SPEC/REF: BIS species book--mini-review

I got my copy yesterday, and was charged correctly (I, too, ordered by
phone and got a price confirmation when I placed the order).

Someone asked whether this book is worth $100+ if you already have Mathew's
book. My answer would be no--not unless you will be doing field work and
need to make positive species identifications.

This book is a comprehensive listing of species, each one with its complete
botanical definition (in English, not Latin!), plus general observations
and a few remarks on culture. This is something we've not had since Dykes's
book (Mathew does not attempt to give a systematic definition of each
species.) There is a photo section in the back, which includes photos of
many species not pictured anywhere else that I know of. It is far from
comprehensively illustrated, though. Most species are described without any
illustration. The cultural and "general" information is pretty scant. In my
first five minutes with the book, I found one chromosome count that was a
typo (stolonifera 2n=24--should be 44) and one that is misleading
(korolkowii 2n=22,33, and 44--true, these counts were made, but all plants
now in cultivation are 2n=22, which should have been mentioned).

For the iris enthusiast who is interested in species primarily as garden
plants, I would advise purchasing Mathew's book and a membership in SIGNA.
For those demanding systematic botanical information (or who were fortunate
enough to get the pre-publication discount), the BIS species book is a
worthwhile purchase.

Happy irising, Tom.

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Tom Tadfor Little                       telp@Rt66.com
Iris-L list owner  *  USDA zone 5/6  *  AIS region 23
Santa Fe, New Mexico (USA)
Telperion Productions      http://www.rt66.com/~telp/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Iris-L Web Site  http://www.rt66.com/~telp/garden.htm
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