486 BLUMEA Vol. 38, No. 2, 1994 Review K.KUBITZKI, J.G.ROHWER& V.BITTRICH(Volume eds.):Flowering Plants:Dico- tyledons - Magnoliid, Hamamelid, andCaryophyllid Families.In: K. Kubitzki (ed.): TheFamilies andGeneraofVascular Plants.VolumeII. SpringerVerlag, Berlinetc., 1993, x+ 653 pp.,141 figs., 11 tables. Hardcover. Price DM478.00.ISBN 3-540- 55509-9(and ISBN0-387-55509-9,Springer Verlag, NewYork). Thisreview markstheappearanceofVolumeII, afterthepublicationofVolumeI, Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms, in 1990; severalmore volumes are expected inthe futurebeforecompletion oftheVascularplants as awhole. Thepresent volumecontains73 families out ofsome 250-500familieswhich can be recognized withinthe Angiosperms, depending on the taxonomicconcepts applied. The73familiesrepresentthreemajorblocks ofcomparatively ‘primitive’ dicotyledons: Magnoliid, Hamamelid, andCentrospermous families. Thefamiliesare treatedin analphabetical order,withamongthelargerfamiliesAizoaceae(127 genera, withc. 2500species), Annonaceae(128 genera,withc. 2300species), Amarantha- ceae, Cactaceae,Caryophyllaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Lauraceae,Ranunculaceae, and Urticaceae. Eachfamily treatment consists ofafamilydescription, andkey(s) to the genera,withdescriptions, and concisesummariesofthemodernstateofknowledge of: Charactersofrare occurrence, Vegetative morphology, Anatomy, Inflorescences, Flowermorphology, Embryology, Pollenmorphology, Pollination,Fruitand Seed, Dispersal, Phytochemistry, Subdivisionandrelationswithinthefamily andAffinities (to otherfamilies), DistributionandHabitats, Economicimportance orothermiscel- laneoususes,andPaleobotany. Oftendivisionsintosubfamilies, tribes, ‘groups’, or (for thegenera) intosectionsare dealtwith.Illustrationsare schemes, line-drawings ofplants (with habitsand details), photographs ofpollen, andmicrophotographs of plants growing insituor intheirhabitat. Preceding thefamily treatments are chapters concerning (1) theoriginandearly radiationof Angiosperms, and (2) thephylogenetic relationship ofthefamiliesin- cluded in the present volume(by Kubitzki, pp. 1-3), as well as (3) an essay on the phylogenetic relationship among the major Angiosperm groups (by Kubitzki, pp. 4-12), including an outlineofthe classificationofthe familiestreated in the presentvolume,thusproviding aframeworkforthealphabetically arranged families; (4) the interrelationswithinCentrospermae separately discussed (by Bittrich, pp. 13-19), and (5) a chemotaxonomic overview of Magnoliidae, Ranunculidae, Caryophyllidae and Hamamelidae(by Gottlieb, Kaplan and Zicher, pp. 20-31). Thereis anample listofgeneral references(pp. 32-33), buttheintroductory chap- tersand thefamily/genera treatments are sustained withselectedbibliographies as well. ForthissecondvolumeIheartilyfollowKalkman'srecommendationforVolumeI, given inBlumea 35(1991: 384),andagain wemaythanktheeditorandco-editors, and the35more specialist contributorsfromallovertheworldfortheirtremendous achievement, alarge stepaheadincompleting this modernencyclopaedia asabroad source ofreferenceonthegreenlandplants. Thebookis of fine printing andbinding quality. Itis expensive, though amust forallinstitutionsandindividualsworking onplants. W.J.J.O. de Wilde