The Firefly Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs - Hardcover

Rodd, Tony

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1552096033 ISBN 13: 9781552096031

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2001

Synopsis

This beautifully illustrated plant encyclopedia gives comprehensive information on more than 8500 trees and shrubs from around the world. All of the well-loved favorites, such as camellias, roses, rhododendrons, oaks and pines are covered, as well as hundreds of lesser-known exotic plants.

Each entry details the plant origin, appearance, growth habit, flowering time, and cultivation requirements. Photographs include stunning full color shots of plants in their natural habitats plus close-ups of bark, leaf, fruit and flowers.

Canadian gardening expert Jennifer Bennett has contributed an extensive introduction that includes comprehensive information on trees and shrubs native to Canada and cultivation notes particular to the Canadian climate. Botanical classification, the uses of trees and shrubs by humans in culture, industry, and medicine, and forest types and diversity are some of the additional topics discussed.

For the first edition only, The Firefly Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs comes with a CD-ROM of the book contents. With information accessible by cross-reference, readers will find the CD-ROM particularly useful in garden planning and choosing plants for particular conditions.

About this title

About the Author

Tony Rodd is a former Horticultural Botanist with the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia. His long-standing interest is the identification and classification of garden plants from all parts of the world. He has contributed numerous botanical articles to reference books, including The Australian Encyclopedia and Botanica. As well as writing and consulting, Tony manages a library of his own botanical photographs, a large number of which have been reproduced in books.

Jennifer Bennett, who lives in eastern Ontario, is the author of countless magazine articles and several books about gardening, including The New Northern Gardener and The Dryland Garden. She is the winner of a Gold Medal from the Science Writers Association of Canada and the Quill & Trowel award from the Garden Writers Association of America.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Sample Entry

Note that material in (brackets) has been added to highlight standard elements and for clarity.

(Genus Entry) LARIX

The larches, members of the pine family, comprise the largest genus of deciduous conifers; they are found in northern Europe, over much of Asia from Siberia as far south as northern Myanmar, and in northern North America. They are among the earliest trees to come into leaf in spring, they leaves being carried on both long and short shoots. Upright summer-ripening cones are borne on the shorter shoots, and last on the tree for some time. In older trees the branches tend to droop in a graceful manner. The needle-like leaves are usually vivid green, sometimes blue-green in summer and turning butter yellow to old gold in autumn. Some species yield valuable timber that is strong and heavy.
CULTIVATION: Larches are adaptable to most soils though wet soils are best avoided for all but 1 or 2 species. All need plenty of light. Species hybridize readily, in the wild and in cultivation. The propagate readily from seed.

(Species Entry) Larix decidua
(Synonym) Larix euopaea
(Common Name) European Larch

Found in the (Place of Origin) Alps and Caucasian mountains, where it forms extensive forests at high altitudes, this species has also naturalized in other parts of northern Europe. It will grow to a height of (Measurements) 165 feet (50 m), with a conical crown becoming broader as the tree matures, with some wide-spreading horizontal as well as erect branches. The bark is smooth gray, becoming fissured on old trees and coarsely ridged. Leaves are a tender light green and the mature cones are yellowish. The timber is of good quality. Young trees establish very quickly and grow quickly. Cultivars include (Subspecies, Variety or Cultivar) 'Corely', which makes a dwarf spreading tree. (Hardiness Zone) ZONES 2-9.

(Similar entries exist for the following species of Larix, and most species are illustrated by a color photograph:)

(Species Entry) Larix gmelinii
(Common Name) Dahurian Larch

(Species Entry) Larix kaempferi
(Common Name) Japanese Larch

(Species Entry) Larix laricina
(Common Name) American Larch, Eastern Larch, Tamarack Larch

(Species Entry) Larix lyallii

(Species Entry) Larix X marschlinsii
(Common Name) Dunkeld Larch, Hybrid Larch

(Species Entry) Larix occidentalis
(Common Name) Western Larch

(Species Entry) Larix X pendula

(Species Entry) Larix potannii
(Common Name) Chinese Larch

(Species Entry) Larix sibirica
(Synonym) Larix russica
(Common Name) Siberian Larch

Edition details

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1552096033
• ISBN 13: 9781552096031
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 912