"Sarraceniaceae of South America" is one part of a two-part monograph providing the first complete study of the full diversity, ecology and taxonomy of all recognised species of the three genera of Sarraceniaceae, a family of pitcher plants, namely Darlingtonia, Heliamphora and Sarracenia. This volume examines all species of Heliamphora from the Guiana Highlands of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. All known species are illustrated in full detail for the very first time, including many that have been discovered only very recently. Notably, the description of one spectacular new species of Heliamphora is included in the Appendix of this work and is documented in detail. Complete with up-to-date conservation assessments, distribution maps and accounts of the wild ecology and habitats of each species of Sarraceniaceae, this work is a major and definitive taxonomic revision for all three genera of true pitcher plants of the New World. Visually beautiful and comprehensive, these books will appeal to both general readers and specialists who are interested in the natural history, diversity, ecology and relationships of Darlingtonia, Heliamphora and Sarracenia.

Evolution of land plant -- Plants and human culture -- Naming plants -- Classification and the angiosperm phylogeny group

Carnivorous plants have fascinated botanists, evolutionary biologists, ecologists, physiologists, developmental biologists, anatomists, horticulturalists, and the general public for centuries. Charles Darwin was the first scientist to demonstrate experimentally that some plants could actually attract, kill, digest, and absorb nutrients from insect prey; his book Insectivorous Plants (1875) remains a widely-cited classic. Since then, many movies and plays, short stories, novels, coffee-table picture books, and popular books on the cultivation of carnivorous plants have been produced. However, all of these widely read products depend on accurate scientific information, and most of them have repeated and recycled data from just three comprehensive, but now long out of date, scientific monographs. The field has evolved and changed dramatically in the nearly 30 years since the last of these books was published, and thousands of scientific papers on carnivorous plants have appeared in the academic journal literature. In response, Ellison and Adamec have assembled the world's leading experts to provide a truly modern synthesis. They examine every aspect of physiology, biochemistry, genomics, ecology, and evolution of these remarkable plants, culminating in a description of the serious threats they now face from over-collection, poaching, habitat loss, and climatic change which directly threaten their habitats and continued persistence in them.

The DNA sequencing of a series of living organisms has elucidated many biological problems. But the internal atomic and electronic evolution of DNA remains to be mapped in detail. RNA and DNA now appear to be the prime determinants of biological evolution leading to the sudden appearance of novel organism structures and functions that emerge 'ready made' as a surprise to the organism. This has been demonstrated by the manipulation of genes that led to the sudden production of additional complete wings and legs in flies and birds. The study of this internal atomic construction of macromolecules is being investigated at the large electron accelerators such as the MAX IV Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Lund University, Sweden.The periodicity of the chemical elements is well known from its iconic Table. Significantly, this periodicity can now be seen to extend to the properties of living organisms. Biological properties as different as: flight, vision, luminescence and regeneration, as well as others, show unexpectedly periodic emergence. They resurface, without previous announcement, in most unrelated plant and animal families and they emerge irrespective of whether the organism is a simple invertebrate or a most complex mammal.Moreover, this periodicity does not necessarily start at the cell or DNA levels but appears initially in crystals and minerals, where it is shown to be a pure atomic and electronic process, e.g. in luminescence and regeneration.The assembled molecular evidence led to the construction of Periodic Tables of living organisms, placing them in a position comparable to the periodicity of the chemical elements. Surprisingly, there are striking resemblances between the periodicities of the chemical elements and those of living organisms. In addition, the two types of Tables increase our insight into the events directing atomic evolution since the periodic law established in chemical elements turns out to be applicable to the periodicity of living organisms. The new Periodic Tables introduce a predictive capacity in biological evolution that before was hardly contemplated.Eric Scerri, from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, California University, Los Angeles, who is the Author of the book 'The Periodic Table. Its Story and its Significance', Oxford University Press, stated in an e-mail that 'Professor Lima-de-Faria's book is wonderful and a pioneering work'.

-- Natural History

Aquatic Dicotyledons of North America: Ecology, Life History, and Systematics brings together a wealth of information on the natural history, ecology, and systematics of North American aquatic plants. Most books on aquatic plants have a taxonomic focus and are intended primarily for identification. Instead, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the biology of major aquatic species by compiling information from numerous sources that lie scattered among the primary literature, herbarium databases, and other reference materials. Included dicotyledon species are those having an obligate (OBL) wetland status, a designation used in the USACE National Wetland Plant List. Recent phylogenetic analyses are incorporated and rationale is provided for interpreting this information with respect to species relationships. This diverse assemblage of information will be useful to a wide range of interests including academic researchers, wildlife managers, students, and virtually anyone interested in the natural history of aquatic and wetland plants. Although focusing specifically on North America, the cosmopolitan distribution of many aquatic plants should make this an attractive text to people working virtually anywhere outside of the region as well. This book is an essential resource for assisting with wetland delineation.

This plant book aims to help identify flowering plants to genus and family level anywhere in the world. In 2014 there were very few available works which were both comprehensive and up-to-date for all the flowering plants families and genera of the world. The Flowering Plants Handbook is an easy to use identification guide to the worlds flowering plants designed for both specialists and non-specialists and from beginner to expert. The book contains descriptions of all currently recognised flowering plant families, morphological notes for 6656 genera (all current genera for 398/413 families) and over 3000 images and illustrations. Flowering plants can be identified using the book to family and much of the world's generic diversity in four 'easy' steps. Some plants will be identified correctly quickly, whilst others may require some retracing of steps and take a little more time. The advantage of this book is that it helps the user learn about the classification system and plant diversity during the identification process. This work was compiled and developed using the living, library and herbarium collections at the University of Aberdeen, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.