Page transcription
Reprint from
THE HONOLULU ADVERTISER
September 29, 1935
Degener's New
Island Flora Of
Public Interest
200 Excellent Drawings
Of Hawaiian Plants
Included
Flora Hawaioensis, the new illustrated flora of the Hawaiian Islands, by Otto Degener. Books 1 and 2, 1932-1933. ($3.50 each.)
Review by E. H. BRYAN, JR.*
Pictures speak a universal language. To understand a scientific description one must first learn the technical language of the scientist; but even a little child should be able to recognize a well drawn picture.
That is the main reason why we believe that the general public should hear more about Otto Degener's illustrated flora of Hawaii. Now that his second volume is completed and on the market, there are available 200 excellent drawings of Hawaiian plants. Each drawing depicts a different species, some native to the islands, some introduced.
By this time professional botanists are well acquainted with this loose-leaf flora; so it is not to them that this review is addressed. Rather, we hope that it will serve as an introduction for this valuable publication to some of the thousands of students, teachers, parents, lovers of Nature and of the great out-of-doors, and visitors to Hawaii, who may want to know more about the plants which grow in our forests, our gardens, along our streets, even in wayside fields.
A GOOD BEGINNING
The reader should not yet expect to find in this a complete flora of Hawaii. Degener has undertaken a tremendous task, which will occupy his time and resources for many years to come if he succeeds in carrying out his plan. It has been estimated that there are at least 2,500 species of flowering plants and ferns in Hawaii. The 200 species pictured and described to date are thus but a good beginning. But they include many kinds concerning which inquiries are frequent, as well as several new species; and already a very useful and valuable contribution to the subject has been made.
The arrangements, in loose-leaf form, is capable of indefinite expansion and revision. The pages are not numbered, but are arranged according to a simple but ingenious system of classification. Or, for that matter, the pages may be removed and rearranged in any way the owner may choose.
For each species one side of the page holds the illustration, the other the printed data. The drawings show the leaves, flowers, fruit, and details of important parts. The other side sets forth the scientific and common names of the plant family, genus, species, and authority; reference to the original description of the plant, and other names by which it has been known and their references; a careful description of the plant; its type locality, local range, and other regions in which it is known. At the top of the page is the key number and names by which the pages may be arranged, or by which the species may be found in the book.
Although but 100 species are given in each volume, these contain around 300 pages, for there are pages which discuss the families and genera of plants and give keys by which these and the species may be separated; and indices will be included.
EXPERIENCED BOTANIST
Degener has been in Hawaii since 1922, and during this time he has been an energetic and enthusiastic student of the plants of these islands. For a time (1925-27) he taught systematic botany at the University of Hawaii, and he was also Naturalist at the Hawaii National Park in 1929. He has built up one of the largest private collections of Hawaiian plants in existence, numbering between 40,000 and 50,000 specimens. Two years ago he took his specimens back to the New York Botanical Garden, (which contains one of the finest herbaria, especially of Pacific Island plants, in the world,) and made an intensive study of Hawaiian species. Recently he returned to Hawaii.
At his last expedition he has employed and developed several collectors and student artists, who have assisted him in collecting plants and making drawings of them. In 1930 he published an excellent "Illustrated Guide to the more common or noteworthy Ferns and Flowering plants of Hawaii National Park," which in addition to being what its name suggests gives much information about ancient Hawaiian customs and plant usages, and notes on the geologic history of the islands.
Copies of these books may be obtained from the Honolulu Paper Co. and other book stores, or they may be obtained directly from Degener at 2220 University avenue, Honolulu. Although we may not all agree with Degener's nomenclature, for it is hard to see old established names supplanted by new ones, nevertheless these books contain a wealth of valuable information, and the illustrations are excellent. They are to be commended to anyone interested in Hawaiian plants.
*Curator, B. P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu.
