Michigan Flora, Part III, Dicots (Pyrolaceae—Compositae) by Edward G. Voss

3 Pages·1996·1.3 MB·English

by  Review By: Tom S Cooperrider

460 Rhodora
98
[Vol.
RHODORA,
No. 460-462, 1996
Vol. 98, 896,
pp.
BOOK
REVIEW
—
Michigan Flora, Part IIL Dicots (PyroJaceae Compositae) by
Edward G. Voss. 1996. xix + 622 771 maps, 266 line
pp.
drawings, 8 color plates. $15.00 (cloth). Cranbrook Institute
Michigan
of Science Bulletin 61 and University of Herbari-
Ann
um, Arbor, MI.
begun more 40 book
Part of a project than years ago, this
monumental
completes a study of the seed plants of Michigan.
Edward
Michigan Flora, Part by G. Voss, an excellent
III, is
gym-
book an excellent Part (Voss 1972) covered the
in series. I
nosperms and monocots, Part (Voss apetalous and
II 1985), the
polypetalous dicots, Part the sympetalous dicots. Save for the
III,
from Michigan
absence of the pteridophytes the series, three
its
parts parallel both in coverage and family sequence the three
and Brown
volumes of Gleason's (1952) Britton Illustrated
A^^u'
Flora.
Voss
In the course of the requisite research for the three books,
more specimens from
studied than a quarter million collected
He
Michigan during the 19th and 20th centuries. estimates that
the number of Michigan specimens in the state's several herbaria
A
has more than doubled over the past 40 years. similar estimate
would likely be valid for most states of the Midwest. In the
all,
maps
three books contain county dot distribution for ca. 2,450
species, each dot substantiated by at least one of the herbarium
The maps
specimens. with and
are rich dots, the distribution pat-
some
terns they display interesting and in cases provocative.
cire
They
remind one of the need for an atlas of plant distribution
Manual
covering of Gray's range (Fernald
the states the
all
1950).
Michigan Flora, Part III treats the plants of 33 dicot families,
those of the large family Compositae or Asteraceae occupying
40%
taxonomic The
about of the text. text includes thorough,
usually multi-charactered, dichotomous keys for species identifi-
cation. The keys are often augmented by discussion of additional
character-state differences, combinations, and nuances that further
and
serve to distinguish the various species, hybrids, infraspecific
The comprehensive some
taxa. habitat statements will also, in
—
Book Review 461
1996]
of unknowns. About one-third of
cases, aid in the identification
and/or
m
some
photographs of 50 of
with eight plates of attractive color
the species. The section closes with a set of master keys to fam-
woody
ihes and to special groups, e.g., aquatic plants, plants,
Michigan
covering three parts of the Flora,
all
and
Nuggets abound discussion of individual genera spe-
in the
A
few examples a brief history of the harvesting of
cies. are:
common World War
milkweed
from during
the seeds of II
floss
Hemp
War
by ''Milkweed Floss Division of Industries/'
the
Cyno-
headquartered Petoskey, Michigan; the speculation that
at
Henry
was borage noted by
glossiim boreale the blue-flowered
Michigan
David Thoreau during his travels in in 1861; a discus-
sion of the commercial growing of peppermint in Michigan, in-
Mentha
town
cluding notes on the estciblishment of the of
most
whose post office closed in 1954; the observation that in
when ma-
Michigan species of Viburnum a fruit purple-black
is
may when some
green"
"although be red (ouch!);
ture, it it is
name
thoughts on the gender of the generic Bidens\ a discourse
comments on
on taxonomic problems genus Aster, and the
in the
the spread'' of the European thistle Cirsium pahistre into
''tragic
wetlands.
natural
The three-part Michigan Flora will be of great value to pro-
and botany students dealing with plants of the
fessional botanists
Midwest, Northeast, and Ontario. will be of great utility to
the
It
work them
individuals whose interest or brings into contact
all
such those concerned with the
with the region's plant as
life,
occurrence of
identity of plants growing in wetlands or lakes, the
between and
or wildflowers, the relationship plants insects
trees
between and and the preservation of rare species
or plants soils,
"A
Voss an
or important natural areas. flora," as writes, "is in-
ventory or census of a basic resource."
LITHRATURE CrFFD
Book
American
Fernal]^ M. 1950. Gray's Manual of Botany, 8th cd.
L.
New
York.
Co.,
New
Brown
Gleason, H. a. 1952. The Britton and Illustrated Flora of the
New
Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The York Botan-
NY.
Garden, Bronx,
3 vol.
ical
Gymnospcrms
and Monocots.
Michigan
Voss, G. 1972, Flora, Part
E.
I,
462
Rhodora
[Vol. 98
Cranbrook
Institute of Science Bulletin 55 and University of Michigan
ML
Ann
Herbarium,
— Arbor,
—
Michigan
1985. Flora, Part Dicots (Saururaceae Cornaccac).
II,
,
Cranbrook
Institute of Science Bulletin 59 and University oi Michigan
Ann
Herbarium,
Arbor, MI.
—
Tom
CoopcRRiDnR, Department
S. of Biological Sciences, Kent
OH
44242
State University, Kent,
Note:
and
Parts are available for $12.50 each from
I II the
N
Cranbrook Woodward
Institute of Science, 1221 Ave., Box
P.O.
MI
801, Bloomfield, 48303-0801 (phone [phone]
810-
or
645-3203).—
£^/.