OPTIMA Newsletter 38

vesiculosa) is extinct in the wild, and 1949
fall into a high risk category (492 critically
endangered, 553 endangered, 904 vulnerable).
Such high figures are worrying indeed.
Information of the proportion of endemics
among the extinct and heavily threatened
taxa, which would have been interesting,
is unfortunately lacking.
W.G.
Gardens and Gardening
116. 115BWolfredo WILDPRET DE LA TORRE,
Antonio GARCÍA GALLO, Israel PÉREZ
VARGAS & Juan Sergio SOCORRO
HERNÁNDEZ – Flora ornamental del
casco histórico de La Laguna, patrimonio
de la humanidad. – Ayuntamiento,
San Cristóbal de La Laguna,
[2005] (ISBN 84-88919-92-1). 407
pages, colour photographs, plans; hard
cover with dust jacket.
The ancient city core of the Canary Islands’
university town, San Cristóbal de La
Laguna, has been declared a World Heritage
Site by UNESCO – a deserved distinction of
which the islanders are justly proud. Its old
colonial architecture is unique by itself but is
particularly enticing by the harmonious integration
of decorative plants in its precincts.
La Laguna is not what one might call a green
city, space is too narrow for vast extents of
greenery; yet on every square, in many of the
ancient patios one finds trees, vines and
flower beds. They are the subject of the present
volume.
Nineteen green spaces of La Laguna
were inventoried to write this particular kind
of Flora. All are shown and described in the
book’s first part. The second, larger portion
presents the 129 species that were encountered.
As its title implies, it is not a complete
floristic inventory but limits itself to decorative
plants. No weeds were admitted, nor have
seasonal plantations been taken into account
(which may explain the absence of Cycla-
Publications
men persicum, featuring on the photographs
on pp. 95 and 293). With the exception of
Selaginella kraussiana, all species are at least
tall herbs, mostly shrubs, trees or vines. There
are four native plants among them that are
tolerated rather than planted, growing wild
on roofs and old walls: Aeonium urbicum,
Davallia canariensis, Polypodium macaronesicum,
and Sonchus acaulis. Other members
of Tenerife’s old endemic stock, however,
are cultivated ornamentals: Apollonias
barbujana, Convolvulus floridus, Dracaena
draco, Kleinia neriifolia, Laurus novocanariensis,
and Phoenix canariensis. The remainder
come from all around the world.
This is a fluidly written, utterly readable
and superbly illustrated book that does honour
to the city in which and for which it was
written. No doubt will it fulfil its declared
purpose, to show to local people the beauty
and value of what they possess.
W.G.
117. 116BGianni BEDINI – L’Orto Botanico di
Pisa. Piante, storia, pesonaggi, ruoli. The
Botanic Garden of Pisa. Plants, history,
people, roles. [Studi Pisani Cultura e
Società, 16.] – Pacini on behalf of Pisa
University Press, Pisa, 2007. 155 pages,
81 figures (mostly colour photographs);
paper.
There is an old rivalry between the botanic
gardens in Pisa and Padova, regarding
age. The Pisa garden, founded by Luca Ghini
in 1543, wins by one year and is therefore
the world’s oldest institution of its kind –
but it was transferred to its present site in
1591, leaving Padova as the oldest still existing
actual garden. When the Pisa Garden
hosted the last OPTIMA Meeting in 2007,
participants were pleased to have the present,
recently published guide booklet put at
their disposal. It is bilingual, with the Italian
text at the front and the English version at
the end, separated by the illustrations.
Besides describing the various areas of
the garden’s three hectares, Gianni Bedini
2009 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 38 (61)