TREES OF BRITAIN AND EUROPE Black's Nature Guides

With plasticised cover to keep off raindrops if using in the field (or forest), this elegant Bloomsbury publication has colour photographs, colour drawings, fact boxes and covers 350 species of trees, one or two per page on glossy white paper. Use the colour code system to recognise conifers, deciduous trees, shrubs or climbing shrubs, identify typical forms, learn about the structure of a tree, leaves, major flower shapes and major fruits and for the environment the importance of trees in our ecosystem. Learn to recognise the English Midland Hawthorn, one of the rose family, its Latin name, height, brilliant red fruit each containing two or three seeds and branches with thorns. The flowers have an unpleasant smell! The castor oil plant is native to the African tropics, an ornamental shrub in Europe with fruit more distinctive than flowers, it grows very rapidly and is poisonous. Nowadays it is used in the cosmetic industry as it makes the skin soft. We learn about the smoke tree, the stag's-horn sumach used to tan leather and for dye by the North American Indians, and the Turkey oak whose hard wood makes excellent fuel and can be used in construction. Did you know that the flesh of blood oranges contains red dye but the fruits only produce this dye if the nights are cool? Native to China, its flowers are pure white unlike those of the lemon. With beautiful layout and design, the text features habitat, range and uses by people through the ages along with identification tips from the experts. Hundreds of stunning colour photos and packed with tree trivia. 256pp, softback.