This book is about phylogenetic diversity as an approach to reduce biodiversity losses in this period of mass extinction. Chapters in the first section deal with questions such as the way we value phylogenetic diversity among other criteria for biodiversity conservation; the choice of measures; the loss of phylogenetic diversity with extinction; the importance of organisms that are deeply branched in the tree of life, and the role of relict species. The second section is composed by contributions exploring methodological aspects, such as how to deal with abundance, sampling effort, or conflicting trees in analysis of phylogenetic diversity. The last section is devoted to applications, showing how phylogenetic diversity can be integrated in systematic conservation planning, in EDGE and HEDGE evaluations. This wide coverage makes the book a reference for academics, policy makers and stakeholders dealing with biodiversity conservation.

The IUCN/SSC Cycad ACtion Plan brings together the best available information on this ancient and fascinating group of plants. Cycads were a dominant part of the earth's flora during the age of the dinosaurs and many species were common even in more recent times. However, many of the 297 species and subspecies dealt with in the Cycad Action Plan have been badly affected by habitat destruction and plant collecting within the last century. As a result, more than half the known species are now classified as threatened, and the cycads stand out as one of the most threatened groups of plants in this world.The Action Plan provides an overview of all the cycads and the threats to their survival. This is followed by separate assessments for the four broad regions where cycads now occur, namely Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, Australia, Asia, and the New World. Trade in cycads has had a substantial impact on wild cycad populations and there is a separate chapter on trade and the effectiveness of control measures such as CITES. In addition, with so many species facing extinction in the wild, garden collections have become increasingly important and we have assessed the global status of cycad collections.Finally, the Cycad Action Plan presents a set of objectives and actions to reduce the threat to cycads in the wild and to provide ex situ conservation for those that almost certainly will become extinct in the wild. Wherever possible, we have tried to identify and build on innovative projects, such as community-based nurseries, and to link cycad consideration with other global and local initiatives such as the conservation of biodiversity hotspots.

Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer is known as the “father of Texas botany.” While he was not the first botanist to collect plants for scientific examination in Texas, his collections are credited with helping botanists around the world to understand the nature, extent, and significance of the diversity of plants in the state. In partnership with Asa Gray of Harvard University, Lindheimer spent eight years collecting Texas plants to distribute to a list of paying subscribers—including places like the British Museum, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and the Smithsonian Institution. Today, no fewer than 362 plant names are based, at least in part, on Lindheimer collections, and 65 plants have been named in his honor. Lindheimer was a founding settler of New Braunfels, raising his family on the banks of the Comal River while he continued to collect and ship plant specimens. He was “elected” as the first editor of the Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung (still published today as the Herald-Zeitung), and served from 1852 to 1872. He wrote a number of articles for the Zeitung on topics ranging from plants, climate, and agriculture to Texas Indian affairs, optimism, and teaching schoolchildren. In the last year of Lindheimer’s life, one of his students worked with him to collect an assortment of his essays and articles from the Zeitung. In 1879, the collection was published as Aufsätze und Abhandlungen von Ferdinand Lindheimer in Texas (Essays and Articles of Ferdinand Lindheimer in Texas). John E. Williams now offers the first English translation of these essays, which provides valuable insight into the natural and cultural history of Texas.

Cycads superficially resemble palms and are often misidentified as such. However, cycads are actually a unique assemblage of primitive plants that have been around for at least 250 million years. They have become highly sought after for gardens, both private and public, and their present status as endangered plants has engendered an upsurge of interest in their conservation. With Cycads of the World, David Jones has achieved that difficult task of writing a scientifically accurate text, which is both easy to read and to understand. For this second edition David Jones has added information covering over 100 new species and subspecies of cycads, and updated his material on the 200 species from the first edition. Each entry includes a full description, distribution and habitat information, and a detailed cultivation and propagation guide. Over 360 color photographs plus many other illustrations and maps facilitate easy identification for all living species. This second edition of Cycads of the World makes a fine addition to the library of anyone interested in exotic plants, including gardeners, landscape architects, horticulturalists, botanists, and the curious reader alike.

This volume presents the current state of our knowledge of the classification of the approximately 300 species of cycads. It includes contributions from leading researchers from Australia, China, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand and the USA. It has been developed from papers presented at a workshop held in 2002 at the Montgomery Botanical Center. The book provides guidelines for the designation of species, species boundaries and species groupings, thus clarifying what has been a confused area of research.