Product Description

This key enables the user to easily identify any native or alien plant without flowers or fruit, with nothing more than a hand lens.

The idea has been for any diligent novice to ID a plant within three turns of a page, often identified correctly in under 30 seconds (due to the simple polychotomous keys).

The key will be invaluable to all professional and amateur botanists, ecological consultants, students and naturalists.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36406 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 584 pages

From the Author
Most field guides only work when you have flowers or fruit; something I found rather frustrating when out botanising/recording.

It is often simpler and easier to ID a plant from vegetative characters than from flowers alone (yes, really!) and the keys work just as well on plants in flower. Flower and fruit characters have been included where appropriate, especially characters not readily available in other floras, so you shouldn't have to take several books into the field.

Customer Reviews

Excellent piece of kit!!
This is an excellent book. Messrs Poland and Clement have invented a whole new system of keys. They are so easy to use that I managed to get the hang of them within ten minutes of taking the book out of its packaging!! As a botanist I would recommend this book to all others of the same persuasion, both amateur and professional. I have to admit to being a little dubious about buying this book, but it has now taken the place of Francis Rose's Keys in my backpack!!

The most useful book I've bought for a long time.
Most field plant ID guides rely on the plant being investigated being in flower. But what if there isn't a flower? This new book by John Poland and Eric Clement is the answer, and a brilliant answer it is too. A superbly thought out and executed key with some excellent illustrations of leave types and cross sections, this will take you to the identification of any plant you find within just a few minutes. I've tried it with some difficult plants such as reeds and sedges and it has always come up trumps. This book will become a classic field guide and battered copies will be seen falling from the rucksacks of botanists and other nature lovers for many years to come.

Long overdue veg book
At last a book for beginners and us experienced Naturalists to get our teeth into. As a Wild Flower Society member this book has settled many an argument re mints at Foxley Wood Norfolk and other difficult genera. As a professional ecologist I can now survey all year round and I know its cheating but can always return to confirm the plant in flower. It is very user friendly and very strongly I would advise any Botanist or Naturalist to have this in their rucksack, I bought two one for the field and one for looking up vegetation in the comfort of my own study.

Us scientists have found the book to be a breakthrough in vegetative recording.