Book review

Volume 58A of the in 1981 started series Flora of Australia is the third volume dealing with lichens. Previous volumes concerning lichens were volume 54 (1992) which contained an introduction and Lecanorales 1, and volume 55 (1994) which dealt with Lecanorales 2, family Parmeliaceae. Apparently volume 56 and 57 are still on its way. In total 9 different authors from Austria, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden have contributed to the present volume. In total 10 illustrators and photographers made the book the attractive looking volume it now is. The following groups are treated: order Lecanorales family Sphaerophoraceae, Leotiales families Baeomycetaceae, and Icmadophilaceae, Lichinales family Peltulaceae, Patellariales family Arthrorhaphidaceae, Peltigerales family Lobariaceae, Trichotheliales family Myeloconaceae, Trichotheliaceae, and of the order Verrucariales family Verrucariaceae. Of each familie an extensive circumscription is given, followed by a key to the genera, an extensive genus description, per genus a key to the species and a description for each species including synonymy, references to illustrations and material studied. Literature references are given for each family and genus. Of a selected number of species drawings are given of the fruit-bodies and spores or asci. A distributionmap of each species makes the work complete. The high quality photographs of a limited number of species are bound together on two places in the book. In anticipation of the revision of more families of crustose pyrenocarpous lichens for future volumes of the Flora of Australia, a key is given to the genera of crustose pyrenocarpous lichens in Australia. Part of the crustose lichens is included in this volume, belonging to the orders Trichotheliales and Verrucariales.