An Atlas of the World's Conifers is the first ever atlas of all known conifer species. It is based on locality information of ca. 35,000 collected herbarium specimens held in scientific institutions. As well as providing natural distribution maps for each species, Farjon and Filer give the reader comprehensive insight into the biogeography, diversity and conservation status of conifers on all continents, dispelling the widely held view that they are primarily a northern boreal plant group. Conifer diversity is analysed and presented with a taxonomic and geographic perspective. Distribution patterns are interpreted using the latest information on continental drift, dispersal and phylogeny. The entire dataset supporting An Atlas of the World's Conifers can be consulted and verified online. These data can also be used for further research and are an invaluable research tool for anyone working on conifer systematics, biogeography or conservation.
Aljos Farjon is based at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. He is acknowledged as the world's foremost expert on conifer systematics and has published 11 books and more than 50 papers on this subject. He is chairman of IUCN's Conifer Specialist Group since 1995.
Denis Filer is based at the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford. His work has led to the development of the Botanical Research And Herbarium Management System (BRAHMS) which is now used globally for systematics, floristics, botanical survey and plant diversity analysis.