BEUG H.-J. 2004. Leitfaden der Pollenbestimmung für Mitteleuropa und angrenzende Gebiete. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, München. 542 pp., 120 Plates, 13 Tables. Price EUR 90. ISBN 3-89937-043-0.

Since 1916, when Lennart von Post the author of a method of pollen analysis announced the method as quantitative, 90 years already elapsed. During this period many identyfication keys and atlases were published making possible to use the method. In 1963 also the autor of the discussed textbook, H.-J. Beug, published the first part of an intended multipart undertaking which never appeared. Only now, after many years studies, the reader can enjoy the book.

Since the "Textbook of Pollen Analysis" by K. Faegri and J. Iversen is still in common use at least in Europe, reasons for working up of "Leitfaden ..." are worth noting. The reasons resulted from geographic limitations which Faegri and Iversen followed. Beug mentioned the limitations in the introduction to his book: "Mit der schwerpunktmässigen Beschränkung auf Nord-Europa sind allerdings Nachteile für die Verwendung im mitteleuropäischen Raum verbunden, da hier zusätzlich Sippen mit kontinentaler und südlicher Verbreitung eine Rolle spielen, die in Nord-Europa fehlen. Das gilt auch für Flora der Alpenländer und für die Erfordernisse der etwa seit 1960 einsetzenden Untersuchungen über die südeuropäische Vegetationsgeschichte". According to Beug, studies of glacial, interglacial and Pliocene floras should refer also to the areas other than northern and western Europe.

In the introduction the author explains the terminology used in pollen grains morphology, structure and sculpture. The terminology is largely identical or concurrent with the terminology applied by authors of preceding works (Iversen and Troels-Smith 1950; Erdtman 1952) which makes very easy to use the textbook.

The pollen identyfication starts with a pollen class key. The author distinguishes 24 basic classes. Some of them are accepted as units of equal rank differentiated in sculpture. For example, triple furrowed pollen grains (tricolpate) are divided, according to sculture type, into tricolpate of psilate, scabrate, verrucate or microverrucate sculpture, tricolpate of clavate, baculate, verrucate or gemmate sculpture, tricolpate of echinate sculpture, tricolpate of striate, striate-reticulate or rugulate sculpture, and tricolpate of reticulate or microreticulate sculpture. The classes of tricolporate and tricolporoidate are similarly divided. Finally 31 pollen classes were defined.

If following the key, for example, the tricolporate class with pollen grains of psilate, scabrate, verrucate or microverrucate sculpture is reached the Apiaceae family, and further one can find many useful information. Apiaceae occur in different ecological communities: in high mountains in tundra, on rocks, in dry grasslands, in steppes and forests of wet habitats. It would be very interesting to identify in detail fossil pollen grains of Apiaceae, despite their not very frequent presence in fossil spectra. However, the Apiaceae family presents one morphological type with no considerable differences in sculpture type. This is a reason for leaving the identification at the family level, although pollen grains of particular genera or species show some different features. These features would be useful if they could be defined and their variability was taken into account in a sufficient way.

Farther on, a detailed description of morphological features of pollen grains and their variability within the Apiaceae family are given. The author used also the features to which Punt (1984) drew attention. According to the key proposed by Beug species such as Laserpitium nitidum, Heracleum sphondylium, Pimpinella saxifraga, Cicuta virosa could be distinguished beside Hydrocotyle vulgaris and Pleurospermum austriacum identified earlier. Other species are included in morphological types such as Conium type, Astrantia type, Daucus type, Pimpinella type or simply in "Sammelgruppe" which comprises many species of Angelica, Apium, Carum, Oenanthe, Peucedanum, Seseli, and other genera.

A short review of such an extensive and thorough textbook usually involves a risk of leaving out many important problems. Then to characterize the book some examples were selected.

The reviewer analysing profiles deriving from the mountains of central Europe was often faced with some difficulties when identifying Saxifraga species. In the textbook by Beug one can find, for example, disscusion on the morphological unit of Saxifraga hirculus type. The author included here scabrate or psilate grains. However, three species: S. tridactylites, S. Rivularis, and S. cernua cause some problems because also slightly striate pollen grains (in different numbers) occur here. In reference collections, in the W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków, majority of Saxifraga tridactylites grains are definitely closer to the Saxifraga aizoides-"Gruppe" separated by the author. Beug also included above-mentioned species in the second group and said: "In single cases scabrate and psilate pollen grains have short valla".

Some more examples give an idea how the author approaches the description of distinguished units. He included 5 Plantago species in Plantago major-media type. "Distinction of Plantago major among others is not sufficiently secure. In many cases verrucae in P. major are as large and high as in P. media; however, some populations could show very small verrucae. Therefore to tell the difference between P. major and P. media the size of pollen grains is recommended to take into account and also to rule out other species".

The author included 13 Rosaceae genera of varying features in the Sorbus-"Gruppe".

In tricolpate, tricolporoidate and tricolporate pollen classes of echinate sculpture the author separated Cirsium type from Carduus type. However, he admitted that "Because of the thick exine it is sometimes difficult to distinguish Carduus and Cirsium type". Cirsium type comprises 18 species but C. glabrum growing up to a 3000 m altitude in the European mountains (Pareys Bergblumenbuch 1979) is missing in the author's list.

In tricolpate pollen class of reticulate or microreticulate sculpture type the author included Galeopsis-Ballota-"Gruppe" among others. This "Gruppe" is composed of two types: Galeopsis type, where taxa of larger reticulum brochi (up to 2.5-3.0 µm) are included and Ballota type of which brochi are smaller (up 1 to 1-1.2 µm). Different species of Stachys sp., which Faegri and Iversen (1989) included in Stachys type in much broader meaning, are incorporated in these two types. Also Galeopsis, Lamium, Ajuga, and Scutellaria, the genera which Faegri and Iversen numbered in the above-mentioned Stachys type, Beug included in these types.

Many detailed information and numerous comments placed in the textbook makes the reader very satisfied. The difficulties, well-known to each experienced palynologist, are also mentioned here, and efforts are made to explain them. Remarks on the varying structure of pollen grains within taxa included in the same morphological type, and, in some cases, even in the different populations of the same taxon are very helpful. These remarks should make the reader very careful, especially while identifying pollen grains to the species level.

A grate advantage of the textbook are numerous black and white photographs of pollen grains presented in 120 tables. The sculpture details discussed in the description of taxa are rather well seen.

The reviewed textbook is an invaluable assistance for specialists applying the pollen analysis method. In my opinion it is the best textbook for palynologists not only in Europe.

Andrzej Obidowicz
W. Szafer Institute of Botany,
Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków