Fern Grower's Manual: Revised and Expanded Edition. Hoshizaki, Barbara Joe and RObbin C. Moran. 2001. ISBN 0-88192-495-4 (Cloth US$59.95) 624 pp. Timber Press, 133 S. W. Second Avenue, Suite 450, Portland, OR 97204-3527. - The primary audience for this book is gardeners, commercial growers and horticulturalists who have a particular interest in growing ferns, but it will also be an indispensable resource for teaching botanists who want to make living ferns and fern allies available for student study. The first 12 chapters provide the basic background for successful fern cultivation, beginning with a summary of fern morphology and life cycle and how to collect specimens. The chapters on cultural needs, soils and fertilizers are a good basis for growing any type of plant in pots or in beds. They would be a good "manual of operation" for non-professionals interested in running a greenhouse for personal use or to provide classroom materials. Home landscapers will be most interested in the recommendations for transplanting specimens, and appreciative of the notice of legalities and permissions that will probably be required. Botanists will appreciate the instructions for spore culture, which usually do not require permits, and are easier to collect and transport (spores of most species remain viable for a year or more). An added benefit, according to the authors, is that spore-grown plants tend to adapt better to cultivation.

The bulk of the book, fully 2/3 of the 600+ pages, is devoted to identification and cultural requirements of more than 700 species and cultivars of ferns and fern allies cultivated in the United States. Species are listed alphabetically and virtually every entry is provided with silhouette and line drawings (including bar scales) to clearly illustrate key features. Entries include plant size and cultural conditions, detailed descriptions of vegetative features and provenance of non-native species. Although not nearly as detailed as the descriptions in Flora of North America volume on Pteridophytes (Flora of North America Editorial Committee, 1993), the information provided here is easy to read and interpret and describes the salient features of the fern in question. My only disappointment with the book is the lack of keys to aid in identification. However, the literature cited includes citations of general and regional keys and floras, both national and internationational, that would fill this need. This book is well worth the reasonable cost and I especially recommend it to botanists charged with overseeing a college greenhouse where it will be well-used both in the classroom and in the headhouse. - Marshall Sundberg, Emporia State University.

Work Cited
Flora of North America Editorial Committee. 1993. Flora of North America North of Mexico. Vol. 2. Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms. Oxford University Press.

source: Plant Science Bulletin WINTER 2001 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 4