Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeografthie

Abstract

IT is a question whether German serials devoted in part or wholly to botanical bibliography are not becoming too numerous, but, be that as it may, this new venture is so circumscribed in its scope that it recommends itself to a large section of botanists in this country whose labours are to a great extent within its scope. Engler's “Botanische Jahrbücher” are to be exclusively devoted to systematical, historical, and geographical botany, and will contain original articles in English, French, or German, as well as a review of current literature. Under Dr. Engler's painstaking editorship we think success should attend the undertaking. The parts are not to appear at fixed intervals, nor necessarily to be uniform in size; but the limit of the interval is from three to six months, and of the size three to four sheets. The contributors to the first part are:—Oswald Heer, on the history of the ginkgo-like trees; Alphonse de Candolle, on some points of botanical nomenclature; Eug. Warming, on the results of recent investigations of the flora of Greenland; O. Beccari, on the phytogeography of the Malayan Peninsula; A. Engler, diagnoses of some new Burseraceœ and Anacardiaceæ, and a review of the more important botanical works published in 1879. It should be mentioned that the contributions of A. de Candolle and O. Beccari are abstracts of and extracts from what has appeared elsewhere, though this fact does not diminish their value. On the contrary, they are thus brought to the knowledge of many who would otherwise not have an opportunity of reading them.