There is an accompanying volume with illustrations.
Eighteen plant families are described in this volume. Among these, Hippocastanaceae comprises the horse chestnuts and buckeyes; Sapindaceae, the soapberry family, includes the fruits lychee and longan, and species valued for their wood; Balsaminaceae, the balsam family, mainly comprises Impatiens; Rhamnaceae includes Rhamnus, once used for making charcoal for gunpowder, and ornamental plants that contain yellow and green dyes; Vitaceae contains the grapes and numerous other vines; Tiliaceae includes the basswoods, lindens, or limes; Malvaceae contains Hibiscus, cotton, and okra; Bombacaceae includes kapok; Sterculiaceae, the source of chocolate, also yields timber; Actinidiaceae includes the edible kiwifruit; and Theaceae includes many ornamental species of Camellia, as well as C. sinensis, the source of tea.