This photographic guide describes and illustrates more than 330 different species of commercially important flowers, foliages and potted flowers. The emphasis is on flowers that are commonly used in the cut flower industry and the book gives useful hints about the selection and handling of these flowers. The book includes: Detailed descriptions of more than 330 plant species and their close relatives. For each flower, the following information is given: description of the plant; geographical origin; historical overview; cultivation; cultivars; properties such as colours, scent and vase life; quality criteria (how to select for quality); and the proper care and handling of the flowers. More than 700 excellent full-colour photographs, showing the beauty, colour variation and diversity of the flowers. Important foliage plants and potted flowers are also included, making this a useful reference guide for florists, retailers and wholesalers. Introductory chapters on basic aspects such as cultivation methods, harvesting and shipping techniques, cultivar development, modern trends in marketing (including the role of colour in customer preferences) and perhaps most importantly, the basic principles of the selection, handling and use of flowers and foliage. Separate common name indexes to the most familiar and well-known cut flowers, foliages and potted flowers, a comprehensive index to all the scientific and common names mentioned in the text, a glossary explaining specialist terms and a list of references for further reading.

This complete guide to the crisp, precise finish of botanical painting marries traditional technique with contemporary style and includes sections on colour, drawing, continuous tone, composition and dissection. Michael Lakin makes botanical art approachable with simple exercises and a variety of step-by-step instructional approaches, making this a fantastic guide for aspirational beginners.

In The Cabaret of Plants, Mabey explores the plant species which have challenged our imaginations, awoken our wonder, and upturned our ideas about history, science, beauty and belief. Picked from every walk of life, they encompass crops, weeds, medicines, religious gathering-places and a water lily named after a queen. Beginning with pagan cults and creation myths, the cultural significance of plants has burst upwards, sprouting into forms as diverse as the panacea (the cure-all plant ginseng, a single root of which can cost up to $10,000), Newton's apple, the African 'vegetable elephant' or boabab - and the mystical, night-flowering Amazonian cactus, the moonflower. Ranging widely across science, art and cultural history, poetry and personal experience, Mabey puts plants centre stage, and reveals a true botanical cabaret, a world of tricksters, shape-shifters and inspired problem-solvers, as well as an enthralled audience of romantics, eccentric amateur scientists and transgressive artists. The Cabaret of Plants celebrates the idea that plants are not simply 'the furniture of the planet', but vital, inventive, individual beings worthy of respect - and that to understand this may be the best way of preserving life together on Earth.

A photographic identification guide to 286 native and introduced species of tree, shrub and palm most commonly seen in Southeast Asia. High quality images from the region's top nature photographers including bark, flower and fruit details are accompanied by detailed species descriptions, which include nomenclature, identifying features, distribution and ecology, as well as uses, where relevant. The user-friendly introduction covers climate seasonality, urban habitats, tree diversity in Southeast Asia and an explanation of the classification system.

This field guide will give nature enthusiasts instant access to the diverse and beautiful flora of these New England states. Combining 400 color photographs with concise descriptions, it is written in easy-to-follow nontechnical language. Color illustrations have been carefully selected for their scientific accuracy and their aesthetic quality.Comprehensive in scope, this guide book offers descriptions of commonly encountered, rare, and even protected species not seen in other guides. The authors provide keys to each species based on observable characteristics of color, flower shape, and leaf arrangement, allowing novices and experts alike to quickly identify flowers. Nomenclature has been updated to reflect current and correct usage.

The beauty of flowers is well known, inspiring creative minds from Botticelli to Beatrix Potter. But they've also played a key part in forming the past, and may shape our future. Roses and thistles have served as symbols of monarchs, dynasties and nations. We wear poppies to remember the First World War, but it was the elderflower that treated its wounded soldiers. A rose might mend a broken heart, and sunflowers may just save our planet. At once enchanting and intriguing, The Brief Life of Flowers reveals how even the most ordinary of flowers have extraordinary stories to tell.

Would you lick your fingers after picking a Lily of the Valley? Did no-one remember to warn you about fair Fool's Parsley? And where are the haunts of Satan's Boletus and the Destroying Angel? Hiding in the beautiful meadows and woods of Great Britain are particular plants, about which every sensible rambler, parent and picnicker should be properly informed. Let Frederick Gillam be your guide. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

South Africa has a rich flora of around 19 000 different wildflower species. For those who wish to know more about South Africa's wildflowers this very richness poses its own problems. Most flower guides cover little more than small stretches of the country and the others include too few species to be of much use. Photo Guide to the Wildflowers of South Africa aims to overcome these deficiencies. Carefully conceived to cover those wildflowers that are most likely to attract attention, this countrywide guide includes nearly 900 of the most common and conspicuous wildflowers that occur in South Africa and the neighbouring countries of Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia. The English edition has been fully updated to reflect recent taxonomic changes. This book is now also for the first time available in Afrikaans. An easy-to-use format divides the country into three main wildflower regions, Grassland and Savannah, Fynbos and Namaqualand, grouping the species into each region. Each of the almost 900 species is illustrated and described, with information on its common and scientific names, habitat, distribution map, flowering times and local uses. An ingenious quick guide helps the reader to narrow down the options at a glance. Similar species are placed together to aid comparison and the concise text highlights their differences. Authored and illustrated by professionals with wide experience in producing guidebooks, Photo Guide to the Wildflowers of South Africa is the key to unlocking South Africa's wildflower heritage.

Inspired by Dougal Stermer's book 'Vanishing Flora', Roman Kaiser worked for more than ten years on collecting the scent of 267 endangered plant species worldwide. In the present volume, he invites us to a journey along the hotspots of biodiversity, all of them bearing endangered species, and discusses their scents. This compilation renders the book an important contribution to the UN International Year of Biodiversity.

The book is fundamentally about mulberry trees (both Morus nigra and Morus alba) and all the artefacts created from both the wood and other materials such as silk. The study looks at mulberry trees in the United Kingdom and also those that grow in Japan - including those located on the Izu Islands. The material culture analysis features a model developed at Winterthur Museum in the USA that details information on place, space, technique and technology, maker and marketplace, ritual and custom plus message and symbol . The focus in the United Kingdom relates to mulberry trees associated with historic buildings and gardens. Most of the United Kingdom based trees that feature in the book have a significant history and associations with important people such as William Shakespeare. While the trees in Japan can also have significant age they tend to be associated with the Japanese Sashimono furniture tradition and the wood called shimakuwa (island mulberry) is the most highly regarded wood - which is often used in the tea ceremony. The material is becoming extremely rare and its use is now limited due to the expense of the raw material.

From the machair grasslands of the Outer Hebrides to the chalk cliffs of Kent, and from the dense pinewoods of Abernethy forest to the wetlands of the Fens of eastern England, Britain offers a richly varied array of habitats for our wild flowers. The distinguished science and natural history producer and filmmaker Steve Nicholls presents a visually stunning survey of Britain's best-loved wildflowers, illustrated with the his own beautiful photographs of flora in their habitat. Focusing on three broad habitats - grassland, open land and woodland - he offers a biologically rigorous but engagingly readable account of our wild flowers and the places that nourish them. He probes deep into the social and cultural history of wild flowers to tell a plethora of fascinating stories, from the 'daffodil trains' which transported Londoners to the 'golden triangle' in Gloucestershire to experience woodlands carpeted with wild daffodils, to the odd case of the Bath asparagus - which isn't an asparagus at all, but rather the edible flower buds of the rare spiked star of Bethlehem, which used to grow in abundance around Bath.

For thousands of years humans have variously worshipped trees, made use of them, admired them, and destroyed them- and poets have long chronicled the relationship. In this collection, Robert Frost's "Birches," Marianne Moore's "The Camperdown Elm," Gerard Manley Hopkins's "Binsey Poplars," and Zbigniew Herbert's "Sequoia" stand tall beside Eugenio Montale's "The Lemon Trees," Yves Bonnefoy's "The Apples," Bertolt Brecht's "The Plum Tree," D. H. Lawrence's "The Almond Tree," and A. E. Housman's "Loveliest of Trees." Whether showing their subjects being planted or felled, cherished or lamented, towering in forests or ?owering in backyards, the poems collected here pay lyrical tribute to these majestic beings with whom we share the earth.

North American Wildland Plants contains descriptions of the salient characteristics of the most important wildland plants of North America. This comprehensive reference assists individuals with limited botanical knowledge as well as natural resource professionals in identifying wildland plants. The two hundred species of wildland plants in this book were selected because of their abundance, desirability, or poisonous properties. Each illustration has been enhanced with labels pointing to key characteristics to facilitate the identification of unknown plants. Each plant description includes plant characteristics, an illustration of the plant with enlarged parts, and a general distribution map for North America. Each species description includes nomenclature; life span; origin; season of growth; inflorescence, flower or spikelet, or other reproductive parts; vegetative parts; and growth characteristics. Brief notes are included on habitat; livestock losses; and historic, food, and medicinal uses. This third edition contains additional refinements in the nomenclature, distribution, illustrations, and descriptions of plants.

Lianas (woody vines) are iconic symbols of tropical forest ecosystems around the world. Forest climbers take advantage of the biologically-expensive architecture of trees to gain relatively inexpensive access to the light-rich canopy. The evolution of a climbing habit has occurred in many unrelated plant groups using twining and clasping shoots or specialised structures such as tendrils, hooks, spines, adhesive roots, and novel stem anatomy. In recent decades, the significance of lianas to tropical forest diversity (up to 40% of species), abundance (up to 45% of stems), and forest gap dynamics has been increasingly recognised. Although they are often considered pests in commercial forestry, woody climbers are important to many traditional peoples as medicines, subsistence fibres and non-timber forest products. Largely due to the inaccessibility of their flowers and fruits, lianas and other climbers remain among the most poorly documented life-forms in the tropics. The Lianas of the Guianas Fieldguide aims to provide an overview and advance understanding of woody climber diversity in the forests of Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname. The guide will facilitate learning and identification of woody climbers for specialists and non-specialists with an image-rich format, simplified terminology, a mostly vegetative family and genus key, artistic icon guides, and common names and uses. The growth-forms covered include woody lianas, subwoody lianas, liana-like hemi-epiphytes, tree-like hemi-epiphytes, and climbing shrubs. Chapters are organised alphabetically by plant family and names follow the APG III classification. Approximately 55 families, 170 genera, and 500 more common species are described in the main text, with ± 1300 species (including herbaceous climbers) in a comprehensive checklist. This is one of the first such guides to include predictive genera and species distribution model maps, with a comprehensive set of maps made available on-line. The Lianas of the Guianas Fieldguide will serve as an attractive and useful tool for those concerned with the biodiversity of the Guianan Shield and the neotropics at large. Lianas (woody vines) are iconic symbols of tropical forest ecosystems around the world. Forest climbers take advantage of the biologically-expensive architecture of trees to gain relatively inexpensive access to the light-rich canopy. The evolution of a climbing habit has occurred in many unrelated plant groups using twining and clasping shoots or specialised structures such as tendrils, hooks, spines, adhesive roots, and novel stem anatomy. In recent decades, the significance of lianas to tropical forest diversity (up to 40% of species), abundance (up to 45% of stems), and forest gap dynamics has been increasingly recognised. Although they are often considered pests in commercial forestry, woody climbers are important to many traditional peoples as medicines, subsistence fibres and non-timber forest products. Largely due to the inaccessibility of their flowers and fruits, lianas and other climbers remain among the most poorly documented life-forms in the tropics. The Lianas of the Guianas Fieldguide aims to provide an overview and advance understanding of woody climber diversity in the forests of Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname. The guide will facilitate learning and identification of woody climbers for specialists and non-specialists with an image-rich format, simplified terminology, a mostly vegetative family and genus key, artistic icon guides, and common names and uses. The growth-forms covered include woody lianas, subwoody lianas, liana-like hemi-epiphytes, tree-like hemi-epiphytes, and climbing shrubs. Chapters are organised alphabetically by plant family and names follow the APG III classification. Approximately 55 families, 170 genera, and 500 more common species are described in the main text, with ± 1300 species (including herbaceous climbers) in a comprehensive checklist. This is one of the first such guides to include predictive genera and species distribution model maps, with a comprehensive set of maps made available on-line. The Lianas of the Guianas Fieldguide will serve as an attractive and useful tool for those concerned with the biodiversity of the Guianan Shield and the neotropics at large.

The Witch's Garden describes over 50 of the world's most powerful, harmful, legendary and storied plants - from the screaming mandrake to calming St John's Wort, to predicting the weather with seaweed, the creation of salves for broken hearts, sore heads, protection from evil spirits and to even induce immortality. Wise women, apothecaries, witches, herbalists: whatever you like to call them, those who cultivate plants for their apparent mystical properties have existed for thousands of years. The Witch's Garden tells the story of our folkloric fascination with these magical specimens, documenting the beliefs and rituals surrounding the natural world. Illustrated with pages from herbals held within the archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, along with botanical illustrations and archival images depicting magic and mayhem, The Witch's Garden beautifully evokes the bewitching nature of mysterious plants.

The H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest is a slice of classic Oregon: due east of Eugene in the Cascade Mountains, the Andrews Forest comprises almost 16,000 acres of the Lookout Creek watershed. The landscape is steep, with hills and deep valleys and cold, fast-running streams. The densely forested landscape includes cedar, hemlock, and moss-draped ancient Douglas fir trees. One of eighty-one USDA experimental forests, the Andrews is administered cooperatively by USFS, OSU, and the Willamette National Forest. While many Oregonians may think of the Andrews simply as a good place for a hike, research conducted there has profoundly reshaped Forest Service management policies and contributed to our understanding of healthy forests. In A Place for Inquiry, A Place for Wonder, William Robbins turns his attention to the long-overlooked Andrews Forest and argues for its importance to environmental science and policy. From its founding in 1948, the experimental forest has been the site of wide-ranging research. Beginning with postwar studies on the conversion of old-growth timber to fast-growing young stands, research at the Andrews shifted in the next few decades to long-term ecosystem investigations that focus on climate, streamflow, water quality, vegetation succession, biogeochemical cycling, and effects of forest management. The Andrews has thus been at the center of a dramatic shift in federal timber practices from industrial, intensive forest management policies to strategies emphasizing biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.

Trees are our allies in healing the world. Partnering with trees allows us to build soil, enhance biodiversity, increase wildlife populations, grow food and medicine, and pull carbon out of the atmosphere, sequestering it in the soil. Trees of Power explains how we can work with these arboreal allies, specifically focusing on propagation, planting, and individual species. Author Akiva Silver is an enthusiastic tree grower with years of experience running his own commercial nursery. In this book he clearly explains the most important concepts necessary for success with perennial woody plants. It s broken down into two parts: the first covering concepts and horticultural skills and the second with in-depth information on individual species. You ll learn different ways to propagate trees: by seed, cuttings, grafting, layering, or with cuttings. These time-honoured techniques make it easy for anyone to increase their stock of trees, simply and inexpensively. Ten chapters focus on the specific ecology, culture, and uses of different trees, ones that are common to North America and in other temperate parts of the world: Chestnut: The Bread Tree Apples: The Magnetic Centre Poplar: The Homemaker Ash: Maker of Wood Mulberry: The Giving Tree Elderberry: The Caretaker Hickory: Pillars of Life Hazelnut: The Provider Black Locust: The Restoration Tree Beech: The Root Runner Trees of Power fills an urgent need for up-to-date information on some of our most important tree species, those that have multiple benefits for humans, animals, and nature. It also provides inspiration for new generations of tree stewards and caretakers who will not only benefit themselves, but leave a lasting legacy for future generations. Trees of Power is for everyone who wants to connect with trees. It is for the survivalist, the gardener, the homesteader, the forager, the permaculturist, the environmentalist, the parent, the schoolteacher, the farmer, and anyone who feels a deep kinship with these magnificent beings.

A passionate and informative celebration of trees and of man's ingenuity in exploiting their resources: the perfect gift for anyone who cares about the natural world. Trees are marvels of nature, still-standing giants of extraordinary longevity. In a beautifully written sequence of essays, anecdotes and profiles of Britain's best-loved species (from yew to scots pine), Max Adams explores both the amazing biology of trees and humanity's relationship with wood and forest across the centuries. Embellished with images from John Evelyn's classic SYLVA (1664), THE WISDOM OF TREES is a gift book that will delight anyone who cares about the natural world and our interaction with it.

This is a selection of striking and informative images of pollen, seeds and fruit as you have never seen them before. It will appeal to anyone interested in natural botany, wildlife, art and photography. Authors include a leading artist and botanists from the world-renowned Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. A ground-breaking collaboration between an artist and two botanists, this book tells the story of how flowers disseminate their pollen and how the pollinated flower turns into a fruit beginning a whole new chapter in a plant's life. It is the success or failure of a fruit to disperse its seeds that decides the survival or extinction of a species. This crucial role of fruits and seeds explains the fascinating spectrum of strategies and ruses that plants have evolved over millions of years to achieve their dispersal. This book combines extraordinary images with a clear, easily accessible, yet scientifically accurate text explaining the different forms of pollen, seeds and fruit, and their role in preserving the biodiversity of our planet.