BRYONET: new bryophyte books

BRYONET
The New York Botanical Garden Press is pleased to offer two new titles
for Fall 2009:
Peat Mosses of the Southeastern United States
Lewis E. Anderson=86, A. Jonathan Shaw, and Blanka Shaw
2009 / 126 pp. / $42 / Order no. M10200
Sphagnum, commonly known as peat moss, is widely used in
agriculture, horticulture, and floriculture. Living plants are colorful
and add much to the beauty of wetlands. It takes little training to
recognize the genus, and most of the sections are almost as easy to
recognize. Yet they are scarcely noticed by field botanists, and even
bryologists tend to avoid them; they have a reputation of being
taxonomically difficult but this applies only to a subset.
There are few taxonomic treatments of Sphagnum in North America,
yet it is a fascinating genus whose species comprise an integral part of
nearly all fresh-water wetlands. Almost all significant critical
taxonomic characters are microscopic and require dissections and
staining, which can, with a little practice, be easily self-taught. Even
with a moderate amount of field experience, however, a novice can learn
to recognize sections and some species in the field with certainty
(although there are many species that even experts cannot distinguish
without a compound microscope). All field identifications need to be
confirmed microscopically. This volume will aid those who venture into
identifying peat mosses.

Guide to the Plants of Central French Guiana
Part 4. Liverworts and Hornworts
S. Robbert Gradstein and Anna Luiza Ilkiu-Borges
2009 / 144 pp. / $52 / Order no. M76P04
This hepatic flora of central French Guiana is based on the study
of about 1500 collections made by many different collectors. All species
are keyed, described, and illustrated. Brief descriptions of the
habitats of the species and of the lowland cloud forest of central
French Guiana are also provided.
The flora consists of 175 species of liverworts in 59 genera and
17 families and 2 species of hornworts (2 genera, 2 families). The
Lejeuneaceae are the most important family with 117 species in 37
genera. Eight new taxa are introduced.
This much-anticipated volume is the fourth and final part of the
Guide to the Plants of Central French Guiana.
In addition, NYBG Press is offering a very special price on the entire
four-volume Guide to the Plants of Central French Guiana. Purchase all
four books for $128 -- a savings of $62 over the list price of $190. The
set comprises 1,674 pages and 200 color plates. Part 1 treats
pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and monocotyledons; Part 2 covers the
dicotyledons; Part 3 deals with mosses; and the newly published Part 4
covers liverworts and hornworts.
To order, call 718/817.5992
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William R. Buck
Institute of Systematic Botany
New York Botanical Garden
Bronx, NY 10458-5126, U.S.A.
phone: 718-817-8624
fax: 718-817-8648

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