Identification of tropical woody plants in the absence of flowers

This revised and extended second edition of "Identification of tropical woody plants" is a concise representation of vegetative characters of woody taxa. It presents a unique identification system, permitting recognition of plant families in all seasons by means of morphological and macroanatomical features which are easily observable, permanent, and which provide a great deal of taxonomic information.

The identification system has been designed in the form of a dichotomous key, which is illustrated with figures of woody plants showing their architecture and the morphological characters of barks, branches and leaves. The book has been revised according to the latest molecular biological findings in taxonomy. Additional families are included, as well as representative examples on color plates. A new key for the main groups of euphorbiacean genera has been included.

This field guide will be an essential companion to botanists and ecologists.

From the reviews for the second edition:

"This is a very important book for every botanist working in the tropics and its widespread use is to be wished for. There is ceratinly muchto improve, not only for the simple reason that this richest of all floras is still very imperfectly known and certain vegetative characters have too long been neglected by taxonomists." (Ecotropia)

“The first half of the guide is a succinct key to tropical plant families … and the remaining 120 pp. are line drawings and color plates that illustrate the unique architecture of the families. … The paper is of a fine quality that does not easily absorb water, a useful feature when working in the tropics. … use it regularly while keying out specimens in the herbarium. … Overall, if you find yourself traveling frequently through the tropics, this is an essential manual … .”­­­ (Justin Williams, Economic Botany, Vol. 64 (1), 2010)