Plant Science Bulletin 59(3) 2013 classic taxonomic system, with a few exceptions, and some updating based on APG III (2009), as well as by family specialists at Kew and elsewhere (Orchidaceae, by James D. Ackerman), or by cross referencing to The Plant List (http://www. theplantlist.org). The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) strives to establish a common view on the classification of flowering plants, based mainly on evidence gained from analyses of plant DNA sequences. First published in 1998, the APG classification has been refined twice (Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, 2010). APG III was not applied to all entries in this new Flora (see editors’ note on the second edition, p. 7). Instead, the editors included a table (pp. 720–724) that lists all of the orders, families, and genera used by “Proctor in this flora against the accepted order and family names currently used in APG III.” More than 25 orders and 33 families differ in the molecularbased system from those used in this new Flora (based on Cronquist, 1968). A footnote to this table provides an abbreviated citation for Cronquist (1968) and APG III (2009), which are omitted from the bibliography. The layout and color scheme that offset the descriptions make this volume easier to use than the earlier edition. Descriptions of families, genera, and species are provided in the text, together with dichotomous keys for the identification of taxa at each level. Characters used in the keys are not repeated in the descriptions, so that keys are considered an integral part of the descriptions (p. 12). For each species, the author includes essential synonymy, common names, a brief description, localities, distributions, economic use, and if invasive, threats to the community. New taxa are described in Latin, with type specimens designated. An extensive and concise glossary readily assists the reader with botanical terminology. Indices for botanical and common names are provided. Appendix I lists 116 “Additions to the Cayman Flora” by family, and did not include Scolosanthus roulstonii Proctor (Rubiaceae, see Appendix II), bringing the total to 117 plants over those previously described. Appendix II provides a listing for all new taxa in this volume. Illustrations and Photographs The first edition of Proctor’s (1984) Flora of the Cayman Islands included 256 text figures (blackand-white line drawings), which are all republished
in this 2012 edition; two figures are unintentionally given the same numbers (Fig. 104 [=103] and Fig. 209 [=208]). The drawings were taken from original illustrations by “Mr and Mrs D. Erasmus” and Miss V. Goaman, previously published works (Fawcette and Rendle, 1910–1916; Hitchcock, 1936) “and collateral publications” (originals from Hunt Botanical Library, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA), previously unpublished drawings (prepared by “Mrs D. Erasmus” for volume 6 of Flora of Jamaica, held “in the Department of Botany at the British Museum [Natural History]”), and two others from a book by R. Rose-Innes (no citation given) and from the “Orchid Herbarium of Oake [sic—for Oakes] Ames Botanical Museum, Harvard University.” Initials inserted at the end of each figure caption reflect the source for each drawing [e.g., (D. E.) represents “Mr D. Erasmus”]. One advantage of this second edition is the inclusion of approximately 400 color photographs: 64 color plates are inserted between pages 544 and 545 showing from six to eight photographs per plate. Each photograph, however, is identified only by family, genus, and species; photographs not taken by the author are acknowledged by the initials of the photographer, named in an earlier section of the book (p. 9). Color photos should assist both amateur and professional botanists to become better acquainted with the diversity of this unique flora. Kass and Miller (2006) noted that evolutionary studies on islands found that species may vary greatly from their counterparts on the mainland because of different selection pressures and species isolation. Furthermore, we should not assume uniformity of species among larger islands (e.g., Cuba, Jamaica) or even between islands in the Caymans. For conservation purposes, Eshbaugh and Wilson (1996) recommended recognizing and documenting species differences that might exist for island populations in the Bahamas. Descriptions with accompanying accurate illustrations of the plants growing in situ would be an aid to this process (Kass and Miller, 2006; Kass, 2009). Photographs of Cayman Island plants that accompany the illustrations (drawn from plants growing on other larger islands) are of definite value in this respect. Not all species are illustrated, but those that are may be accompanied by a drawing, one or more photographs, or both. For example, the cactus Epiphyllum phyllanthus var. plattsii Proctor is listed
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