The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees of the World

This beautifully illustrated book is an identification guide to 1000 of the world's best-known trees, from huge redwoods to small garden trees. It can be used as a field guide or as an educational tool to identify species and individual trees, learn about how trees grow, the environments they grow in, and the species and varieties that proliferate in different areas and habitats all around the world. A comprehensive introduction looks at the origins of trees, how they have evolved over time and the ways in which they have adapted to suit the variety of terrains in which they thrive. Each of a tree's constituent parts - bark, trunk, leaves, needles, cones, flowers, and fruit - are looked at in detail and the author discusses the role each plays in the tree's survival. The rich variety of habitats in which trees proliferate, from redwood forests to desert plains are all described. The second section of the book is a visual encyclopedia of the most common, popular, prolific or unusual trees found in the world. Each entry is illustrated with a watercolour artwork and includes identification details such as bark texture and colour, leaf shape and size, and flowering time, as well as average height and overall tree shape, so that trees can be easily identified. Interesting features are discussed and photographic details of many trees are included. Trees are one of the oldest living forms of plant life on earth. Many individual trees are older than our most ancient buildings, and higher than most of our tallest edifices. They dominate our landscapes and enrich our history, culture and traditions. It is essential that we recognise them, study them, learn about them, nuture and preserve them. This extraordinary new volume provides a massively intensive reference source for everything to do with these wonderful creations, and will form a vital part of every natural history and general library.