A handbook of the world's conifers volume 1,2

The conifers of the world, an introduction -- The distribution and ecology of conifers -- The economic importance of conifers -- The conservation of conifer diversity -- Synopsis of families and genera -- Taxonomic treatment of families, with keys to families and genera -- Taxonomic treatment of genera and species.;Conifers are known to everyone as a conspicuous kind of evergreen trees or shrubs that feature prominently in gardens and parks as well as in many managed forests in the cool to cold temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Numerous books have been written abou them and continue to appear, mostly with a bias towards these uses in Europe and North America. This new handbook of the conifers is departing from this traditional approach in that it includes all the world's 614 species of conifers, of which some 200 occur in the tropics. It gives as much information about these and the Southern Hemisphere conifers as about the better known species, drawing on research into the taxonomy, biology, ecology, distribution and uses by the author over nearly 30 years. The result is a truly encyclopedic work, a true handbook of all the world's conifers, richly illustrated by the author with his line drawings and photographs taken from the natural habitats of the species. -- from back cover.