Review

This is a first-rate, beautifully produced book, the contents and presentation of which are an example to all local flora writers. I use the phrase ‘local flora’ with hesitation; Arkansas is larger than the whole of England by 3000sq. miles I Introductory chapters, brief yet to the point, explain ferns and allied plants to the naturalist and layman; an illustrated glossary is a plus; pteridophyte distribution and ecology, discussed naturally in an Arkansas context, make interesting reading. A well illustrated key is given to the 32 genera included. The bulk of the book is given to descriptions of these genera, keys to the 78 species found in Arkansas, and clear descriptions with a full page line-drawing of each species by one of the leading botanical artists of the present time. Not only is each page beatifully laid out but the close-up drawings are accurate and show what is required. As so many of the species are either grown in Britain or related to the European flora I expect the book to be as useful on this sides of the Atlantic as on the other.