Collins Wild Flower Guide

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There are many reasons why correct identification to the level of species is important. For example, an endangered species may easily be mistaken for its similar looking, ubiquitous cousin and without proper identification we wouldn’t know to conserve it and thus it may be driven further into extinction as other plants compete for space, or the use of the land changes due to human activity. With the loss of a species, which is in itself a sad state of affairs, we also lose the genetic diversity and a host of other attributes known and undiscovered some of which may be of benefit to humankind through medicine, crop improvement, materials, etc.

The Bibliography has been updated to include Poland’s ‘The Vegetative Key to the British Flora’ – an excellent resource for identification of plants when they are not in flower. This guide describes over 1900 species in Britain and Ireland and includes flowering plants so trees, shrubs, grasses, sedges and rushes as well as conifers, ferns and their allies. There are a few words used in the main text, which are not to be found in the glossary. Examples are: aerial stems; crenate leaves; lenticels; septa; stipe and ternate. There is a useful glossary of terms used, brief descriptions of flower structure, fruit and seed types and leaf shapes, and descriptions of different types of habitat. This guide covers approx. 1100 species of wildflower including grasses, sedges and rushes but excludes trees. The guide is organised by families.This book is out of print but used copies are available from online retailers. Collins Flower Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Flowers of Britain and Europe The addition of Latin names alongside illustrations in the new edition saves time and avoids mistakes. Thus some plant (Latin) names have also changed, and the new edition reflects these changes. Where the names differ from those in the first edition they are added in parentheses following the new name for reference. The book has also been completely reset and redesigned throughout.

This is an updated version of a book which was first published in 2009 as the 'Collins Flower Guide', which has been renamed presumably to make it clear that it is a guide to wild flowers rather than those grown in gardens! It covers Britain and Ireland and contains a combination of illustrations and identification keys: those interested in wild plants may have previously seen this combination in the Francis Rose guide.

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I think this would also be an ideal guide for a beginner: the key is very straightforward to use and the explanations of technical terms are very clear. By only covering 200 wildflowers, it has a very limited scope. Featuring all flowering plants, including trees and grasses, and ferns, this fully revised and updated field guide to the wild flowers of Britain and northern Europe is the most complete illustrated, single-volume guide ever published.