Plants of the World: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Vascular Plant Families

This is the first comprehensive book to cover every vascular plant family in the world, including all families of lycopods, ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms. Organised in a modern phylogenetic order (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group IV for flowering plants and equivalent systems for other groups), over 450 families are described in this illustrated encyclopedia, with full information relating to their characteristics, relationships, etymology, economic uses and distribution. Written by three world-renowned authors with wide interests in plant relationships, horticulture and modern genetic approaches to the study of biodiversity, the descriptions are accompanied by a lavish selection of photographs, illustrations and maps. Many of the illustrations are the work of the first author, Maarten Christenhusz, who is an accomplished photographer as well as a botanist. This authoritative, comprehensive and beautiful book will appeal to a wide audience, from undergraduate students to practising botanists and horticulturists as well as interested amateurs.
Plants of the World is the first book to systematically explore every vascular plant family on earth—more than four hundred and fifty of them—organized in a modern phylogenetic order. Detailed entries for each family include descriptions, distribution, evolutionary relationships, and fascinating information on economic uses of plants and etymology of their names. All entries are also copiously illustrated in full color with more than 2,500 stunning photographs. A collaboration among three celebrated botanists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Plants of the World is authoritative, comprehensive, and beautiful.