The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants.

Abstract

A revised and updated edition of a comprehensive and authoritative dictionary of plants, first published in 1987, taking into consideration the most recent literature and incorporating almost 2500 new entries, bringing the total to over 20 000. The aim is to provide information on every family and genus of seed-bearing plant plus ferns and other pteridophytes, combining taxonomic details with information on English names and uses. Wholly fossil groups of plants are excluded. The book is arranged largely on the principles of editions 1-6 of Willis's A dictionary of the flowering plants and ferns. Each generic entry includes the family to which the genus is assigned, the number of species within the genus, its distribution and other details of botanical, horticultural, agricultural, medicinal or other economic importance as well as English names applied to species within the genus. Where there has been a recent or recently cited monograph of the genus, the place of its publication is given in abbreviated form. Each family entry includes the number of genera and species, the classification of the family and its subdivision, the principal genera, and the distribution, botanical details and main uses of plants within the family. English names of species are cross-referenced to the generic entries. The book also includes a system for arrangement of vascular plants (in general following the system of Cronquist as modified by Kubitzki), and lists of general abbreviations and abbreviations of authors' names.