The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants by K.

(Klaus) Kubitzki; The Families and Genera of

Vascular Plants Vol. 6. Flowering Plants • Dicotyledons: Celastrales, Oxalidales, Rosales,
Cornales, Ericales by K. (Klaus) Kubitzki; The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants Vol. 7.
Flowering Plants • Dicotyledons: Lamiales (Except Acanthaceae including Avicenniaceae) by J.
(Joachim) W. Kadereit
Review by: Rudolf Schmid
Taxon, Vol. 54, No. 2 (May, 2005), p. 574
Published by: International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT)
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25065407 .
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Schmid Reviews and notices TAXON 54 (2) May 2005: 573-590

future, although both books arrived in Berkeley on 22 April 2005, The five previously published volumes are: 1, Pteridophytes

a full 254 days before 1 January 2006. The Stem effort is cranked and gymnosperms, 28 Sep. 1990; 2, Flowering plants: Dicotyle
out relentlessly triennially: 1979, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, dons: Magnoliid, hamamelid and caryophyllid families, 28 July
1997, 2000, 2003, 2006. The Graham et al. text is also advancing 1993; 3, Idem: Monocotyledons: Lilianae (except Orchidaceae),
forward on the usual three-year cycle: 2003, 2006. The obvious 27 Aug. 1998; 4, Idem: Idem: Alismatanae and Commelinanae

purpose of such frequent editions, that is, such planned obsoles (except Gramineae), 27 Aug. 1998; 5, Dicotyledons: M?lvales,

cence, is to maximize sales and, concomitantly, to denude stu Capparales and non-betalain Caryophyl?ales, 12 Sep. 2003. [For
dent's wallets. By the by, both books bear scandalously naked end previous parts of the series see Taxon 52: 656, and for reviews of
?
papers. Rudolf Schmid, UC volumes 1 to 2 see, respectively, R. Schmid, P.F. Stevens, Taxon

40: 361,43: 517-518.] In sum, this is a beautifully executed, much

?
Kubitzki, K. (Klaus) (ed.). 1990- The families and genera of praised, extensive, and expensive series. Rudolf Schmid, UC

vascular plants. Springer, Berlin (www.springer.de): Idem (ed.).

21 Jan. 2004. Vol. 6. Flowering plants Dicotyledons: Celastrales, Lepp, George D. Jan. 2004. Golden poppies of California: In cel

Oxalidales, Rosales, Cornales, Ericales, xi, 489 pp., ill., ISBN ebration of our state flower. Lepp and Associates, Los Osos (www
3540065121. Kadereit, J. (Joachim) W. (ed.). Apr. 2004. Vol. 7. .goldenpoppies.com). 151, [1] pp, ill. (most col.), 313x237 mm,
Idem Idem: Lam?ales (except Acanthaceae including Avicenni ISBN 0963731325, HB, $120.00, ISBN 0963731327, PB, $35.00.
?
aceae). ix, 478 pp., ill. (some col), ISBN 3540405933. Each: Contents: intro; state fl.; fl. colors; associates; where to see;
? no biblio,
276x202 mm, HB, 213.00. Contents each: intro, w/ keys (by cult.; photo.; index.

ed.); general biblio.; tax. pt. (various authors); index. Fifteen years in the making, Golden poppies of California is

Volumes 6 and 7 are the latest volumes in this excellent a spectacular atlas by master-photographer Lepp. The book pays
series. Volume 6 treats 48 families?Actinidiaceae-Theophrasta tribute to Eschscholzia californica or California poppy, which,
ceae, the most extensive treatments being of Ericaceae by P.F. because of the longtime advocacy of botanist Sara Allen Plummer

Stevens et al. (50 pp.), Rosaceae by C. Kalkman (44 pp.), and Lemmon (1836-1923), the wife of Berkeley botanist John Gill
Celastraceae by M.P. Simmons (36 pp.); there are 137 figures. Lemmon (1832-1908), in 1903 became the official stateflower of
Volume 7 treats 24 families?Bignoniaceae-Verbenaceae, the California the "Golden State," incidentally, the official state nick

most extensive treatments being of Labiatae by R.M. Harley et al. name since 1968. In contrast, there is some ambiguity about the

(109 pp.), Scrophulariaceae by E. Fischer (100 pp.), and origin of this sobriquet. Some sources attribute it to the discovery

Gesneriaceae by A. Weber (96 pp.); there are 60 figures, 8 in color. of gold inCalifornia in 1848. Others attribute it to the ubiquitous
The from the back covers state: ness and beauty of Eschscholzia, which Lepp so artfully depicts.
descriptions
And other sources this is the tale Tom Duncan and I've
[Involume 6] 48 flowering plant families comprising a yet (and
... favored) attribute the moniker to the sere, golden color of
total of 712 genera represent the newly designed eurosid
California's grasslands and oak woodlands that results after the
orders Celastrales, Oxalidales and Rosales and the asterid
introduced Mediterranean-Region annual grasses die off late in the
orders Cornales and Ericales. The recognition of these ordi

nal concepts is the result of numerous recent gene sequence spring. [A fourth possibility is the Golden Gate, the entrance to
San Francisco Bay, so named by John Fremont in 1846.] Perhaps
analyses which, for the first time in angiosperm systematics,
a reliable con it is the difference, respectively, between golden yellow, golden
have provided higher order classification. The
orange, and golden brown; whatever the case, California is gold
cept of Ericales is largely expanded beyond its conventional
en, though some dolefully maintain that the golden California
limits to make itmonophyletic and now includes parts of the
dream is tarnishing.
erstwhile Ebenales, Lecythidales, Primulales and other

orders. The revised circumscription of families such as Lepp's splendid testimonial is graced with poetic text by him
and notables such as naturalist and conservationist John Muir,
Ericaceae, Celastraceae and Cunoniaceae owes much to the
writer John Steinbeck, and painter Marc Chagall. There is also
application of recent molecular studies, and for the same rea
some useful but rather prosaic ecological and morphological infor
son in the primulalean families, a complete remodeling of
mation here. Overall, text is sparse to let speak the truly
family limits is proposed. superb
more artistic than botanical, each of which is worth
[Involume 7] 24 flowering plant families comprising a photos?many
... at least a thousand words. Another attraction is the historical pho
total of 911 genera represent the asterid order Lamiales
tos sprinkled throughout the book. Annoyances are few: the table
except for Acanthaceae (including Avicenniaceae), which
of contents lacks page numbers; some of the landscapes lack place
will be included in a later volume. Although most of the con
names; a brief bibliography would have been useful. This book is
stituent families of the order have been recognized as being
?
related the inclusion of the families
an immense joy to savor. Rudolf Schmid, UC
closely long ago, Bybli
daceae, Carlemanniaceae and Plocospermataceae is the result
Li, Zhen-Yu & Wang, Yin-Zheng (chief eds.); Wang, Wen-Tsai
mainly of recent molecular systematic research. Keys for the
& Pan, Kai-Yu (chief referees). 2004. Plants of Gesneriaceae in
identification of all genera are provided [also in vol. 6], and
are discussed China [in Chin.]. Henan Science and Technology Publishing
likely phylogenetic relationships extensively....

574

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