Language: English
From the foreword:
"Palms are one of the multi-use monocots confined to tropical regions of the world. They form a vital component of forests and agricultural ecosystems, providing a range of economic products necessary for daily life. The aesthetic value of palms is no less important than their traditional and commercial values. From India 22 genera and 105 species of palms have been reported so far.
The correct identification of a species is necessary to recognize commercially important species and to plan conservation activities effectively. Once the scientific name is known, all the scientific information published on that species can be gathered. Usually non-taxonomists and forest officials find it difficult to use conventional floras because they are alien to the botanical terms used to describe the plants. Hence a field guide with limited botanical terms is required for use by non-taxonomists. The present book by Dr. C. Renuka and Dr. V. B. Sreekumar is an attempt in this line. I am sure that this book, an outcome of long field experience and research by the authors, will be extremely useful to foresters, researchers and students."