This second volume of the magnificent compendium exhaustively describes and classifys the ferns, fern allies, and gymnosperms of North America. Covering over two dozen fern and half a dozen gymnosperm families, they survey fern species of both ecological and horticultural importance and review such gymnosperm taxa as the conifers (the dominant trees in many forests as well as important timber plants) and cycads, which display significant evolutionary features. In all, the volume assembles 509 species of ferns and fern allies and infraspecific taxa in 70 genera.

Although the only publication with a realistic claim to the title "The plant diver sity of Malesia" is Flora Malesiana itself, we have hesitatingly chosen this title for the present proceedings volume. Past, present and future work on the Flora Malesiana project was the subject of a successful symposium held in August 1989. This book contains only a selection of the papers presented at that meet ing, yet it covers a much greater diversity of themes than just the inventory of botanical diversity. It even goes beyond the boundaries of the vast Flora Malesi ana region in several of its chapters. The role of the founder of the Flora Malesiana Project, Professor C.G.G.J. van Steenis, repeatedly recurs in several chapters; not only as director of and contributor to the project, but also as a pioneer in the fields of Malesian vege tation, conservation and biogeography, and as an enlightened systematist whose ideas and practical recommendations for taxonomic delimitation still largely apply. Botanical information made available in regional and local floras is of vital im portance for applications such as the exploitation of natural forests on a sus tainable yield basis. for establishing gene banks for the benefit of agriculture. forestry and horticulture. and not in the least for nature conservation. Several chapters are devoted to these themes. Floristic studies are also at the basis of the biogeographical essays and vegetation studies included in this book.

The Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia) are an isolated group of volcanic hot spot islands in the SE Pacific Ocean. Intensive botanical exploration of the Marquesas for the Vascular Flora of the Marquesas Islands and Flore de la Polyn?sie fran?aise projects has resulted in numerous new collections. The nine precursor papers in this issue include three new combinations and descriptions of 18 new species and one new variety of ferns and flowering plants, bringing the total number of new species described in conjunction with these projects to 62. Most of these new species are extremely rare and localized, and they have been assigned preliminary IUCN Red List ratings of Endangered or Critically Endangered. This clearly demonstrates that field work and biological inventories are essential to enhance our knowledge of insular biodiversity and provide critical information for conservation of organisms and habitats. The Vascular Flora of the Marquesas Islands is a collaborative project between the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Smithsonian Institution, and D?l?gation ? la Recherche (French Polynesia) under the direction of David H. Lorence and Warren L. Wagner.

This book constitutes a unique, encyclopedic reference work that systematizes and categorizes for the first time in such comprehensive fashion all known fern spores. The dominant feature of the work are the over 350 plates of electron micrographs showing the morphological characteristics of typical representatives of each spore type. The purpose of the book is to provide a complete survey of the available data on the fine structure and composition, development, and evolu- tionary significance of different types of spore walls, which have proven resistant to fossilization throughout geological ages. The classification system developed by the authors as the result of many years of research will be a point of reference, if not "the" systematic basis, for all future publication on the subject. The book will be of great interest to all botanists and evolutionary biologists working with spores and/or ferns, but it will also be of major importance to paleobotanists, palynologists, stratigraphers, and exploration geologists, since the focus of this treatise is on spores as highly adapted and longlived reproductive forms.

介紹台灣全部729種的蕨類與相關植物。台灣是全球蕨類多樣性中心之一，在35,800平方公里的區域內，分佈了超過700種蕨類及類蕨類植物。 本書以圖文並茂的方式介紹台灣以及周圍小島的所有蕨類，包括： ‧ 目前已知的種類、亞種及混種。 ‧ 外來種。 ‧ 總數多達4,700張照片。 ‧ 提供精準可靠的辨認要訣以分類其科屬種。 ‧ 詳盡的背景資料。 ‧ 對蕨類保育的建言。 ‧ 各種蕨類的分布與頻率。 ‧ 各種蕨類的植被帶與棲地。 ‧ 同時提供學名、中文名、拼音與俗名。 ‧ 豐富的參考書目。 ‧ 詳細的索引，包含同義詞、錯誤的命名與在其他分類系統出現的命名。 A description of all 729 species of ferns and related plants in Taiwan. Taiwan is one of the global diversity centers of pteridophytes (ferns, and plants allied to them) with more than 700 species distributed over an area of 35,800 square kilo-meters. This book provides an illustrated introduction to all species of Taiwan and its neighboring smaller islands. Includes: · all currently known species, subspecies and hybrids; · invasive species; · extensively illustrated with a total of more than 4,700 images; · precise keys for the reliable identification of families, genera and species; · comprehensive background information; · recommendations for conservation needs; · distribution and frequency information for all species; · description of vegetation zones and habitats for all species; · scientific names accompanied with Chinese name, pinyin transcription and commonly used deviating scientific names; · extensive bibliography; · detailed index containing synonyms, misapplied names and names in alternative taxonomic combinations.