A tree is defined as a woody perennial plant, having a single elongated trunk with several branches spreading at a certain height which give shape to its canopy (crown). The trunk usually has a minimum diameter of 10 cm at chest height. The leaves may be deciduous (falling seasonally) or evergreen. Young trees with a trunk measuring less than 10 cm in diameter are called saplings. Most tree species are flowering plants or conifers. They are distributed throughout the world, with the highest diversity in rainforests of the tropical regions. The majority of tree species belong to the families Dipterocarpaceae (Dipterocarps), Fagaceae (Beech family) and Lauraceae (Laurel family). Trees are used to produce a variety of our needs, including timber, furniture, paper and medicine. They also play an important role in preserving the environment (ecosystems) by preventing land degradation and erosion, producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide and managing microclimates.

Coelogyne, a large genus of Asiatic orchids, comprising some 190 species and 12 varieties, is widely distributed from India and Sri Lanka across Southern Asia and the Malay archipelago to the Philippines, New Guinea and the south west Pacific Islands. The Genus Coelogyne: A Synopsis provides a comprehensive account that includes ecology, morphology, taxonomy, distribution, descriptions of each species with habitat and flowering time, and molecular phylogeny. This will be of great interest to growers and collectors as the author provides detailed information on cultivation and hybridisation based on his own extensive experience raising these fascinating orchids. Twenty-three maps, 133 colour photographs, and intricate line drawings of the lips of flowers, a critical identification feature, illustrate the text.