Review by Choice Review
This new edition (1st ed., CH, Dec'90, 28-2143) of Plant Taxonomy is long overdue. The book has the feel of a textbook and can serve as an excellent resource for an advanced biosystematics course. However, it will have a much wider appeal among evolutionary botanists and can also serve as a reference book for professionals working in the field. Stuessy (Univ. of Vienna, Austria) has organized the volume into two parts and five sections. Part 1, "Principles of Plant Taxonomy," contains an excellent section titled "Different Approaches to Biological Classification," which provides good coverage of various methods. The "Concepts of Categories" section is a must read for master's and doctoral students taking written or oral exams, who will ultimately be asked to comment on the concept of a species. This reviewer also liked part 2, "Taxonomic Data," which makes the book appropriate for all faculty and students working in a variety of disciplines that contribute to determining the taxonomic position of plants. The last section in this part, "The Handling of Data," addresses an often-neglected aspect of phylogenetic analysis. An added bonus of the work is the lengthy citation list (129 pages). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. M. S. Zavada East Tennessee State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
