Book Reviews

The publication of Flora of Java (vol. I) is an event of first importance in the progress of scientific botany in Indonesia. Java, by far the most densely populated island of Indonesia, now receives a full-sized adequate flora. This first volume (of two) contains about 670 pages, closely printed but easily readable. It is very well printed and the publishers are to be congratulated for the production of this well-bound large book. The Flora is also a most convincing testimony of the devoted research of a life-time. The Flora of Java received the financial support of the Netherlands Organisation for the Advancement of Pure Research and was prepared under the auspices of the Rijksherbarium (National Herbarium) at Leyden. These “auspices” allude first of all to Dr. R. C. Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr., who spent years in translating while checking nomenclatorial matters, apart from elaborating some taxa. Dr. Bakhuizen took a major part in establishing the dignified harmony in the general lay-out of the text. The specific descriptions are all of nearly the same length: 8 printed lines.