Front Range Seed Analysts
1994 Seed Forum Volume 8 Number 4
BOOK REVIEWS
Chronquist, Arthur. Intermountain Flora, Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. Volume Five: ASTERALES. The New York Botanical Garden. c. 1994. 496 pages. 8"x11" Hardcover. about $75.00.
This is the long awaited volume in the Intermountain Flora series. Finally, a whole book on Asteraceae alone. Though Dr. Chronquist died in 1992, the text for this volume was complete and he had read through the first proofs. An addenda by Noel Holmgren contains several species newly described since 1992 or omitted in Chronquist's inventory. There are line drawings of the plants on nearly half the pages in the book. Many of the drawings include details of the seeds. Though the seed drawings are not "seed analyst" quality, they may help analysts see if they are in the ballpark regarding identification. This book is a must for those seeking to improve their seed collections by collecting seeds from the wild. I plan to use the book to learn more about which genera are grouped together in the tribes and subtribes of this large family. I have often wished for a college course dealing solely with Asteraceae. Perhaps this book will encourage more universities to offer one.
(Colorado Native Plant Society members can purchase the book at a discount)
Komarek, Susan. Flora of the San Juans; A Field Guide to the Mountain Plants of Southwestern Colorado. c. 1994. 244 pages. paperback. $18.95.
This book is perfect for casual botanizing in the mountains
of southern Colorado (and northern New Mexico). This book will definately
be in my backpack the next time I'm in the region. The author provides
300 of her own line drawings of the plants and 64 color photographs.
At a glance, the keys look amateur-friendly. The illustrated glossary on
each inside cover is handy for those of us who, for example, can't remember
what "salverform" petals look like. Like most field guides, seed
information is almost non-existent. The terminology section has a
brief pronunciation guide for scientific names; this is something most
guides omit. A partial list follows:
ae e as in meet
ui ui as in ruin
au aw as in awe
y most often pronounced i as
ei ei as in height
in pit
eu u as in flute
c c as in car when
ii e as in meet
preceeding a, o, or u
(may pronounce twice)
c as in center when
oe e as in meet
preceeding e, i, or y
(except if referring to surnames) ch k as in kite
oi oy as in toy
g g as in game before a, o or u
ua in some cases ua
as in aquatic g as in ginger before e, i, or y
Compiled by Annette Logan