Encyclopedia of Tropical Plants: Identification and Cultivation of Over 3000 Tropical Plants
Densely packed with botanical descriptions, this book is an excellent look at the characteristics of the many tropical and subtropical species that avail themselves to horticultural propagation and enjoyment. It is among the first books to group species by the latest phylogenetic categories based on cytogenetic study of the included groups and species. Users may approach information about a species through the common name or botanical indexes. A typical entry includes the number of genera and species in a higher phylogenetic group. Common names, general shape, flower characteristics, and other information—including distribution, habitat, and hardiness zones—are succinctly summarized. Example species of the group are also botanically described. Each page has several high-quality documentary photographs of representative species from the groups on that or an adjoining page. An extensive glossary defines the descriptive terms used in the entries. The “References” section is a bibliography of the classification works used in preparing this volume.   The audience for this reference work falls somewhere between the plant enthusiast and the botanist. It is reasonably priced and will fit well into any library’s general botanical collection, especially those lacking information about tropical plants. --Linda Scarth