Book Review: World Pollen and Spore Flora

Abstract

This flora represents a formalization and extension of the World Pollen Flora which was developed by the late Gunnar Erdtman, and in which four families had already been treated by 1972. The expansion of the flora to include cryptogam taxa, and its publication on a regular basis of two issues per year, is welcome. The second and third issues show a very useful approach, in which the palynologist reviews the pollen morphology of the family and the taxonomist then considers relationships within the family and with other groups using this information. This provides a change from a scenario in which the palynologist tears his hair because some taxonomist has lumped several pollen producers (plants) in one taxon, even though their pollen is clearly differentiated. For Australia, Styphelia provides a poignant example of this.