Stearn's classic dictionary of the meaning and origin of some 6,000 botanical names

John Stevens Henslow (1796-1861) was a botanist and geologist. As teacher, mentor and friend to Charles Darwin, it was his introduction that secured for Darwin the post of naturalist on the voyage of the Beagle. While Professor of Botany, Henslow established the Cambridge University Botanic Garden as a resource for teaching and research. Students were encouraged to examine plant specimens carefully, and to record the characteristics of their structures. Henslow would have known how daunting they found the task of becoming proficient with botanical vocabulary, and produced this volume to provide a secure foundation for scientific investigations. This meticulous glossary, originally published as a single volume in 1857 but drawing on contributions he made earlier to issues of The Botanist and Maund's Botanic Garden, is a testament to Henslow's scholarship. It is liberally illustrated with delightful woodcuts that clarify the meaning of selected terms.

This plant glossary includes all descriptive terms used in floras, plant field guides and monographs. This is an essential companion for anyone working with plant descriptions, plant identification keys, floras, monographs and field guides. In this second edition 4,500 botanical terms are described with accompanying illustrations, including a new section on vegetation terms and an updated colour section.'Catnip for the garden geek...this fascinating, authoritative volume may seduce even the most casual browser.'The New York Times, 27 May 2010

Precise naming of plants is essential to be able to identify them accurately and most gardeners have at least some knowledge of 'botanical Latin'. But a plant's full botanical name does much more than give it a unique label. The name can often tell you where the plant originated, who discovered it, what colour it is, and much else besides. What's more, the name is universally recognizable, and can be used and understood anywhere in the world. So wherever you are you can identify specific plants. Plant Names Explained is an essential and fascinating guide to the subject. What may seem at first a dry but necessary convention is revealed to be a way of opening up the intriguing world of plants and plantsmen. Based on William T Stearn's Botanical Latin, the classic work on the subject, Plant Names Explained is much more than an indispensable practical guide and superb reference book - it is an engrossing read. Published in partnership with Hillier, Britain's most respected nurserymen.