The Kew Temperate Plant Families Identification Handbook brings together the combined knowledge of Kew experts in a guide to the commonly encountered plants of temperate regions. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a centre of expertise for cultivating a range of plants from around the world, especially temperate plants which are grown in the Arboretum, Alpine House and Temperate House, as well as at Wakehurst. In this book, Kew's experts have accumulated an unsurpassed practical knowledge of the plants they encounter, both scientific and horticultural.100 plant families are described in detail and richly illustrated with photographs showing the important identification characters, along with distribution maps, line drawings and herbarium sheets. This book is the primary resource for plant identification for those working in temperate regions around the world.

The tropics with their lush rainforests are extremely rich in plant life but are still comparatively unknown. Botanists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew have a long tradition of exploring and plant collecting in the tropics, accumulating an unsurpassed practical knowledge of the tropical plants they encounter.This second edition of The Kew Tropical Plant Families Identification Handbook brings together this knowledge in a guide to the commonly encountered and ecologically important plants of the tropics. Written by Kew's experts, this handbook is based on Kew's Tropical Plant Identification course, which uses classical morphology, as well as more simple 'spot' characters, to teach plant identification.

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

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

Learn how to identify the most important temperate plant families Based on the most up-to-date research, Temperate Garden Plant Families spans the spectrum from Acanthaceae (the acanthus family) to Zingiberaceae (the ginger family), and reflects the current scientific consensus about the family status of the most popular garden genera. Introductory information includes an overview of family classification, plant nomenclature, and plant morphology. The comprehensive A–Z of plants includes profiles that include information on the number of species and genera, plant form, flowers, fruit, and a short description. Each profile is illustrated with color photographs and botanical illustrations. Botanists, horticulturists, gardeners, and students will all welcome this authoritative yet accessible reference.