Abstract
THE interest connected with the flora of the New England States lies in the fact that situated between Canada and the Alleghany Mountains they furnish the meeting point of a northern and a more southern flora. Since the book is limited to such a relatively small part of the country, it does not possess the general interest which would attach to one which included, for instance, the trees of all the eastern States. What it loses in comparative value, perhaps it gains in definiteness; it contains useful and succinct descriptions, good illustrations specially drawn, and states the horticultural value of all the indigenous species. The Latin nomenclature is satisfactory and correct, except in the case of a species of Acer, and for Quercus Muhlenbergii, which is considered by some authorities to be a variety of Quercus firinus; but the popular names are in utter confusion, and we cannot agree with the authors that it is wiser “to record what is, and not what ought to be.” Taking Populus balsamifera as an illustration, the names recorded are “Balsam. Poplar. Balm of Gilead.” Now this tree is certainly not a balsam, and Poputus candicans is the real Balm of Gilead; while the name balsam-poplar would be sensible and correct. Apart from this and within its limits, the book may be recommended either to enable one to identify the trees or to ascertain their characteristics. English readers will find that only about half-a-dozen species are the same as those indigenous to this country.
Handbook of the Trees of New England.
By L. L. Dame Henry Brooks. Pp. xv + 196. (Boston, U.S.A.:; Ginn and Co., 1902.)
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Handbook of the Trees of New England . Nature 67, 79 (1902). https://doi.org/10.1038/067079b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/067079b0