This plant book aims to help identify flowering plants to genus and family level anywhere in the world. There are very few available works which are both comprehensive and up-to-date for all the flowering plants families and genera of the world. The Flowering Plants Handbook is an easy to use identification guide to the world's flowering plants designed for both specialists and non-specialists and from beginner to expert. So whether you're a botanist, ecologist, conservation biologist, horticulturalist or a plant enthusiast then this is The Flowering Plants Handbook for you.
The Flowering Plants Handbook contains descriptions of all currently recognised flowering plant families, morphological notes for 6,656 genera (all current genera for 398/413 families) and over 3,000 images and illustrations.
Flowering plants can be identified using The Flowering Plants Handbook to family and much of the world's generic diversity in four 'easy' steps. Some plants will be identified correctly quickly, whilst others may require some retracing of steps and take a little more time. The advantage of The Flowering Plants Handbook is that it helps the user learn about the classification system and plant diversity during the identification process. This work was compiled and developed using the living, library and herbarium collections at the University of Aberdeen, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Introduction 1
Key to Major Plant Groups 4
Useful Diagnostic Characters 7
BASAL ANGIOSPERMS 10
Amborellales 11
Nymphaeales 12
Austrobaileyales 14
Chloranthales 16
Canellales 17
Piperales 19
Magnoliales 22
Laurales 30
MONOCOTS 38
Acorales 39
Alismatales 40
Petrosaviales 53
Dioscoreales 54
Pandanales 57
Liliales 61
Asparagales 70
Arecales 94
Commelinales 96
Zingiberales 101
Dasypogonaceae 109
Poales 110
BASAL EUDICOTS 130
Ceratophyllales 131
Ranunculales 132
Sabiaceae 143
Proteales 144
Trochodendrales 149
Buxales 150
Gunnerales 152
Dilleniaceae 153
ROSIDS 154
Saxifragales 156
Vitales 167
Zygophyllales 168
Fabales 170
Rosales 174
Fagales 189
Cucurbitales 192
Celastrales 201
Oxalidales 206
Malpighiales 212
Geraniales 249
Myrtales 251
Crossosomatales 265
Picramniales 269
Sapindales 270
Huerteales 294
Malvales 296
Brassicales 310
MINOR CORE EUDICOTS 324
Berberidopsidales 325
Santalales 326
Caryophyllales 337
ASTERIDS 380
Cornales 382
Ericales 387
Unplaced Basal Lamiid Families 414
Garryales 417
Gentianales 418
Vahliaceae 429
Boraginaceae 429
Solanales 437
Lamiales 446
Aquifoliales 489
Asterales 492
Escalloniales 504
Bruniales 505
Paracryphiales 507
Dipsacales 508
Apiales 512
Basic Glossary 520
Geographical Maps 537
Literature 539
Useful Plants & Plant Family Synonymy Index 607