is a three-years gap, in my series of that knowledge upon which rational conservation Strasser’s annual excursion reports, between that policies must build. Never has he depleted any for 1994 (the last to be reviewed: see OPTIMA critically small population, and his entire plant Newsletter 30: (26). 1996) and the two present collections over many years would probably be ones. Perhaps, for whatever reason, no such lists insufficient to feed a single Greek sheep through exist for 1995 to 1997. The two new issues are true more than a week. It is my sincere hope that the to the traditional Strasserian style, differing only feelings voiced, which I of course respect, are not in minor respects. The formerly traditional extras an expression of hostility of those concerned such as identification keys for critical groups are about the conservation of nature towards the lacking. In compensation, the Cretan list includes scientist and investigator. I am convinced that a welcome innovation: the presence of herbarium only if these two parties join their efforts can the vouchers or photographic documents (indicated common goal of safeguard of our natural heritage by the letter F, nowhere explained) is now given be achieved.” separately by localities or locality groups, not When I wrote these lines I had not yet re- merely at the end in the cumulative species list. It ceived the latest (1999) account of Eisenblätter & is of note that Strasser, rather than travelling on Willing, which for the first time includes a speci- his own, now often serves as a botanical guide to men inventory in addition to the locality lists. excursions of the “Baumeler hiking group”. This When perusing that inventory, one will find full he did for part of his 1998 and 1999 excursions, confirmation of my previous statements, even from 19 April to 1 May and 18 to 30 April, respec- beyond what I would have expected. There is not tively, when his total field activities in Pelopon- a single threatened, rare Greek endemic on the nesos lasted from 28 March to 5 May 1998 and in list, and even the widespread and common en- Crete, from 28 March to 30 April 1999. demic element is poorly represented. Let me give As usual Strasser, being a keen observer, in- you a sample of the most often collected species, cludes some new and interesting reports in his those most often represented among the c. 5300 lists. For the Peloponnesos, the major feat is the specimens collected in spring 1999 in Sterea Hel- discovery of a presumably new Consolida spe- las: there are 75 sheets of Geranium molle, 66 of cies related to the rare Greek endemic C. tunta- Scandix pecten-veneris, 64 of Capsella rubella, siana, but unfortunately still in bud. The Cretan 62 of Senecio vulgaris, and between 54 and 58 of list brings its records by UTM grid squares that each Bunias erucago, Cardamine hirsuta, coincide with the mapping units of Turland, Chil- Anemone pavonina, Crepis sancta, Erodium ton & Press’s Flora of the Cretan area. Strasser cicutarium, and Euphorbia helioscopia. Ex- is careful to mention new square records – of trapolating these figures to the five spring excur- which there are plenty – and has entered the sions, one can estimate that each of the above additions in his own copy of the Flora, of which common spring annuals or geophytes has been he kindly let me have a photostat copy: few of the collected between 250 and 400 times. Yet, no one pages with maps remain unaltered. The Cretan could reasonably claim that their Greek popula- report also includes two alleged new discoveries tions have, in any significant way, been depleted for the island’s flora, unfortunately neither of by such collecting! W.G. them substantiated by a specimen or at least
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photograph. One is “Coronilla emeroides” (i.e., account of localities visited and vascular plant Hippocrepis emerus subsp. emeroides), seen specimens collected, numbered 1 to 1704 and near Zaros south-east of the Psiloritis range. This enumerated by genera and species, in alphabeti- is not an unlikely find and, if correct, would con- cal order. Next follows the description of a new firm an earlier, dubious record of the same taxon, species related to Bromus intermedius, B. opti- by Gandoger from the Akrotiri peninsula near mae H. Scholz (the second species so far to com- Hania. The second, Chrysosplenium alternifo- memorate our Organisation, the first being Limo- lium, is almost certainly wrong, as that species in nium optimae Raimondo, from Sicily). Oberprieler Greece is not known to occur south of the Pindus & Vogt contributed notes on Cypriot Antemis range. Most likely the observed plant was Sib- taxa, of which the two related endemics, A. pluto- thorpia europaea, which can indeed be confused nia and A. tricolor, pose problems of variation with Chrysosplenium in the field and is not listed and delimitation. Tzanoudakis presents a cytolo- elsewhere in Strasser’s reports. S. europaea is gical study on 13 of the 22 Allium species known known from western Crete; Strasser’s find, if from the island. Last, Vogt & Aparicio prepared a confirmed, would extend its known range to the long list of chromosome counts, some made on central part of the island. W.G. flower buds fixed in the field during the excursion, others on germinated seeds, representing 112 taxa in all. Regrettably, no lists of the collected lichen 27. Gabriel ALZIAR, Werner GREUTER, Fran- and bryophyte material, c. 800 specimens in either cesco Maria RAIMONDO & Benito VALDÉS case, have been included. Such cryptogam inven- (ed.) – Results of the Fourth “Iter Medi- tories would have added considerably to the terraneum” in Cyprus, April 1991. [Boc- interest of a report which, even so, was certainly conea, 11.] – Herbarium Mediterraneum Pa- worth publishing. W.G. normitanum, Palermo, “1999” [2000] (ISBN 88- 7915-011-1). 169 pages, photographs, draw- ings, maps, tables; paper. Chorology When the Itinera Mediterranea were created under the impulsion of Benito Valdés, the under- 28. Jaakko JALAS, Juha SUOMINEN, Raino standing was that each expedition would have its LAMPINEN & Arto KURTTO – Atlas florae account published as a volume of the Palermo europaeae. Distribution of vascular plants in serial, Bocconea. This functioned beautifully, Europe, 12, Resedaceae to Platanaceae. – with a still tolerable three-years’ delay, for the Committee for Mapping the Flora of Europe first two Itinera: the one to S.E. Spain in 1988, & Societas Botanica Fennica Vanamo, Hel- published as Bocconea vol. 1 in 1991, and that to sinki, 1999 (ISBN 951-9108-12-2). 250, pages, Israel in 1989, published as Bocconea 3 in 1992. maps; paper. Then the system got stuck. The proceedings vol- The newest issue of the Atlas florae eu- ume for Iter Mediterraneum 3, to Sicily in 1990, ropaeae not only makes the dozen full, it also may rest somewhere in a drawer. The 4th Iter, to completes the coverage of taxa treated in the first Cyprus in 1991, has produced its account belated volume of Flora europaea. One fifth of the proj- by almost 9 years. Even if some of the subse- ect having thus been successfully completed, the quent Itinera have been cancelled, it is difficult to two persons who were the driving force behind see how the accumulated backlog can be caught the Atlas for its whole early life, and still acted as up. chairman and secretary of the Helsinki secretariat It would however be a pity if the tradition of the Committee for Mapping the Flora of were to be discontinued, since the excursion ac- Europe, decided that the moment had come for counts published so far are quite valuable and in- them to hand over their duties to the next genera- formative. The present one, which dispenses with tion: a sorry but understandable decision, now the usual introductory chapters on physical geo- additionally saddened by the fact that Jaakko graphy, geology, and climate, consists of five Jalas, the nestor of the team, died in December individual papers. The first, by Alziar who or- 1999. His many friends will sadly miss his calm, ganised the expedition, is the customary full jovial, and utterly knowledgeable personality.
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (19) Publications
The main families in this issue are Crassu- significant differences. One new endemic species laceae and Saxifragaceae, not among the most has been described since the Flora was pub- tricky ones of the European flora, yet not devoid lished in 1990: Thapsia gymnesica Roselló & of problems. They have been tackled in the usual, Pujadas 1991. The following are additions well considered and fully documented style that through floristic discovery: Ferulago granaten- characterises the Atlas, in which the full synony- sis, Torilis arvensis subsp. elongata, T. webbii, mies and literature surveys almost equal the maps Euphorbia dracuncoloides (with subsp. incon- themselves in importance. True, not all will be spiqua), and E. baetica. Conversely, an number happy with every taxonomic decision taken. I for of species given in the Flora as very rare, and one regret that Henk ’t Hart’s often idiosyncratic perhaps sometimes doubtfully present, have been taxon concept in Sedum has been followed too omitted due to the absence of reliable, modern closely, by recognising some taxa that are ex- data: Pimpinella peregrina, Petroselinum tremely hard to discriminate but merging others segetum, Salix repens, Euphorbia taurinensis, E. that are perfectly well characterised – S. praesidis esula, E. spinosa, and E. duvalii. Also omitted being a prominent example. The circumscription are two species given as locally naturalised in the adopted for genera is among the many positive Flora, but have obviously disappeared: Hydro- aspects of the work. The editors have resisted the cotyle bonariensis and Levisticum officinale. temptation to recognise the recently proposed Cultivated taxa such as Pastinaca sativa subsp. splits and dismember the large genus Sedum, with sativa, Daucus carota subsp. sativus, and Salix the well founded exception of the S. maximum alba subsp. vitellina were not mapped. No sepa- group, accepted as Hylotelephium. rate maps were provided for the two subspecies The world of botany, especially its European of each Scandix pecten-veneris, Chaerophyllum segment, owes a debt of gratitude to the many hirsutum, and Foeniculum vulgare. However, people who have devoted time and labour to the two unnumbered taxa mentioned in the Flora advancement of this marvellous work, and in have been included in the Atlas: Ricinus commu- particular to the institutions in Helsinki that have nis, now widely naturalised, and Quercus cerri- invested and keep investing considerable resour- oides, now a distinct species when in the Flora it ces in the project. W.G. was considered a hybrid. There have been as few as three name changes: the Catalan representa- tives of Salix lapponum are now referred to 29. Oriol de BOLÒS I CAPDEVILA, Xavier FONT subsp. ceretana, Quercus ilex subsp. ballota has I CASTELL & Josep VIGO I BONADA (ed.) – replaced the former subsp. rotundifolia, and Atlas corològic de la flora vascular dels Euphorbia flavicoma subsp. mariolensis is now Països Catalans. Volum 9 [ORCA: Atlas treated as subsp. flavicoma. A forth, more impor- corològic, 9]. – Institut d’Estudis Catalans, tant name change has unfortunately not been Secció de Ciències Biològiques, Barcelona, effected: the now rejected, unfamiliar Quercus 1999 (ISBN 84-7283-484-0). [606] pages, maps humilis should have been replaced by the uni- 1816-2106; paper. versally known Q. pubescens, nom. cons. W.G. The volumes of the chorological atlas of the Catalan flora keep appearing with an almost chro- Regional studies of flora and vegetation nometric regularity. The 9th of the series com- prises the Umbelliferae as the largest family treatment, the amentiferous groups, the Urtica- 30. Josep A. CONESA I MOR – Plantes vascu- ceae, Euphorbiaceae, and finally Buxaceae: 291 lars del quadrat UTM 31T BF89 Aitona maps in total, arranged in the order of the Flora [ORCA: Catàlegs floristics locals, 9]. – Insti- manual dels Països Catalans and correspond- tut d’Estudis Catalans, Secció de Ciències ing to the numbered species 1144-1396 of that Biològiques, Barcelona, 1999 (ISBN 84-7283- Flora. Judging from the figures available, the 468-9). 58 pages, maps, graphs, table; paper. Atlas, with volume 9, is complete for exactly 39 %. Same as the chorological atlas with which it A comparison of the Atlas with the corre- is correlated (see the previous item), this series of sponding portions of the Flora reveals few yet grid square inventories has also reached its 9th
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issue. In contrast, however, 9 issues correspond The beautiful series of vegetation maps and to just over 1 % of the total, since there are 848 correlated explanatory texts, obviously intended grid squares potentially to be treated. The Aitona to eventually cover the whole of Catalonia, con- square comprises an area of low hills that extend tinues with two new items (see also OPTIMA on either side of the middle course of the Rio Newsletter 33: (12). 1999). I have not yet been Segre, and is adjacent to the square treated as able to see a plan of the work or a list of its pub- No. 5 of the series, Sarroca de Segrià. The two lished parts; it is possible that the series pres- squares show great similarity in their topography ently consists only of the 5 items reviewed in this and geology: the altitudes are comprised between column (maps No. 181, 215, 217, 220/221, 254) plus 100 and 250-300 m, and the substratum is either No. 255 of 1994 which I have not seen. The style, alluvial or composed of limestone and sandstone. layout, and mode of presentation remains identi- One would therefore expect their flora and vege- cal throughout the series, which is a good thing tation to be similar in composition and degree of since it is hard to see how they could be mi - diversity, which indeed appears to be the case. proved. I will refrain from repeating what I wrote There is a tabular inventory of plant associations earlier, and shall confine myself to a brief charac- in the present fascicle, which refers to both terisation of the areas concerned. squares (there is no such list in issue No. 5), Like all previous maps, the two new ones per- which shows that 63 different plant communities tain to the northern, Pyrenean fringe of Spanish are found in the present square and 61 in its Catalonia. They lie, however, at its opposite ends, neighbour, 54 (77 % of the total) being common and are so different in climate and geo- to both. No similarity analysis of flora composi- morphology that their respective vegetation has tion is presented, but the numbers of taxa present barely any traits in common. differ only marginally, and certainly not signifi- The hamlet Esterri d’Aneu lies close to the cantly: 719 species and subspecies of vascular eastern margin of the sheet named after it, in the plants in the Aitona area, as compared to 727 valley of the Noguera Pallaresa, which is the only such taxa in the Sarroca de Segrià square. Should part of the area that lies slightly below 1000 m of you be looking for a good example of constant altitude. The whole remainder is high mountain, species / area ratios under comparable environ- with several peaks approaching and a few ex- mental conditions: there you have it! W.G. ceeding 3000 m of altitude. The central, high massif is granitic, but at the periphery of the area, 31. Josep Maria NINOT – Mapa de vegetació de at lower altitudes, sedimentary rocks also occur. Catalunya 1 : 50 000. Esterri d’Àneu 181 Pine woods prevail in the forest belt. Above, (33-9). – Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya & there are vast areas of alpine heaths, rock and Direcció General del Medi Natural, Barcelona, scree vegetation. 1998 (ISBN 84-7283-415-8 & 84-393-4584-4). The combined areas of la Jonquera and Port- 89 pages, graphs, tables, colour legend, with bou are situated at the extreme eastern tip of folded colour map by Empar CARRILLO & Jo- Catalonia and indeed Spain. This is a hilly region sep MARIA NINOT; flexible cover and twin reaching down to the Mediterranean coast, in plastic pouch. which only one small mountain area along the 32. Ignasi SORIANO & Josep VIGO – Mapa de French border exceeds the 1000 m line, peaking at vegetació de Catalunya 1 : 50 000. la Jon- 1257 m. The substrate is acidic, consisting of quera 220 (39-10), Portbou 221 (40-10). – schists and igneous rocks, and the climate is Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya & Direcció decidedly Mediterranean. There is some maquis General del Medi Natural, Barcelona, 1998 vegetation along the coast, but the predominant (ISBN 84-7283-449-2 & 84-393-4763-4). 71 potential vegetation type is evergreen oak forest. pages, graphs, tables, map, colour legend, Mapping the vegetation of the whole of Ca- with folded colour map by Jordi CARRERAS, talonia at this scale is an ambitious project, but Empar CARRILLO Javier FONT, Ramon M. provided the support continues it is probably fea- MASALLES, Ignasi SORIANO, Josep VIGO, sible, thanks to the large number of competent Lluís VILAR & Xavier VIÑAS; flexible cover field botanists that are working at it. Its comple- and twin plastic pouch. tion would confer to Catalonia, already the Me-
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (21) Publications
diterranean country with the best studied flora, including 8 endemic taxa (Dianthus japygicus, definite leadership in the field of vegetation Vicia giacominiana, Limonium japygicum, Cen- study, too. W.G. taurea deusta subsp. tenacissima, C. japygica, C. leucadea, C. nobilis, and Iris revoluta). The 33. Pedro MONTSERRAT RECORDER – La flora present, gorgeously produced, heavy folio vol- de Aragón. – Caja de Ahorros de la Inmacu- ume prizes the glory of Salento’s flora, vegeta- lada de Aragón [Publicación No. 80-51], tion, and landscape. It consists of rather short, [Jaca], [2000] (ISBN 88-95306-26-3). 94 pages, popular texts on the flora, natural and man-made illustrations and maps, mostly in colour; pa- vegetation, and on 12 selected botanical itinerar- per. ies all around the Salentine coast; texts that are embedded and almost hidden among 401 colour A tiny booklet, so small in size that it fits photographs illustrating the plants, landscapes, easily into any pocket – yet in many respects a and some architecture of the area. These mostly jewel. It is written for the layman by the botanical half- or even full-page, brilliantly coloured photo- Nestor of Aragon, Pedro Montserrat, one of the graphs make up the main bulk of the book and are most knowledgeable Pyrenean botanists. It ex- mostly of good technical quality (except a few plains in plain language, and with the aid of care- that are out of focus). They illustrate no less than fully chosen photographs in colour or black-and- 264 different species, i.e., over 20 % of the wild white, how the vegetation and flora of Aragon are vascular flora of the region. structured, how their multiformity (Aragon has arguably the richest flora of the whole of Spain) On the introductory pages and cover-board came about, may be put to use, enjoyed, main- several coloured engravings are reproduced tained. To counteract any possible risk of monot- whose source is cited as “Dizionario delle Scienze ony, chapters by Montserrat’s pupils and friends Naturali, Firenze 1837-1849”: a rare work, virtually are built in, dealing with special subjects: presen- unknown outside of Italy, on which I could find tation of a national park area, an essay on sapro- no bibliographic data, but which in all likelihood phytic and parasitic plants, or on medicinal and is an Italian edition of the famous Dictionnaire toxic plants, and others. des sciences naturelles published in Paris by This booklet is public relations at its best. Cuvier and of which the botanical plates ap- Being part of a popular series of informative pam- peared in 5 volumes between 1816 and 1829. phlets published by a bank, it will reach a wide The main purpose of this book, as of many local public, promoting public awareness of the similar, mostly less sumptuous ones, is to pro- value of our green heritage, of the importance of mote the awareness of natural beauty, of its inter- passing it on intact to future generations. W.G. est and value, among local people. By bearing witness to that beauty, this volume will also ap- 34. Silvano MARCHIORI, Piero MEDAGLI & peal to flower lovers world-wide, including pro- Livio RUGGIERO – Guida botanica del fessional botanists. W.G. Salento. [Le Grandi Guide Verdii, 1.] – Mario Congedo, Galatin (Lecce), 1998 ISBN 35. Miloje R. SARIÆ & Olga VASIÆ (ed.) – Ve- 88-8086220-0. [2] + 237 pages, colour illustra- getacija Srbije II. Šumske zajednice 1. – tions, maps, drawings; hard cover with dust Srpska Akademija Nauka i Umetnosti, Beo- jacket. grad, 1997. [16] + iv + 474 pages, black-and- white photographs, tables; cloth. Ever heard of Salento? It is the wide, flat peninsula that forms the tip of Apulia, the heel of When reviewing the second volume of a the Italian boot. As defined for the purpose of work, it may help if one knows what the first this book, Salento is the southern part of that volume was about. Surprisingly, there is no men- peninsula, being coextensive with the province of tion of an earlier volume anywhere in the present Lecce: a region of wide landscapes with low, book, except of its individual chapters (but not tabular hills of Cretaceous limestones, but in spite the whole) included in the final bibliography. I of its geophysical uniformity, hosting a surpris- had to make a dip into our library to find out. Here ingly rich flora of c. 1300 vascular plant species, is the result.
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Volume 1 appeared under the title Vegetatija summaries; and that these summaries are even SR Srbije, with an alternative title in French Vé- more haphazardly titled than the chapters to gétation de la République Socialiste de Serbie, which they refer. 1. Partie générale. It consists of five chapters On the positive side, let me mention the care- covering general aspects of vegetation, each with ful and thorough indexing, with separate registers an English (but no French) summary, and dealing not only of scientific plant and plant commu nity in sequence with: vegetation history and general names, but also of place designations. The very characteristics (by Jankoviæ); the fossil record exhaustive and well presented list of biblio- (by Pantiæ); refuge areas (by Mišiæ); life forms graphic references extends over no less than 34 and biological spectra (by Dikliæ); and floristic pages and comprises more than 520 entries. elements (by Gajiæ); The book was published in The second volume will hopefully include a Belgrade in 1984 by the same publisher. full, hierarchical conspectus of forest vegetation The present volume, which came to light 14 units found in Serbia, with cross references to the years later, is the first of a twin treatise on the individual chapters where they are treated. Such forest communities. It has an alternative title in an overview will greatly facilitate the use of the English, and again, English summaries at the end work and will highlight its merits as a basic treaty (or sometimes in the middle) of the individual on Serbian vegetation. W.G. chapters. There are seven such chapters, each describing in some detail the features of a basic 36. Hossein AKHANI – Plant biodiversity of Go- vegetation type, of which the appropriate titles lestan National Park, Iran. [Stapfia, 53.] – might have been: oak forests (by Jovanoviæ), Biologiezentrum des Oberösterreichischen riverine woods (again by Jovanoviæ), beech for- Landesmuseums, Linz, 1998. [4] + V + 412 ests (by Mišiæ), ash-and-maple woods (by Jova- pages, colour photographs, drawings, noviæ), hornbeam woods (by Diniæ), woods with graphs, maps, tables; paper. lilac (by Mišiæ), and šibljak scrub (by Dikliæ & Golestan: the land of flowers! This telling Vukiæeviæ). Illustration is rather scant, with some designation was chosen by the Custodians of the habitat photographs but not distribution maps. Iranian Revolution when they renamed the na- The English summaries are of very unequal tional park that formerly commemorated the last length and detail. Shah. The park culminates at 2411 m and extends The editors have attempted to overlay a syn- over more than 90,000 ha. It includes a great vari- taxonomic hierarchy on the basic structure out- ety of vegetation types, from closed lowland lined above, with the result that the book now forest to mountain steppe, heathland and semi- looks utterly chaotic. For instance, the chapter on desert. The author explored the area during sev- oak forests has received the general title “The eral years, collected over 3500 vascular plant class of Eurosiberian deciduous forests” and the specimens, and prepared 570 phytosociological running title “Quercetalia pubescentis”, relevés following the Braun-Blanquet method to both equally inappropriate. The same running document the various vegetation types. This in- title appears later, in the 6th chapter which has depth study is to result in a three-part botanical been titled “The order of downy oak forests”, monograph of the park, the present volume being although it treats only of woods that include the first part: the basic study of plant diversity Syringa vulgaris. The Quercetalia pubescen- and its patterns. The second part will be an illus- tis appear a third time, as one of the subtitles in trated identification manual, and the third, a phy- the chapter on šibljak. These pseudo-hierarchical tosociological study with a vegetation map. titles have been used throughout the book, often The book starts with the usual introductory defying common sense. They are confusing even chapters on the physical environment and gen- for the reader familiar with the Serbian language, eral vegetation structure, followed by an anno- but to a much higher degree for those who de- tated, semi-tabular list of the 1302 vascular plant pend on English: they will be tempted to use the species known so far from the area. After a dis- English version of the table of contents – to find cussion and statistical analysis of the results, that it is not, as one might think, a translation of with considerations of endemism and human the Serbian conspectus but an index to English impact, there follows a large chorological section
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (23) Publications
with computer-generated distribution maps for ticularly keen. However this may be, it was de- 880 species. They are grid maps using a fine cided on La Palma, apparently for the first and so mesh, with indication of abundance (in terms of far only time, that something had to be done. maximum percent covering) for each unit square. The present, rather luxuriously printed report The maps are not only based on herbarium tells the result of a two-seasons’ action plan. It specimens (in addition to his own, the author has also shows the pride that local people take in its studied c. 5000 sheets by other collectors) but success. The degree of invasion is documented also on the author’s phytosociological relevés. by numerous colour photographs and detailed The work includes 18 plates of colour photo- maps. Pennisetum setaceum being a large, showy graphs illustrating the main vegetation types, a grass, forming deeply rooted tufts up to 1 m high selection of plants, as well as human influence; and 1 m across, mapping its distribution is rela- and two pages of original plant drawings, mostly tively easy. In late summer 1997, at the beginning analytical details of umbel fruits and floral parts of the action plan, the species was present in 724 of Cynoglossum kandavanense (‘kandavanen- squares of 250 ´ 250 m (a total surface of over 45 sis’), newly combined here.. km²) scattered all around the island, from sea level The book impresses not only by the wealth up to an altitude of 1000 m, being particularly of information it contains and the thoroughness abundant where human settlements are dense. of the author’s approach, but also by a clear, Some quick-and-dirty experimental research, done elegant presentation and by the remarkably fluid in parallel with the action plan, showed that English of the text. It is the result of the author’s burning provides no solution as the grass is fire PhD studies in Munich, funded by the German resistant, and did not yield any promising bio- Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and bears logical control strategy. So manual uprooting, a testimony of the excellent results that are often brachial technique, was applied during the first obtained by this kind of bilateral co-operation. winter season, after which Pennisetum villosum The DAAD, who also contributed to the printing still occurred in almost 400 squares (25 km²). cost for the volume, can rest assured that their During the second winter, mechanical action was money was well spent. W.G. complemented and in part replaced by chemical methods, as some herbicides were found that proved to be very efficient, also to eliminate the Conservation topics, red data books re-growth in manually cleared areas. At the end of phase two, in February 1999, only 50 of the 37. Pedro L. PÉREZ DE PAZ, Antonio GARCÍA squares remained affected, so cat-tail grass GALLO & Andreas HEENE – Control y erra- populations had been reduced to 7 % of the dicación del “rabo-gato” [Pennisetum seta- original bulk. ceum] en la isla de La Palma. – Excmo. Ca- The action will have to go on, as the species bildo Insular de La Palma & Departamento de is known to reproduce easily by seed, and the Biología Vegetal, Universidad de La Laguna, seed bank in the soil remains intact. With some 1999 (ISBN 84-8766414-8). 124 pages, colour perseverance, however, it is realistic to expect photographs and maps, graphs; flexible that cat-tail grass, if not completely eradicated, cover. will soon be reduced to insignificance on La Pal- The cat-tail grass, in Spanish rabo de gato, ma. This will have been achieved by the hard, originates from the Sahel zone of tropical Africa unsophisticated way, by determined manual ac- but has become an established, often aggressive tion. The book, apart from being a thorough weed throughout the tropics and subtropics of documentation of what was undertaken and the world. The island of La Palma in the Canaries achieved, conveys just that message: strong will is no exception. Well, perhaps the threat to the and energy are the base of success, in nature vineyards and hillsides was even particularly conservancy as elsewhere; or, as the German say heavy on that island, or, as the island’s Governor goes: “Es gibt nichts Gutes, außer man tut es”.W.G. claims in the preface, awareness of the Palmeros of the value of their natural patrimony and of the 38. Luis VILLAR (ed.) – Espacios naturales delicate balance between nature and man is par- protegidos del Pirineo. Ecología y carto-
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grafía. [Publicaciones del Consejo de la complementary maps at the scale of 1 : 250,000 (1) Protección de la Naturaleza de Aragón, or 1 : 100,000 (7), showing particular sectors. Serie: Conservación, 2.] – Consejo de la Pro- Unfortunately, these maps are neither numbered tección de la Naturaleza de Aragón, nor situated on the overview maps, so that they [Huesca], 1999 (ISBN 84-89862-08-7). 167 are fairly difficult to consult. pages, figures, graphs, maps, tables; 3 folded Preceding the documentary portion is a col- maps, 16 simple maps, 7 plates of photo- lection of essays on various topics, some general graphs, all in colour, loose, in pouch; hard and some quite special. A red thread running cover. through these chapters, if it indeed exists, is This is a complex book to understand and difficult to discern. The general chapters include explain, probably because it had a complex ge- one by the father of modern Pyrenean botany, nesis. It is stated to be a Spanish translation, or Pedro Montserrat, on mountain landscapes and perhaps better a remake, of a twin volume edited ecology, which causes me a feeling of déjà-vu. Of by Dendaletche under the title “Pyrénées, pays the more special chapters, let me mention the d’hommes et de hautes altitudes”, published in thorough analysis of the Pyrenean high-mountain 1996 as vol. 11-12 of the Acta biologica mon- flora (stated to summarise a manuscript by Fer- tana; a work that synthesises the results of four rández and Sesé), which includes interesting years of group-wise efforts involving researchers statistical data on the rate of decrease of species of several institutions and presented at a series of number with altitude and on the altitudinal limits annual meetings. I do not have the French origi- of high-mountain species (with an 8-page tabular nal at hand for comparison, but it must differ overview of highest known occurrences of the substantially from the Spanish version, where various taxa). several chapters have been omitted or shortened At the very end, sadly hidden away at the and new ones added instead. bottom of the pouch, there are 7 loose sheets with beautiful landscape photographs with bilin- The book essentially covers two aspects, of gual (French and Spanish) captions. They are which the second, documentary one is particular- preceded by a title sheet “Imágenes del Pirineo, ly important: it presents a complete inventory of del Atlántico al Mediterráneo” and have no areas protected by law throughout the Pyrenees, stated authorship or reference to a source, but at each with its name, date, surface area, mapped the bottom bear a pagination (150-156) that is contours, and other characteristics. Taking to- unrelated to that of the book itself. They were gether France, Spain and Andorra, the protected presumably reproduced from the Acta biologica surfaces sum up to an impressive total of 700,000 montana, vol. 12. W.G. ha, of which more than ¾ are situated in Spain – but then, 60 % of the Spanish protected surfaces are “hunting preserves”, and you may be hard 39. Vladimir STEVANOVIÆ (ed.) – Crvena put to convince a botanist that restriction of knjiga flore Srbije 1. Išèezli i krajnje hunting has to do with nature conservancy! It is ugroženi taksoni. [The red data book of a pity that the chapters dealing with the legal and flora of Serbia 1. Extinct and critically endan- administrative characteristics of the various types gered taxa.] – Ministarstvo za Životnu of protected areas, present in the French original, Sredinu Republike Srbije, Biološki Fakultet have been omitted from the Spanish version: Univerziteta u Beogradu & Zavod za Zaštitu obviously the differences in this respect, both Prirode Republike Srbije, Beograd, 1999 within and between countries, are enormous. (ISBN 86-7078-012-7). [20] + 566 pages, col- our maps, colour photographs, graphs; hard A generous cartographic documentation of cover with dust jacket. the protected areas of the Pyrenees is provided, formed of loose maps in a pouch at the end of the Publication of the Serbian Plant Red Data volume: 3 folded overview maps illustrating vari- Book is a landmark event for Balkan botany – and ous aspects (one of them, bird protection); 8 also, in a more general way, for threat assessment maps at the scale 1 : 400,000 which together cover methodology. The full range of sophisticated the whole area, with considerable overlap; and 8 criteria that serve to define the new IUCN stan-
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (25) Publications
dards for threat evaluation – a combination of Which, then, are the globally extinct species? parameters such as area size, number of popula- One of them is of little if any taxonomic value, tions and individuals, fragmentation, rate of de- belonging to the countless fruit morphs of Trapa crease and estimated extinction probability over natans that have been assigned specific status time – have perhaps never before been consis- by some authors. Two others, both of the genus tently applied on such a large scale. The author Althea, are critical taxa, closely related, respec- team had to evaluate hundreds of critical popula- tively, to the widespread A. cannabina and A. tions according to these criteria, databasing the officinalis but differing in morphological details. results and using a novel software application for As they are both gone, it will hardly ever be pos- threat estimation. The new data are as detailed sible to experimentally assess the degree of their and objectively reliable as is presently possible, distinctness. The 4th extinct species, Scabiosa and they have the great advantage of ensuring achaeta, was discovered by Panèiæ in 1856 and full comparability with other data sets – on the last collected by him in 1866, then never seen sole condition that data of equivalent quality again. To these four cases we have alas to add a become available for other countries as well. fifth, hidden among the 23 taxa presumed extinct As is often the case with red data lists fea- in Serbia: Lathyrus pancicii, which has obviously turing a particular country, the sole criterion for disappeared from its locus classicus in Serbia inclusion of a taxon was its threatened status on since Panèiæ’s time, and also became extinct in its a national level, irrespective of whether it has a two additional localities in Bulgaria. This leaves wide overall distribution and is perhaps common us with two undisputed and two arguably distinct in other parts of its area. There is one plausible species of the Serbian flora that are lost forever. argument for this policy: scattered, isolated out- Of the 11 taxa (9 species, 2 subspecies) listed posts on the fringe of the range of a widespread as critically endangered on a global scale, only 6 species may present biological peculiarities and are, strictly speaking, endemic to Serbia; 4 extend perhaps genetic differences making it worth wile to N.E. Albania (Dianthus behriorum, Gentiana to protect them. In my opinion, however, one pneumonanthe subsp. nopcsae, Silene nikolicii, should not place such fringe populations on the and Solenanthus krasniqii), and a fifth to N. same footing as the last known stand of a whole Macedonia (Crocus rujanensis). These five taxa taxon. Species threatened (or perhaps extinct) on may or may not be at risk also in their extra- a world scale would appear to warrant particular Serbian localities: this remains to be verified. Of prominence, which they were denied in the pres- the six remaining taxa of this category, one is in entation here chosen. In compensation, I will all likelihood a synonym: Campanula calyci- make special mention of them in this review. alata, described on the basis of a hereditary, As the title indicates, this is the first of sev- teratological feature (corolline calyx appendages) eral planned volumes of Serbian Plant Red Data but in all other respects indistinguishable from its Books. It includes those taxa that are either ex- Bulgarian counterpart, C. trojanensis. One spe- tinct or critically endangered in Serbia, or pre- cies must however be added to the list, Aristolo- sumed to be so: 171 taxa in all, arranged alpha- chia merxmülleri, an endemic of the Metohia betically by name within narrowly defined threat province that is listed among the uncertain taxa categories (a rather impractical arrangement, if I because no recent information on its only known may say so, which makes it mandatory to use the population is available. index to locate an entry, as taxa will shift from one In summary, four members of the Serbian category to the next whenever there is a slight flora must be considered extinct and six of the change). Of these 171 taxa, 50 are of the extinct strictly endemic ones are in immediate danger of category (4 globally extinct; 23 definitely and 23 extinction. This is an alarmingly high number, if probably extinct in Serbia). The remaining 121 are one considers that only 59 taxa are known to be critically endangered, either world-wide (11) or in Serbian endemics. Serbia, where 96 are assigned to one of seven As to the book itself, let me point out that it threat subcategories but 14, for which no ade- is of outstanding quality regarding print, paper quate information is available, are “supposedly and binding. Great care has been used in ques- critically endangered”. tions of layout and scientific editing of the text.
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The illustration, partly of new, original drawings, Rechinger’s Flora iranica. For each taxon, the partly of colour photographs (including of her- threatened status, life form, Iranian distribution barium specimens, in the case of extinct taxa) is (by provinces and localities, but without collec- generous and of exquisite beauty. The distribu- tors or dates), and habitat are indicated. These tion maps, in which dots of different colours in- data are taken from herbarium specimens. Many dicate populations of various size categories, are of the locality records, and even some country very informative. It is worth mentioning that the records, are new and so far unpublished. English “summary”, which extends over 140 Only four threat categories have been recog- printed pages, approaches a full translation; in nised, reflecting the scarcity of data: endangered, particular, the taxon treatments, except for de- vulnerable, low-risk, and data deficient. The en- scriptive matter and (regrettably) general distribu- dangered category has been used sparingly (21 tion, are rendered almost unabridged. In addition, cases in all), whereas as many as 432 taxa are the captions for the photographs, in the main text, rated vulnerable. No counts exist for the two are bilingual. This makes the book easy to con- remaining categories, yet upon closer investiga- sult for botanists throughout Europe. tion many of those for which data are wanting will It is a most positive aspect of the research likely turn out to be threatened. The authors have programme for this Red Data Book series, that it refrained from using the “extinct” and “critically has amalgamated all Serbian plant taxonomists endangered” categories, which does not mean into an author team. No less than 30 of them, that they left off their list the corresponding taxa, young and experienced alike, have participated in but rather reflects their conviction that, based on the venture. Every page of this volume is per- available data, it is premature to consider any vaded by their common enthusiasm and their love Iranian plant to be extinct or on the verge of ex- for the plant world of their country. Let this en- tinction (although in reality such cases must thusiasm be contagious and spread to their read- doubtless exist). ers, too. W.G. Of a total estimated spermatophyte flora of 8000 species (note that pteridophytes are not covered) 1727 are stated to be endemic. This 40. Adel JALILI & Ziba JAMZAD – Red data book of Iran. A preliminary survey of en- figure is on the high side, as it includes infra- demic, rare & endangered plant species in specific taxa thought to be endemic. There are Iran. [Research Institute of Forests and over 120 of them on the list: subspecies, varieties, Rangelands Publication No. 1999-215.] – and even one form. Even taking this into account, Research Institute of Forests and Range- there is still an impressive 20 % rate of species lands, Tehran, 1999 (ISBN 964-473-061-5). v + endemism. An amazing fact is that 45 % of the 748 pages, 68 colour plates, map, tables; hard endemic taxa have a very narrow distributional cover. range, being only known from a single Iranian province. The taxonomic weight of the endemic When a Red Data Book is produced for the taxa varies greatly: at one end there is the odd flora of a country like Iran, the order of magnitude case of an “endemic” variety of a naturalised of the task will differ substantially from what we alien from the New World (Amaranthus blitoi- are used to in Europe. Entries will be counted not des), but on the other hand there are no less than by the dozen or hundred but by the thousand. 20 monotypic genera that are endemic to Iran, The tabular overview at the beginning of the including one that is endangered (the gorgeous book accounts for precisely 2405 such entries, labiate shrub Zhumeria) and 8 that are vulnerable. nearly four per printed page of text on average. Obviously, exhaustive coverage of all ende- Needless to say, the information provided, and mic taxa was among the aims of this book, but in indeed available, cannot be very detailed. Even addition a large number of non-endemic taxa have so, the achievement of producing such a book is been listed, for which the criteria of inclusion are quite fantastic. not stated, nor can they easily be inferred. The presentation follows a rigorous, parsi- A nice selection of the species treated, 85 in monious standard. Nomenclature and delimitation total, have been illustrated on 68 colour plates. of taxa are, with a few exceptions, those of Most of these illustrations reproduce coloured
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (27) Publications
drawings or paintings, others are photographs (of the director of the Institute, Josep Maria Mont- very unequal quality). Unfortunately, the colour serrat, and describes the genesis of the Botanical printing is often fairly defective, so that a few Institute and associated garden, mainly during pictures, especially among the photographs, are the 20th century, i.e., from the time of Pius Font of little use. Overall, however, the illustrations are Quer up to the present. The second contribution a nice extra bonus in a book which, otherwise, is in Catalan, by Josep Camarasa, and introduces mainly impresses by its methodical layout and the the 18th to 19th century Salvador dynasty, with bulk of its data. Although the subtitle states reference to their natural history cabinet and li- modestly, and realistically, that the work is a pre- brary, which became part of the Institute in 1938 liminary survey, it is a giant step towards a reli- to form the core of its old historical holdings. able assessment of the incredible riches that Iran This second contribution is a reprint of an article holds with respect to its flora. As every first step, in a non-scientific journal, published in 1988, it calls urgently for the next ones to follow. W.G. which by means of this booklet becomes better accessible to the botanical world. W.G. Gardens and gardening 42. Franco Maria RAIMONDO (ed.) – Giardini di Sicilia. [La Sicilia Ricercata, 3.] – Bruno 41. Svetlana KOPYSTIANSKY – El jardí. – Insti- Leopardi, Palermo, 2000 (ISBN 88-87135-16-9). tut de Cultura, Ajunament de Barcelona, Bar- 91 pages, black-and-white and colour photo- celona, 1999 (ISBN 84-7609819-7). 54 pages, graphs; paper. Price: 7,000 Lit. black-and-white photographs; paper. Barcelona’s botanic garden was founded by The forth issue of Leopardi’s new quarterly Font Quer in 1930 and comprises an area of 4 ha. on Sicilian culture (which started with No. 0 in It lies in two former quarries in the Parque de July 1999) is devoted in its entirety to the island’s Montjuïc. When Barcelona prepared for the gardens. Naturally, as this is a cultural magazine Olympic Games to be held in 1992, it became and not a compendium, the 14 included contribu- apparent that there was no future for the garden tions, some by renowned botanists such as in its present location. A new botanical garden, Franco Raimondo and Pietro Mazzola, are written with an associated research institute, was then in an essayistic rather than factual style. Yet, be it planned on the northern slopes of Mt Montjuïc, only by the variety and sheer beauty of its pho- for which the detailed design has been presented tographic images, this issue is apt to provide in public many years later, in February 2000. unique insights into a domain that botanists have Meanwhile, the old botanic garden had remained so far shamefully neglected: the history and art of closed to the public for a period of about 8 years. gardening in the heart of the Mediterranean. In The present booklet is a curious document, many old gardens throughout the island, treas- rather hard to place. It is associated with the re- ures of sculptural, architectural and landscaping opening of the old garden to the public through a art exist that are part of Sicily’s cultural heritage. kind of exhibit, or rather event, by which “the Some of the garden’s portrayed are now in ruins, entire space of the botanical garden and all the others are still impeccably kept: Some are private activities were considered an artwork”. This and not generally accessible, others, such as the event was planned and conceived by Russian university botanic gardens of Palermo and born and Berlin resident artist Svetlana Kopys- Catania, are in the public domain. Some, even tiansky, who features as the author of the book among the private ones, house unique botanical although she does not appear to be responsible rarities such as the giant bromeliad Puya for any of its texts. berteroniana from Chile, shown as it flowers in Apart from some photographs lacking cap- the garden of Villa Piccolo at Capo d’Orlando. tions, to be accepted as works of art, the booklet Botanists and gardening fans alike must be consists of two independent texts that are of bo- grateful to the publisher for having made this tanical interest as they provide a concise intro- issue possible, and to Franco Raimondo for mak- duction to the history of botanical sciences in ing it happen. Publications such as this can do a Barcelona. The first, in Castilian, is authored by lot for plant sciences by creating goodwill among
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many readers who would otherwise scarcely be plied to them for more than half a century now, aware of the subject. W.G. that Sigurtà equates with “caressing”: not the trimming into regular and geometrical shapes that 43. Enzo INGA SIGURTÀ – Buxus. I bossi surre- has characterised the Roman gardens since clas- ali. – Parcogiardino Sigurtà, Valeggio sul sical antiquity, but the underlining of their natu- Mincio (Verona), 1999. 132 pages, black-and- ral, idiosyncratic shapes by just eliminating the white and colour illustrtions, map, table; pa- salient twigs, rendering the crowns compact and per. smooth-surfaced to the eye. 44. Enzo INGA SIGURTÀ – Buxus. Die surrealen The author and present owner is a neuro- Buchsbäume. – Parcogiardino Sigurtà, Va- psychiatrist, but it is obvious that his heart does leggio sul Mincio (Verona), 1999. 132 pages, not only beat for his patients. It is generous of black-and-white and colour illustrations, map, him to let the public share the joy of his leisurely table; paper. hours. Let us hope with him that the chore he has assigned to his children and willed to them in the The garden park to which the present pro- dedication of the book, that they continue his prietors (the author and his uncle) gave their work and care after him, may be fulfilled in the name covers an area of 56 ha by the river Mincio same serene and loving way that is his own and south of the Garda Lake. This had been a park must have been that of his predecessor. W.G. area for centuries, recorded as such as early as 1792, and has historical significance as it includes the hill-top whence the leaders of the time, Franz Historical subjects Josef I of Austria and Napoleon III, in turn sur- veyed the battle of Solferino, where Henry 45. H. Walter LACK – Ein Garten für die Ewi g- Dunant became inspired of the idea of the Red keit. Der Codex Liechtenstein. – Benteli, Cross. Now most of the park, being considered Bern, 2000 (ISBN 3-7165-1205-2). 344 pages, one of Europe’s foremost garden monuments, is illustrations in black-and-white and colour; open daily to the visiting public. cloth with dust jacket, in case. Price: 198 DM. The present simultaneous twin edition, in Italian and German, is not merely one of the usual Last time, remember, I had the pleasure and visitors’ guides. It is the product of the owners privilege to present Lack’s Flora graeca story in love, not devoid of luxury. Its first portion is this column (OPTIMA Newsletter 34: (22)-(23) mainly anecdotal and artistic, being illustrated by 1999), a heavy book, a beautiful one, and full to drawings and watercolours of a contemporary art- the brim of historical facts and data. This time, ist, Luciano Cottini. In the second half, master again a book by Lack: twice the former’s size and photographer Arrigo Giovannini’s beautiful pic- more than twice its weight, gorgeously illustrated, tures guide us through the park’s amenities, superb in every way, and less than half its price. along the 7 km long visiting route. A quick first conclusion we might be tempted to The park lies on essentially flat land and is draw, then, could read: publish cheaply in Swit- beautifully designd, with a knowing alternation of zerland rather than in expensive Britain. (The trees and shrubbery, green spaces, ponds and story is not, of course, quite as simple: the Swiss flower beds. It varies through several flowering publisher could avail himself of very generous peaks around the turn of the year, the early tulips sponsorship.) being relayed by irises, then roses, water-lilies, “A garden for eternity” is a beautiful title, and finally chrysanthemums. Its main attraction and an appropriate one. The book is written to and genuinely original feature, however, are its the glory of an unknown but priceless botanical countless box trees – not really countless: having jewel, henceforth to be known as the “Codex been carefully inventoried, there turned out to b Liechtenstein”, which consists of 14 bound vol- over 31,000 of them, a steadily growing number as umes of original plant illustrations, assembled they reproduce naturally on the site. What makes between 1775 and 1804 by a man whose memory them the leitmotiv in a surrealistic landscape is has long since faded: Norbert Boccius, prior of the special pruning technique that has been ap- the Hospitallers’ monastery in Feldsberg (now
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (29) Publications
Valtice in Moravia, Czech Republic) from 1766 to vide the key to the Codex Liechtenstein through 1781, and later the order’s provincial. A dedicated its own, original index. Curiously two of the latter medical man and brilliant organiser, Boccius was have, perhaps in the last minute, been omitted also a passionate and knowledgeable botanist, from the printed book, even though they are re- even though he left no trace in botanical litera- peatedly referred to as if they were present. They ture. Upon completion of his unique collection of are discretely replaced by a Web address, and 2748 painted plates, he offered it to Alois I Jo- under that URL they are indeed fully accessible seph Prince of Liechtenstein, in whose family it and searchable on the Internet. My advice to all remains to the present day. What Lack brings to those who concur that the book is likely to out- light and what this book is centred on, is the live our present, rapidly evolving online informa- authorship of these paintings: in their large ma- tion access systems: print out these appendices jority, they represent the early work of the Bauer immediately, having reformatted them in a space- brothers, famous in their time and up to the pres- economic way, and store the paper version to- ent day as perhaps the most genial flower paint- gether with the book. (This is, naturally, what I ers ever. This early period of their work, starting myself did.) at a time when they were merely 12 to 16 years A major asset of the book are its illustrations, old, was so far undocumented. No one could be both the figures in the main text and the block of better qualified than Lack, already familiar with colour plates following it. Among the many inter- Ferdinand Bauer through his involvement with esting documents illustrated by the black-and- Sibthorp, to write the present book. white text figures are samples from Boccius’s Lack is a thoroughbred historian, and he has curious herbarium, which survives in three bound a marked gift for dramaturgy. He starts in epic volumes in Brno, and some early printed plates breadth, weaving his threads together to form a from Jacquin’s works of which a substantial colourful canvas, carefully orchestrating his plot number of the Bauer paintings were copies (a up to the epilogue, the adventurous and almost normal and accepted practice at that time). The 88 miraculous saving of the books at the conclusion superb colour plates reproduce 13 of the 14 title of World War II. Lack is also Viennese in his soul pages of the “Codex”, some landscapes, and 64 and heart, so naturally he would centre his narra- selected items from among the botanical illustra- tive on the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Em- tions. Incidentally, two of the latter were mis- pire. When he mentions Paris as the “Mecca of named (even though Lack checked the identity of Botany” this is just an excuse for explaining how the reproduced plants and updated the nomencla- some of the most valuable botanical artwork there ture): plate 66 shows Hirschfeldia incana not produced came to end up in Vienna. When he Raphanus raphanistrum, and plate 77 is of devotes a chapter to Linnaeus he looks at him Euphorbia cyparissias not E. characias. But through Jacquin’s eyes. Because, with Boccius then, botany was never intended to be at the and the Bauer brothers, his third major hero forefront of this book, and no attempt at a critical among the “dramatis personae”, as he aptly calls revision of the identity of the thousands of plant them, is Jacquin. One of the book’s major chap- portraits in the “Codex” has been made: this ters is in fact a fully fledged biography of Jac- would have been an impossible task. quin, and a special appendix is devoted to the With this remarkable volume, Lack has con- bibligraphy of his works. tributed a major monument to the glory of Vien- This is a book you can read almost like a nese botany and culture, not neglecting his own. novel. Yet it is based on thorough, painstaking He has unearthed the past for us, shown up its research down to the original sources in the ar- connections and cultural undercurrents. While chives in Vienna, Vaduz and Moravia; on an in- the book was written by a botanist on a botanical credible wealth and diversity of published and subject, it is not only for botanists to read. W.G. unpublished texts and data. All sources are care- fully documented, but not obtrusively so, not to 46. Rodolfo E. G. PICHI SERMOLLI – Contributo disturb the flux of reading. You will find much alla storia della botanica in Toscana. I pre- technical information carefully arranged in 8 ap- cursori dell’esplorazione floristica delle pendices, three of which were designed to pro- Alpi Apuane. [Museologia Scientifica, vol.
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15, n. 2, Suppl.]. – Associazione Nazionale illustrated by portraits and reproductions of rele- Musei Scientifici Orti Botanici Giardini Zo- vant title pages. The facsimile of a hitherto un- ologici Acquari, Verona, 1999. V + 289 pages, published early plan of the Genoa Botanical Ga r- 3 folded insets, black-and-white illustrations, den, dated 1837, forms one of the folded insets – map in colour; paper. one example of many demonstrating that the book is not regionally constrained in scope, even As one of the authors of the recent Prodro- though lists of Apuan plants collected or men- mus of the flora of the region of Apuania, by tioned by early botanists, with their modern taxo- Ferrarini & al. (1994-1997), Pichi Sermolli had nomic placements and correct names, remind the undertaken to investigate the role of early bota- original context in which the study is rooted. The nists in the exploration of the Apuan Alps. Not first historical record for the flora of the region, surprisingly for those who know Pichi’s meticu- Hypericum coris from Mt Pania della Croce, was lous care and ferreting talent, his study grew far based on an early 16th century observation by beyond its original purpose, so that its results did Luca Ghini, reputedly the inventor of herbaria not, for the most part, find a proper place the (although his own herbarium, sadly, has not been Prodromus. Instead, they form the basis of the preserved). present volume, which is much more than just a contribution to the history of floristics in N.W. Among the appendices there is one that one Tuscany, but rather, a full monograph of early would not normally expect, considering the title botany and botanists of peninsular Italy. of the book: Pichi’s summary of Tertiary Mediter- ranean geology and palaeogeography, an up- The core of the book consists of 15 chapters, dated and slightly extended version of his earlier each featuring one botanist (except that in one account published in 1991 in the Acta botanica case two brothers are treated jointly). It is limited malacitana – a journal that, he believes, is to botanists who visited the Apuan Alps prior to “scarcely known in Italy”. W.G. 1832, the year in which Bertoloni’s Flora of the area, the first ever written, was completed by the publication of its supplement. Thus the lifetime of 47. Hellmut BAUMANN – Pflanzenbilder auf the persons considered spans roughly four cen- griechischen Münzen. – Hirmer, München, turies, from the 16th to the 19th. When looking at 2000 (ISBN 3-7774-8350-8). 79 pages, black- the table of contents, one will miss few Italians and-white illustrations, map; cloth with dust botanists of any renown. Botanical exploration of jacket. Price: 58 DM. the Apuan Alps started earlier than in most other Greek resident Swiss amateur botanist Hell- mountain areas of mainland Italy, with many 16th mut Baumann is well known to the fans of Greek century botanists venturing to follow the tracks plants and culture through his book on Greek of those quarrying the famous Carrara marble. wild flowers and plant lore in ancient Greece Most have been there: Ghini, Anguillara, Cesal- (see OPTIMA Newsletter 30: (18)-(19). 1996), of pino, Aldrovandi. The 17th century is repre- which the original German version has just seen sented by Boccone plus some less well known its 4th edition published. Here, Baumann again names, the 18th by Micheli, Targioni Tozzetti, and offers to his readership a book linking botany and Vitman; and for the 19th century, mainly its 1st a Greek antiquity, this time with special emphasis half, we find Viviani, Bertoloni, his son, and two on numismatics. It is a slim quarto volume, de- more. voting one page of text, and opposite to it one of For each of these personalities a succinct bi- photographs, to each plant considered. Some of ography and a full bibliography of documentary the photographs are of ancient coins (mostly of sources are presented, often with extensive ex- the rich collection of casts in the numismatic planatory notes to illustrates particular problems, cabinet of the city museum of Winterthur, Swit- gaps of knowledge, or historical connotations. zerland); others, of their live vegetal models as Several of the works mentioned are exceedingly they now grow in Greece. The short explanatory rare, some scarcely known, having been omitted texts, mainly devoted to mythological and cultural or wrongly attributed in Stafleu & Cowan’s mas- aspects, are arranged alphabetically by German terly botanical bibliography, TL-2. The text is plant names. 27 plants are presented, in order:
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (31) Publications
anemone, date-palm, dittany, ivy, oak, fig, barley, edge of Greek mythology and classical history, bellflower, pomegranate, flax, lily, laurel, poppy, and the anecdotal style of his narrative, make this myrtle, olive-tree, pine-tree, plane-tree, quince, a book that is both easy to read and worth while rose, celery, the mythical now extinct sylphium, being read. W.G. cane, storax-tree, fir, grape-vine, dwarf palm, and cypress. It has always puzzled me how historians, and 48. H. Walter LACK – The Flora graeca story. sometimes botanists, dare assign names to vege- Oxford’s finest botanical treasure. Sibthorp, tal patterns and emblems as they appear in art- Bauer, and Hawkins in the Levant, an exhibi- work of all kinds. Effigies on coins make no ex- tion at the Bodleian Library, 19 July 1999 - 25 ception. Many of the plant representations on the September 1999. – Bodleian Library, Oxford, ancient Greek coins are so utterly stylised, or so 1999 (ISBN 1-85124-061-6). [6] + 50 pages, il- badly preserved, or both, that you can hardly lustrations in black-and-white and colour; recognise them as being of botanical origin. Per- flexible cover. haps the most abstract of all is a late Minoan gem You may remember my eulogy of Lack’s said to feature “a prostrate lion in front of a palm splendid book titled The Flora graeca story, last tree” – which would be a worthy title if this were time in this column (OPTIMA Newsletter 34: (22)- a quizzical abstract painting of Picasso. There are, (23). 1999). Later that same year, an exhibition however, exceptions in which reliable interpreta- with the same title was presented at the Bodleian tions are possible. One such case is the flower in Library in Oxford to further illustrate the subject fig. 4 of the book, which Baumann newly, and to by presenting mostly those items that were avail- my mind correctly, interprets as Anemone coro- able in Oxford. A very nicely printed and illus- naria. Some of the grapes, poppy heads, pome- trated booklet was published as a guide to the granate fruits, and the marvellously accurate exhibition, with the same text author as the book: barley seeds of fig. 46 are other examples. Equally Walter Lack of Berlin. accurate, so much so as to permit identification by a modern key, is the spikelet of emmer wheat In the notes following his introduction, Lack (Triticum dicoccum) represented in fig. 44, which writes among other things: “The present cata- in the caption is misinterpreted as a “germinating logue is essentially an extract from this work [i.e., barley grain” (note that fig. 43, of a modern wheat his earlier book]”. This I cannot confirm. The ear, is also misidentified as barley). Other cases booklet is an item-by-item description of the are less clear, and many leave me baffled. Why exhibit, and while perhaps some of the wording of the twig with lanceolate, (mostly) opposite leaves the great book may have been re-used, the pres- in fig. 72 should be laurel when it closely resem- ent context is an entirely different one. It, too, has bles an olive branch, I cannot guess. On the same its charm – the simple, unsophisticated charm of page, fig. 74 shows a very naturalistic head of the exhibit’s linear arrangement. It starts with Apollo with a wreath, in which the long- Sibthorp’s travel preparations, amply documents pedicelled, round fruits clearly indicate myrtle, yet the first, great voyage itself, barely skims the the fact that Apollo is supposed to be associated Oxford interlude and Sibthorp’s ill-documented with laurel caused it to be placed among the lau- second voyage, to devote its final third to the rels. But then, what if the artist misidentified his great work itself, the Flora graeca. model plant? After all, the fact that Canadian mint This is not therefore the small brother of the intended to show their national maple leaves on big book, but rather, its humbler companion and their one-cent coins does not turn the plane twig complement. It highlights selected points of the appearing on these coins into a maple twig, does Flora graeca saga, lining them up like beads on a it? thread but avoiding the complex, carefully struc- I was a bit disappointed at Baumann’s re- tured, many-layered pattern of the main volume. peating the old legend, long proven wrong, of the Among its illustration, incidentally, there are Cretan date palm (Phoenix theophrasti) not about ten that are not shown in the earlier publi- maturing its fruits and having been introduced by cation, mostly reproductions in colour of Flora man from North Africa. Otherwise, his rich knowl- graeca plates. W.G.
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Herbaria and Libraries not only on an exhaustive search of a widely scattered literature, but also on letters and un- published manuscripts in the archives of the 49. Vincent PONCET – L’herbier Dominique Natural History Museum in Grenoble, of which Villars (1745-1814). Préface du professeur several samples ave been reproduced in facsimile. G. G. Aymonin. [Série Inventaire des Collec- There is an extensive discussion of the annota- tions du Muséum de Grenoble]. – Muséum tions found in the Villar herbarium and of their d’Histoire Naturelle de la Ville de Grenoble, many authors, with ample photographic docu- Grenoble, 1999 (ISBN 2-906098-05-1). 200 mentation of handwritten notes by early French pages, illustrations, graph and map in colour and Italian botanists. There is also a generous and black-and-white; flexible cover. Price: 150 sample of colour plates reproducing a selection of FF. c. 40 of Villars’s herbarium sheets, two dozen If we look up TL-2 to find out what is known more being shown in black-and-white. Among the of Villars’s herbarium, we find the following documented rare literature items is the 1864 edi- statement: “Villar’s library and collections were tion, in 60 copies, of an extract of a Bérard manu- offered to the University of Strasbourg by Domi- script dated 1654 (still extant in full), which publi- nique Villars Jr. [...] The French government de- cation appears to have been ignored so far by clined the offer and the collections may have botanical bibliographers. been split afterwards. [...] At least part of the In short, this book is a mine of information, of herbarium reached Grenoble again (or remained data well presented and suitably arranged for there).” easy consultation. It fills a real gap in our knowl- This book will tell you the full story, and edge, being a major contribution to the study of much more. The city of Grenoble did indeed ac- early French and Central European botany. Yet, quire Villars’s herbarium in 1827, paying exactly as all works of its kind and importance, it raises half the price that Strasbourg had been asked to many more questions than it can answer. Many pay. As far as is known, this was the complete details regarding the original state and subse- herbarium, consisting of 4000 specimens and, quent re-shapings of Villars’s herbarium are still originally, 2732 of the 2744 species listed in Vil- unknown and may well remain so forever. The lars’s main work, the Histoire des plantes du quoted documents mention substantial Villars Dauphiné – as Villar himself noted in a letter to collections of lower cryptogams, bryophytes in Lapeyrouse. Following repeated restructuring particular, but nothing is written (nor perhaps and rearrangement, and after some undocu- known) of their fate and present whereabouts. mented losses, the herbarium now comprises 2675 Also, there is a number of other historical collec- sheets (often with multiple specimens on each) tions at Grenoble that appear to be unworked at representing 2644 vascular plant species. present, and whose contents and importance are The book, in its core, provides a full and scarcely known. It is my hope and wish that the complete account of the herbarium’s contents, present book may mark the start of renewed inter- with specimen data, plus a list of the 157 species est and action centred on these old botanical from Dauphiné (including over 50 newly de- treasures, of which many more may exist in vari- scribed by Villars) that are now lacking. Also, at ous parts of France. W.G. the end, there is a list of Villars specimens that have been traced in other herbaria. Sadly, there is 50. Piero CUCCUINI & Chiara NEPI – Herba- virtually no overlap between two lists, the single rium Centrale Italicum (phanerogamic sec- exception being Astragalus depressus L. which is tion): the genesis and structure of a herbar- lacking in Grenoble but present in P-JU. ium. The main collections, the collectors, the Even if it were limited to the mentioned items, handwriting samples and the personnel in its this would be an invaluable book. There is much 150-year history. – Sezione Botanica “F. Par- more to it, however: detailed data on Villars him- latore”, Museo di Storia Naturale, Università self, his life and work, his contemporaries and di Firenze, Firenze, 1999. 466 pages, black- correspondents, and those who subsequently and-white illustrations, facsimiles, graphs; worked on his collections. These data are based, hard cover. Price: 80,000 Lit.
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (33) Publications
Basically, this book is an “adult” version of a present gaps but would not have permitted direct 1992 publication by the same author team (see label verification: the herbarium’s accession OPTIMA Newsletter 30: (51). 1996). At the core of books and acquisition records. both is an enumeration of collectors represented The collectors’ list now comprises 1564 in the phanerogam section of the general herbar- names. It does not cover the separately kept ium at FI, arranged first alphabetically by collec- Webb Herbarium (for which an independent list tors’ names then geographically by areas of col- exists, compiled by Steinberg in 1977), nor the lecting; and both include facsimile reproductions Tropical (formerly Colonial) Herbarium kept at the of hand-written label texts. Also, the description same location but administratively independent of the major and some of the minor individual (FT), nor as I just said the cryptogamic sections herbaria that were acquired by or donated to FI except for the early collectors mentioned by Parla- en bloc is present in both. The new book is, tore in 1874. Even so, the list is obviously far from however, greatly expanded and improved in sev- complete. This is true to an even higher degree eral respects over its predecessor. Also, it is a for geographical coverage: for example, Antonio nicely bound hardcover volume printed on good Baldacci (of whom FI has one of the best speci- quality paper, not just a cheap brochure. men sets) is given as having collected in Albania, The introductory and explanatory matter has but neither in Greece nor Crete. Also, the list has been much expanded and Italian summaries have some inexplicable errors, such as A. Cunningham been added to the individual chapters. There is consistently misspelled “Cummingham”, with an extensive historical section, in which the even Parlatore’s correct entry mis-corrected. Such growth of the herbarium over time in terms of shortcomings should be borne in mind by the accessions, the estimated specimen numbers and user, but do not detract substantially from the number of different collectors, are discussed and work’s obvious merits. represented graphically; and in which the suc- The most important, immensely useful part of cession of directors, technical and curatorial staff the book are however the facsimile reproductions is laid out, jointly with the changing affiliation of hand-written labels. They of much better within the University, its botanical institute and printing quality than in the earlier version, and are natural history museum, reflecting the herbar- reproduced in full not only as cuttings limited to ium’s ups and downs in terms of credit, function, the collector’s own handwriting (now foreign and funding. annotations are maintained but flagged as such). The complex methodology used to compile In addition, and most importantly, their number the data is described in some detail. The basic has very substantially increased: from 20 to no sample used to compile the collectors’ data com- less than 483, corresponding to 465 different prised a careful selection of 150 species (55 gen- collectors. This is probably now the richest single era) with c. 10,000 specimens. Extant databases botanical handwriting documentation in existence relating to specific families (Ranunculaceae) or – a most valuable tool for any herbarium taxono- local floras of Tuscany (e.g. Monte Argentario, mist. W.G. Giglio Island) were screened for further collectors. Also, some literature searches were performed, 51. Paola LIVI & Andrea DE PASQUALE – Il mostly of recent floristic publications relating to fondo antico della bibliteca del Museo Civico Italy. Finally, those collectors that had not been di Storia Natuzrale di Milano. Catalogo delle so spotted but were listed in Parlatore’s 1874 edizioni die secoli XV-XVII. [Natura (Mi- inventory (see OPTIMA Newsletter 30: (59). 1996) lano), 89(1)]. – Società Italiana di Scienze were added. Except for additions from the last Naturali, Milano, 2000. 112 pages, black-and- source, which is unspecific as to specimens in- white and colour illustrations; paper. volved and includes the cryptogamic collections as well, the relevant labels were checked and The old books collection of the Natural His- documented, which was from the beginning the tory Museum in Milano is not impressively rich – deliberate aim and policy of the authors. This presumably for two reasons. First, the Museum’s explains why an obvious potential data source origin is fairly recent, as it was founded as late as was not used, which would have filled many 1838. Second, the library was severely depleted
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by war events, perhaps not so much by the fire The present book is not what the title sug- that destroyed the Museum in 1943, as most of gests, a plain straightforward index to collectors the library had been evacuated, but mainly be- represented in the FR herbarium. It is more and cause when the war was over only part of the also less than that. It is an assemblage of 6 pa- books came safely back to their shelves, the pers by different authors, all in German with short remainder having mysteriously disappeared. The English summaries, as follows. (1) Conert, the list of the old books no longer extant, officially volume editor, has written a short introduction, considered as “burnt”, is given at the end of the giving a concise overview of the fates, develop- present booklet and comprises 89 entries, in- ment and governance of the FR botanical collec- cluding the two oldest books the library ever tions. The next following papers give full ac- possessed: two Venice editions of Pliny’s Natu- counts of the two early important accessions and ral history, both in Italian, dated 1469 and 1489. the persons responsible for them. (2) Rüppell and his plants, mentioned above, are presented by What now remains or has been newly ac- Lobin who enumerates 116 new species based quired totals 113 items, published between c. 1497 partly or totally on that material, with their (poten- (a Hortus sanitatis printed in Strasbourg) and tial) nomenclatural types and presently correct 1699 (the Auctuarium rariorum of Jacobaeus, in names. (3) Baumann contributes an account of Copenhagen). They extend well beyond natural the Oekonomisch-technische Flora der Wetterau history but for the major part are zoological, with by Gärtner, Meyer & Scherbius (1799-1802), with some valuable botanical items that include the biographical notes on these three botanists and a editio princeps of Fuch’s Historia, of 1542, as concise tabular overview of the nearly complete well as works of Aldrovandi, Boccone, Dalé- FR set of voucher specimens for that Flora. (4) champs, Durante, Clusius, and Mattioli. Each item Next the collectors in the lichen, bryophyte and is presented in thorough bibliographic style. fungal sections are dealt with by Schöller & Kalt- Some of the plates or frontispieces are repro- hoff. Their paper includes an 18-page tabular duced in 16 facsimile plates of which 5 are botani- overview of historical (but undated) lichen cal: two from Fuchs, both coloured, including the specimens from Germany, an utterly unpalatable famous portraits of the artists and engraver; one item in the given context, which only makes one from Aldrovandi’s Dendrologia of 1668; and two wonder why in the two herbaria inventoried from the 1684 edition of Durante’s Herbario (Metzler’s and Will’s), less than 1300 of the c. nouo. W.G. 10,500 specimens are of German origin. (5) Re- deker presents a rather haphazard selection of what he considers to be the 100 most important 52. Hans Joachim CONERT (ed.) – Index collec- torum herbarii Senckenbergiani. [Courier collectors represented in FR, each with bio- Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, 217]. – bibliographical data and indication of the material Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesell- present, and for each, with the facsimile reproduc- schaft, Frankfurt a.M., 1999 (ISBN 3-929907- tion of a characteristic, often printed or typed 59-3). [8] + 201 pages, illustrations in black- label. This list is an curious mixture, ranging from and-white and colour, facsimiles; paper. donors of whole personal herbaria (which may include many “secondary” collectors), such as The herbarium of the Senckenberg Research Hupke’s with its 90,000 specimens, to bought Institute (FR), with c. 700,000 phanerogamic and sets of universally known exsiccata series like 300,000 cryptogamic specimens, is one of the Billot’s “Flora Galliae et Germaniae exsiccata” or major plant collections in Germany. Even though Schultz’s “Herbarium normale”. (6) At the end, it did not exist before 1817, the year in which the compiled by Döring, there is the collectors’ index Senckenberg Natural History Society was foun- proper, or what remains of it once (most of) the ded, it includes several valuable, partly historical names mentioned under (4) or (5) have been collections, of which from a Mediterranean- eliminated. Oriental point of view Rüppell’s original material of N.E. African and Arabian plants described by Fresenius and a few others is the most important.
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (35) Publications
Please don’t misunderstand: this is a valu- Biological Systematics. The society had been able source of information, and I am sure I will founded at the end of 1997 in Berlin, with the aim often use it; also, there is much tedious and of bringing together taxonomists working in the thankless work behind this book, for which we various biological disciplines – botanical, zoo- must all be grateful – yet it leaves one with a logical, microbiological, palaeontological – not feeling of irritation. To start with, it is unusable only to exchange their experience and stimulate without the personal name index at the end, as a each other’s research but also, and perhaps prin- given collector may be listed in any or all of the cipally, to join forces so as to confer an improved three last papers. At a second look, one will find public image and enhanced political standing to unaccountable gaps in the lists: not the inevitable what in modern terms we like to call “biodiversity ones due to incomplete screening, but collectors research”. The Association still has a predomi- mentioned as being represented in a given her- nantly German membership but is international in barium (take Hupke’s as an example) but not scope, and intends to publish a new high-quality listed separately, nor even indexed. One has a international journal, “Organisms Systematics constant feeling of a disorderly and partly redun- and Evolution”, entirely in English and starting dant presentation, even though there have been its quarterly publication at the beginning of 2001. obvious efforts to keep redundancy at a mini- Let me – outside of the agenda proper – encour- mum. Well, at least Gärtner, Meyer, and Scherbius age all OPTIMA members with a more than local are honoured each by two full biographies, under research interest to join the Association, on (3) and (5), and as if to demonstrate that these are which details (including an application form) can independent texts and do not result from plagia- be found on the Internet (http://biosys- rism, Scherbius is credited with two different serv.biologie.uni-ulm.de/gfbs/stgfbs/ dates of birth, one month apart. The stepmotherly stgfbs.html). treatment of algae is particularly awkward, when one knows that until quite recently there was a Let us then turn back to the first annual special algal curator appointed at FR. His name, meeting of the Association. There were over 200 Mollenhauer, appears nowhere in the book except persons in attendance, and the scientific pro- among the literature references. Yet there are algal gramme condidtrd of 90 oral or poster presenta- collections at FR, and important ones (some col- tions. 32 of these, having been submitted for lectors such as Agardh, Brébisson, Kützing, publication and positively reviewed, form the Lyngbye, and Meneghini are given in the list, but present volume – a skilfully edited, well printed obviously only based on secondary literature book that strikes by the variety of its subjects sources, with no concrete FR collections being even more than by the high quality of its con- mentioned). W.G. tents. Botanical papers make up for slightly more than one third of the total. They include contribu- tions from mycology, lichenology, bryology, and Symposium proceedings phycology in addition to those on higher plants or on general topics. Among the latter, the open- ing keynote lecture by the Director of the 53. Dieter WALOSSEK (ed.) – Systematik im Rijksherbarium in Leiden, Peter Baas, must be Aufbruch. Tagungsband zur ersten Jahresta- highlighted: “Biodiversity research – from con- gung der Gesellschaft für Biologische Syste- vention via lip service to action?” Another note- matik in Bonn vom 17.-19. September 1998. worthy contribution (in German, the language [Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, that is still used in a majority of the papers, only 215]. – Senckenbergische Naturforschende 10 being in English) is Barthlott’s on global spe- Gesellschaft, Frankfurt a.M., 1999 (ISBN 3- cies diversity and its uneven distribution, the one 929907-57-7). [8] + 238 pages, illustrations in paper to be illustrated in colour (both maps and black-and-white and colour; paper. photographs). In conformity with the Associa- “Systematics setting off” is a slogan well tion’s declared goal, many of the zoological con- chosen to characterise the mood of the audience tributions are worth reading for anyone working at the first annual meeting of the Association for on the systematics and phylogeny of organisms.W.G.
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54. Bruno RAGONESE (ed.). – Flora e vegetazi- Society. 7° Panhellenic Scientific Conference. one degli Iblei. Atti del Convegno su “Flora e Proceedings. 1-4 October 1998, Alexandrou- Vegetazione degli Iblei”, Noto, 26-27 ottobre polis, Municipality Theatre.] – Ellênikê Bo- 1996. [Phoenix Collana di Ecologia, 7]. – tanikê Etaireia, Thessalonikê [1999?]. 359 Accademia Gioenia di Scienze Naturali, pages, black-and-white illustrations, graphs, Catania, 1998. 446 pages, black-and-white il- tables; paper. lustrations, graphs, maps, tables; paper. Price: 30,000 Lit. This is the Proceedings volume for the 7th National Symposium of the Greek Botanical Soci- The Hyblean region corresponds to the S.E. ety, held in Alexandroupolis in October 1998. The angle of Sicily: a loosely defined territory includ- 184 participants were offered 37 oral and 52 ing the Provinces of Syracuse and Ragusa plus poster presentations, of which 28 and 42, respec- some adjoining areas, with at its core a high ta- tively, are included in this volume in the form of bleland also known as the Hyblean mountains, either summaries or short papers. The Greek lan- which are in fact rather hills, not quite reaching guage dominates, only one out of 70 texts being 1000 m of altitude in Mt Lauro. A project has in English, but an English version of the abstract been formed to protect parts of this area by de- is present in a most of the contributions. The claring it a National Park, and in this context the volume is undated and may have been published Fauna of Sicily Corporation (Ente Fauna Siciliana) in 1999, although I received my copy only this sponsored a twin symposium, the first in 1995 on year. the fauna and the second in the following year on The lectures were presented in 5 sessions: flora and vegetation of the region. The present Cell biology (6), Systematics, floristics and vege- volume, with the proceedings of the 1996 confer- tation science (8), Ecophysiology and education ence, is altogether a kind of botanical monograph [!] (5), Aquatic botany (3), and Ecology (6). The of the whole area. poster presentations are arranged in a thematic The symposium was dominated by the bota- sequence but without subtitles. A complete sur- nists of the University of Catania, to whom most vey is not possible here, so I will limit myself to of the authors belong. There are two introductory mentioning some items which, I believe, are of papers on physical geography and climate, plus general interest. 16 botanical papers, some of them on special In Session 2, Maloupa & al. present the proj- topics but others quite general in scope. Among ect of a new botanical garden with research facili- the latter are a survey of phytogeography, by ties in Nomos Kilkis, Central Macedonia, where Brullo & al., that includes an enumeration of the on an area of 30 ha the indigenous flora of the vascular flora; an overview of the vegetation with Balkan Peninsula is to be shown; the “Balkan a syntaxonomic digest, also by Brullo & al.; a Botanical Garden of Pontokerasia” is presently presentation of the 19 species and subspecies under construction, being funded by an EU grant endemic to the area, by Bartolo & al.; and contri- and the Greek Ministry of Agriculture. Chitos butions on the bryophytes (by Puglisi), macro- announces the discovery, in Epirus, of three spe- fungi (by Buda), lichens (by Grillo), and seaweeds cies new to the Greek flora, including the shrub (by Giaccone & Di Martino), the three latter again Petteria ramentacea. Kypriotakis & al. survey with species lists. Other papers deal with special the chasmophitic vegetation of Crete, foreshad- areas (e.g. Mt Lauro) or vegetation types (e.g. owing the formal recognition of 5 new associa- woodlands) or with particular taxa (e.g. orchids, tions – curiously without mentioning Zaffran’s the recently discovered Sicilian Zelkova, and the seminal work of 1982 in which several associa- long famous Sicilian occurrence of Cyperus pa- tions are described that partly overlap with the pyrus). W.G. newly proposed ones. Tan & Iatrou (in the vol- ume’s sole English paper) announce the publica- 55. Anonymous (ed.). – Ellênikê Botanikê Etai- tion of a three-volume treatise on the Greek en- reia. 7° Panellênio Epistêmoniko Sunedrio. demic flora (c. 760 species, or 1280 taxa), of which Praktika. 1-4 Oktôbriou 1998, Alexandrou- vol. 1 will be devoted to the endemics found in polê, Dêmotiko Theatro. [Hellenic Botanical the Peloponnese.
September 2000 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 35 (37) Publications
Among the posters there are two on taxo- not even attempt at going into any detail here. Let nomic subjects, both only in the form of summa- me just mention as a general fact that for the ries: a revision of Greek Aethionema by Kamari & purpose of the present Symposium the Balkans Constantinidis (6 species, of which five are local; have, for once, been extended to include the A. polygaloides is relegated to synonymy); and a whole of Anatolia plus, marginally, Azerbaijan.W.G. synopsis of Limonium taxa on the islands of Kithira and Andikithira, by Artelari & Georgiou (9 species, two of which have yet to be described). Of several contributions to floristics and phyto- 57. G. NAKHUTSRISHVILI & O. ABDALADZE geography I will mention three: Arampatzis & al. (ed.) – Plant life in high-mountains. Pro- give new N. Greek locality data, with specimen ceedings of Kazbegi IV International Symp o- citations, for 14 rare or critical taxa (including sium (9-14 June, 1996). – Tbilisi, Institute of Cistus albanicus which, due to lack of considera- Botany, Georgian Academy of Sciences, tion for Balkan botanists by the pertinent nomen- 1998. 144 pages, tables, maps, graphs; paper. clature committee, will now have to become known as C. sintenisii); Strid & Tsanoudakis There are a few places where Georgia reaches enumerate 68 phanerogamic taxa that are new northward beyond the main watershed line of the records for the Island of Samothraki, without Caucasus. One of them is the upper part of the locality data; and Konstantinou & al. present an Terek River valley, along which the main classical account of the endemic element of the flora of Mt route crossing the Central Caucasus runs. Here Athos. W.G. lies Kazbegi, in an area already explored in the second half of the 18th century by early Russian botanists such as Gueldenstaedt and Marschall 56. Anonymous (ed.). – Second Balkan Botan- von Bieberstein. The Institute of Botany of the ical Congress. Abstracts. Ýstanbul, Turkey, Georgian Academy of Sciences has a Mountain May 14-18, 2000. – Tübitak, Istanbul, 2000. Ecology Station there, in which international [4] + 249 pages; paper. symposia on (various?) high mountain subjects The Second Balkan Botanical Congress, held were organised in 1977, 1984, 1990, and now again earlier this year in Istanbul under the motto in 1996. With the new Regional Centre of Eco- “Plants of the Balkan Peninsula: into the next logical Education now available, thanks to fund- millennium”, followed upon the first such con- ing by the World Wide Fund and the German gress in Salonica in 1997 (see OPTIMA Newslet- Ministry for Technical Co-operation, it is planned ter 34: (26). 1999) and renewed its success story. to hold such symposia on an almost yearly basis. Judging from the 454 abstracts reproduced in the present volume the attendance was overwhelm- The 1996 Symposium was devoted to plant ingly large, even though not all lectures and ecology and was attended by 19 botanists of five posters were eventually presented as announced. different countries: besides Georgia, Germany, The scientific programme consisted of 7 thematic France, Italy and the USA were represented. The Sections (1 and 2 twinned) plus 3 plenary lectures 16 papers delivered at the symposium are in- and a common, concluding panel discussion, cluded, plus 7 brief reports contributed subse- each Section including both oral and poster pres- quently. All are written in English except one, entations; the former being delivered in three which is in German, and all have Grusinian ab- parallel sessions. The Section of major interest in stracts so that the reader can admire the coun- an OPTIMA context is the twin one, No. 1 & 2, on try’s beautiful if exotic script. The subjects “Balkan flora, vegetation and conservation; tax- treated range from classical vegetation studies to onomy, geobotany and evolution”, to which 116 reproductive biology, population dynamics, eco- intended presentations (33 oral, 83 posters) per- physiology, and history of the vegetation. Four tain, plus Heywood’s keynote lecture on the of the papers are by foreign guests and present assessment, conservation and sustainability of studies carried out in various parts of the Alps; Balkan plant diversity. As it is the organisers’ the remainder, by local botanists, concern the intention to publish the proceedings in full, I will Caucasus. W.G.
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