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Plants are fundamental to life on Earth - they provide the oxygen we breathe, our food and beverages, spices and herbs, fibres, medicines, fuels, dyes and building materials. To enable botanists to identify plants they have been classified by physical features and now by their DNA. This book graphically illustrates over 100 of the most important plant families that shape our lives and environment, taken from the classic reference Flowering Plant Families of the World by V. H. Heywood, R. K. Brummitt, A. Culham and O. Seberg. Both as an illustration of the breathtaking beauty of plants and as an introduction to the science behind flowering plants, this concise pictorial guide provides a handy reference.

- Introduction to the new DNA classification of plants, the APG III system
- Description of each family including key diagnostic features, distribution and economic uses
- Glossary of the specialist terms used in the text
- Meticulous colour illustrations by botanical artists
- Appendix providing latest classification, listing 413 families as recognised by APG III
- Written by acknowledged experts including Kew botanists