Flora of China, volume 22, Poaceae (text)

This book is part of a series designed to make the huge amount of information available in Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae available to those of us who do not read Chinese. It is not simply a translation, however, with a large effort having been made to update the information. The quality of the work is sound and this volume will prove a valuable reference work for all people interested in grass taxonomy around the world, as well as those with a special interest in the grass flora of China. This volume contains treatments for 226 genera and 1795 species, 45% of which are endemic. Rendle (1904) treated ca. 113 genera and 350 species of grasses in his contribution to an enumeration of Chinese plants, and Yi Li Keng (1933) treats 154 genera and 536 species in his Grasses of China. These three “floras” differ substantially in the area they cover. What it does demonstrate is the need for a steady flow of Floras to accommodate the changes in our understanding of the plants and the increase in data from collecting and the application of new characters and techniques.