Plant Conservation: A Natural History Approach

Natural history has always been the foundation of conservation biology. For centuries, botanists collected specimens in the field to understand plant diversity; now that many habitats are threatened, botanists have turned their focus to conservation, and, increasingly, they look to the collections of museums, herbaria, and botanical gardens for insight on developing informed management programs. Plant Conservation explores the value of these collections in light of contemporary biodiversity studies.Plant Conservation opens with a broad view of plant biodiversity and then considers evolutionary and taxonomic threats and consequences of habitat alteration; specific threats to plant diversity, such as invasive species and global climate change; consequences of plant population decline at the ecological, evolutionary, and taxonomic levels; and, finally, management strategies that protect plant biodiversity from further decline. With a unique perspective on biodiversity and scientific collections, Plant Conservation ultimately emphasizes the role museums and botanical gardens will play in future conservation.

Science & Math

Daniel H. Janzen

W. John Kress

Gary A. Krupnick

Biological Sciences

University of Chicago Press

Heliconia, large tropical flowers native to Central and South America and some islands of the South Pacific, have become favorite horticultural subjects throughout the world. Many cultivated varieties are available from florists as cut flowers or potted plants in regions where they cannot be grown outdoors and others are commonly used as ornaments for landscaping in the tropics. Fully illustrated with color photographs that capture the reds, yellows, greens, and pinks of long-lasting heliconia blooms, this field guide is the definitive source for easy and efficient identification of 200 species, varieties, hybrids, and cultivars of the genus Heliconia. Botanical and horticultural names are given for each species, along with a brief description of morphological features, blooming time, habitat, and geographic distribution.

Heliconia an Identification Guide

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Fred Berry

Gardening & Landscape Design

Smithsonian Books

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Books by W. John Kress