A Guide to Tropical Plants of Costa Rica

Ranging from miniature epiphytic orchids to towering trees, and from mangrove forests lining coastal waterways to high-elevation cloud forests, Costa Rica's rich and varied flora attracts casual visitors as well as professional botanists. A Guide to Tropical Plants of Costa Rica, the first popular treatment to include plants from all regions of the country, is an indispensable guide to the country's native and exotic species.

This book is beautifully illustrated with more than 540 photographs taken in the field, each depicting an entire plant or a closer view of flowers or fruits. Instructive pen-and-ink drawings of botanical details also accompany many of the accounts. The text clearly explains each plant's identifying characteristics and reveals fascinating facts about its natural history, chemical properties, and medicinal and other uses. Sidebars throughout the book elaborate on unusual uses of plants, distinct attributes of certain plant families, plants of particular microhabitats, and other topics of interest.