Description
Book SynopsisAn invaluable reference for botanists and horticulturalists, this book begins with an historical account of the significant changes in the ways plants have been known and named. It then provides a comprehensive glossary of generic and specific plant names, which includes the Greek, Latin, or other source of each name.
Trade Review'This small book holds an incredible amount of information … a handy reference for anyone learning about plants … Understanding the history behind the rules of nomenclature should help the professional, student, and gardener alike to comprehend why plants are named the way they are.' Horticultural Science
'… I judge a book, mostly, by how much I learn from it. And I learned a lot from this one.' Systematic Botany
'A remarkably useful and interesting little book … should be on the bookshelf of every biologist.' Biological Conservation
'The entire book is written in such a way that a person with limited botanical background can understand it, yet it does not come across as trivial or boring to the professional … The book is excellent.' William J. Crins, The Canadian Field-Naturalist
'… thoroughly recommended as a scholarly and carefully produced guide to plant names and meanings.' Countryside
… twice the size of the last edition with over 17,000 entries. … the 380 page glossary [is] the book's value and fascination. … In short, this book is a treasure – anyone with a glimmer of interest in plants should have a copy.' The Biologist
'… The increase in information is incredible. The authors of the family treatments and specialists that have contributed to this volume are warmly complimented on the results. … This is an extremely useful, valuable and essential contribution and it is recommended to all who want to know what names 'mean'. I am going to buy this book.' Blumea
Table of ContentsPreface; The nature of the problem; The size of the problem; Towards a solution to the problem; The rules of botanical nomenclature - Family names; Generic names; Species names; Epithets commemorating people; Geographical epithets; Categories below the rank of species; Hybrids; Synonymy and illegitimacy; The international code of nomenclature for cultivated plants; Graft chimaeras; The glossary; Bibliography.
