OPTIMA Newsletter 38

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Publications “Flora u fawna ta’ Malta”, published in 1995, was translated into English in the following year. In view of its great success, the book has now been reprinted. It is an excellent example of popular scientific writing to promote the awareness of natural diversity, in its beauty and value, among the general public. For nature lovers visiting the Maltese Islands it can be warmly recommended. Three parts of very unequal size deal, respectively, with the physical and biological environment, the flora, and the fauna. One of the merits of the book is that it gives consideration to all groups of macroscopic organisms. Naturally, animals far outweigh plants, to which the present review is necessarily restricted; but be assured that Maltese insects, seashells, fish and crabs have their own beauty and interest. The botanical text is entirely by Edwin Lanfranco, the illustrations by Victor Falzon. The latter consist of watercolours grouped together in plates, 14 in all, plus occasional drawings in the text. The presented species are all illustrated: 22 algae, 24 fungi (three of them lichen-forming) and 267 vascular plants. Selecting which species to include and which to leave out most have been a difficult task, successfully mastered. One finds both the most common and representative species of the islands’ flora, including naturalised aliens, and the rare endemics which are Malta’s pride. The endemic Palaeocyanus crassifolius is the national flower. Once forming one of three endemic genera, of which only chenopodiaceous Cremnophyton remains, it has recently been merged with Cheirolophus. W.G. 48. 47BEdwin LANFRANCO & Guido LAN- FRANCO – Il-flora Maltija. [Kullana Kulturali, 47.] – Indipendenza, Malta, 2003 (ISBN 99932-41-38-5). V + 166 pages, 42 halftone illustrations, 192 colour photographs on 32 extra plates; hard cover. In many respects the concept of this book resembles that of the previous item, but restricted to botany. Here again, a selection of representative species was made, mostly the same, and all those which are presented in full are illustrated. Illustration, however, is of a different kind, consisting partly of halftones by Guido Lanfranco and partly, for seed-plants only, of colour photographs by Edwin. Cryptogams are not neglected. Macroalgae are particularly well represented, with 27 mostly marine species; furthermore, there are 9 higher fungi, 5 lichens, 5 bryophytes and 3 pteridophytes. Spermatophytes naturally predominate, with 192 fully treated species, among them 12 of the 18 island endemics. Often, additional taxa are mentioned in the text. Perhaps the plan already exists – but would this book not be a prime candidate for translation into English? W.G. 49. 48Basilikê BLAMÊ, Stamatês ZOGKARÊS & Panagiôtês D. DÊMOPOULOS – Belanidodasos Xêromerou Aitoloakarnania. Oikotouristikos odêgos. [The oak woodland of Xeromero, Aetoloakarnania – western Greece]. – Panepistêmio Iôanninôn, Ioannina, 2003 (ISBN 960- 233-142-9). 71 pages, many illustrations, mostly in colour (photographs, drawings, maps), 5 tables; paper. Xeromeros, which means dry place, is a large area situated between the river Aheloos and the Ambracian Gulf. This booklet, which calls itself an ecotouristic guide, deals with its southern portion, roughly confined within the triangle formed by Astakos, Etolikó and the Ozeros Lake: A country of wooded hills, where Greece’s largest forests of Valona oak (Quercus ithaburensis subsp. macrolepis, Greek velanidia) grow. This is a brilliantly illustrated nature guide, centred on the Valona oak woods but by no means confined to them. Topics cov- (28) OPTIMA Newsletter No. 38 2009
ered include human culture and history, landscape and biota, fauna and flora alike. At the end one finds lists of mammals, amphibians, reptilians, birds, as well as a preliminary, obviously incomplete inventory of flowering plants with 256 species, partly unidentified. The text is written competently and lovingly, and the illustrations, for the most part, are just gorgeous. Landscapes alternate with portraits of individual animals and plants, among the latter some rare or local taxa such as Ophrys helenae, O. reinholdii subsp. reinholdii (as Ophrys sp., p. 42), and Silene ungeri (as Silene sp., p. 37). Consultation of a botanical expert might have added precision in the latter cases. For readers who are unfamiliar with Greek, there is an extensive English summary on the cover flaps. W.G. 50. 49BAthêna OIKONOMOU-AMILLÊ (ed.) – O biokosmos tou Umêttou. Drastêriotêtes tês ekthesês ‘Attiko Topio & Periballon’. – Ethniko & Kapodistriako Panepistêmio Athenôn, Botaniko Mouseio, Athêna, 2007 (ISBN 978-960- 6608-79-7). 279 pages, numerous colour photographs; flexible cover. This booklet was written for Greek students, as a corollary to the exhibition on Attica’s landscape and environment of the Botanical Museum of Athens University (ATHU) well known for housing the Orphanides Herbarium. It consists of four distinct parts, each by a different author: ecosystems, plants, animals, and fungi. The botanical chapters were written by Iôannês Mpazos (Bazós) for plants and Iôannês Dêmêtriadês (Dimitriádis) for fungi. Mount Hymettus, one of Athens’ home mountains, is famous in classical history and modern botany alike. Many species were first collected here, by 19 th century botanists such as Spruner, Heldreich, and even Boissier, and the epithet hymettius has been given to at least five different plant species, Publications including Helianthemum hymettium and Lomelosia hymettia, here presented, but also Allium hymettium and Viola hymettia, which did not meet the criteria for inclusion. Plants belonging to either of two categories were selected for presentation, mostly on one page combining colour photographs with descriptive and explanatory text: first 55 Greek endemics, then species protected either by Greek law or under the CITES convention. The latter include all orchids, so that 16 species of Ophrys and 13 of Orchis are shown along with 14 others of various genera. The photographs are by several different persons, some downloaded from the Internet, a few taken from herbarium specimens or showing a related species rather than the one described, and not all are well focused. For fungi, the 26 portraits (mostly colour photographs) and descriptions of individual species are preceded by a general introduction to the higher fungi. Understandably, only fruiting bodies of macromycetes are shown. This chapter is particularly valuable, as published images of Greek fungi are scant. W.G. 51. 50BJohn FIELDING & Nicholas TURLAND – Flowers of Crete. – Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, 2005, reprinted with corrections 2008 (ISBN 978-1-84246-079- 5). XX + 650 pages, numerous colour photographs, maps; hard cover with dust jacket. “A celebration of the flora of Crete, seen through the eyes of a specialist plant photographer ... and a botanist”: I can find no better words to characterise this impressive, large and heavy volume than those used by the editor, Brian Mathew, in his preface. As I happen to share the authors’ love for that wonderful Greek island, Crete, I can fully understand their motives for producing this book, can sense the amount of knowledge and passion that they instilled in 2009 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 38 (29)
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