Trees: A Visual Guide - Hardcover

Rodd, Tony; Stackhouse, Jennifer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0520256506 ISBN 13: 9780520256507

Publisher: University of California Press, 2008

Synopsis

Beautifully illustrated and designed, this gorgeous reference book explores the world of trees from every perspective―from the world's great forests to the lifespan of a single leaf. Arresting color photographs of a wide variety of trees and close-ups of many of their remarkable features provide an enormous amount of information in a highly accessible format. The volume illustrates how trees grow and function, looks at their astounding diversity and adaptations, documents the key role they play in ecosystems, and explores the multitude of uses to which we put trees―from timber and pharmaceuticals to shade and shelter. A highly absorbing read cover to cover or dipped into at random, Trees: A Visual Guide delves into many specific topics: the details of flowers, bark, and roots; profiles of favorite trees; how animals and insects interact with trees; trees in urban landscapes; the role trees play in our changing climate; deforestation and reforestation; and much more. With clear diagrams, illustrations, and intriguing sidebars on many featured topics, this unique volume is a complete visual guide to the magnificence of the arboreal world.

About this title

About the Author

Tony Rodd is a horticultural botanist with a strong interest in trees. Starting as a forestry student then working in a wood structure laboratory, he switched to botany and was the first Horticultural Botanist at Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, overseeing the living collections. For the past 25 years he has been a botanical consultant. Jennifer Stackhouse is a horticulturist and garden writer who lives in Sydney, Australia. She is editor of Gardening Australia and contributes garden articles to newspapers and magazines. Her interest in social history, art, and garden history has led to a career in plants, gardens, and landscape design.

Reviews

This is a beautifully photographed visual guide to one of the most important resources of the natural world. The authors are Australian botanists who live and work in Sydney. Rodd was the first horticultural botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, and Stackhouse is editor of the magazine Gardening Australia, an offshoot of the television show by the same name. The book is divided by chapters describing the form, types, location, and use of the many varieties of trees. Each page has a column or more of text enhanced with color photographs. The two pages on the ginkgo have photos of the tree in fall, a magnified photo of the stomata, an X-ray of the leaf, and pictures of the seed with and without the coating of the kernel. Although this should not be considered an identification guide, there is a section entitled “Remarkable Trees of the World” where 99 trees are described by height, type, occurrence, habitat, division, and family. Additional text discusses the unique features of each variety and is illustrated with either a photograph of the tree, flowers, or leaves. Supplementary material includes a “Factfile,” which has illustrations of tree, leaf, flower, and fruit shapes, and small maps showing the types and major forests of the world. There are also four pages of charts describing the largest families and genera of trees. The volume concludes with a short glossary and an index. The text is clear and written in nontechnical language. Recommended for either the reference or circulating collection in academic public libraries. --Christine Bulson

Edition details

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520256506
• ISBN 13: 9780520256507
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304