This book’s title says it all! Now in an updated second edition, it provides a clear understanding of how trees are constructed and what to look for when identifying a tree.

The book is divided into two parts: Part 1 describes and clearly illustrates the different parts of a tree and their role in tree identification. Part 2 features a key to 43 tree groups, based on easy-to-observe stem and leaf features. It carefully outlines each group and the southern African tree families represented in the different groups. Numerous colour photographs and explanatory illustrations support the text, making this an accessible and easy-to-use guide.

How To Identify Trees In Southern Africa will equip readers with a sound understanding of how trees work and what to look for in order to make a positive ID.

This fully updated edition of Field Guide to Wild Flowers of South Africa covers more than 1,100 species of flora, focusing on the most common, conspicuous and ‘showy’ plants around the region.

An informative introduction discusses plant diversity, vegetation types, and includes a key to identifying plant groups. The species descriptions follow and each is accompanied by:

• a vivid photograph,
• a distribution map showing range, and
• an indication of the plant’s flowering season.

This invaluable, up-to-date guide provides the tools and information needed to identify flowering plants across South Africa.

A refreshing new book on mushrooms and other fungi in South Africa, covering 200 species - more than any mushroom book in the region to date. Text covers each species' distribution (both regionally and worldwide), description, typical habitat, edibility and toxicity. Magnificent photographs accompany each species, making this both a practical guide and a beautiful book. It will be welcomed by all mushroom enthusiasts, and by nature-lovers in general.

Mushrooms are mysterious, beautiful organisms that appear in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes – from microscopic to over a metre wide. They are abundant worldwide, and South Africa alone has an estimated minimum of 171 500 species.

This new edition of Pocket Guide: Mushrooms Of South Africa features a selection of the species more commonly found in the region, and will enable enthusiasts to identify these mushrooms in the field. Each entry includes:

• Full-colour photographs.
• Informative accounts with distinguishing characteristics highlighted.
• Edibility at a glance.

Easy to use and compact, this guide will prove invaluable to foragers and nature lovers.

Sasol First Field Guide to Mushrooms of Southern Africa has been redesigned and fully revised to include new photographs and the most recent taxonomic changes.

With the help of full-colour photographs and easy-to-read text, the young adult and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common mushroom species found in southern Africa, discover where they grow, learn about their unusual features and determine their edibility.

• Introductory guide to the region’s mushrooms
• Suitable for both adult and younger enthusiasts
• Informative, uncomplicated text written by an expert
• Useful introductory section
• Full-colour photographs of each mushroom
• Compact for ease of use in the field

This pocket-sized book is the perfect introduction to an increasingly popular subject.

Pocket Guide Fynbos features over 300 of the most spectacular and commonly seen species
from South Africa’s renowned floral kingdom – all in one handy, easy-to-use guide.

The species are presented in detail, with each entry featuring:

• succinct descriptions of the plant and its habitat, comparisons with similar species
• and fl owering times
• full-colour photographs and distribution maps
• floral key, using symbols to denote main identifying features
• interesting facts about species.

For ease of use, the species are divided into 10 distinct groups, and an illustrated fl oral key
on the inside front cover offers fl ower lovers a smart tool with which to identify species
more accurately.

The introduction describes the world of fynbos, detailing the origins, diversity, adaptations
and conservation of this unique flora.

This compact guide is an invaluable aid for anyone interested in South Africa’s astonishing
floral treasures.

This book describes and illustrates 80 of the larger, more conspicuous and charismatic tree species likely to be seen while travelling in the Kruger National Park.

With the aim of assisting readers to make accurate identifications of these majestic plants, each spread contains photographs and succinct text with minimal botanical jargon. To aid identification, a series of maps demarcating 35 different vegetation zones or ‘landscapes’ within the Kruger Park helps readers to determine which tree species are likely to be seen in which area.

Part of the NATURE NOW series, this compact ID guide is jampacked with images of trees – an informative safari companion for all who want to make the most of their visit to Kruger.

These natural history guides have been developed to encourage young people and anyone with a budding interest in natural history to learn about the wonders of southern Africa's fascinating fauna and flora. They are an invaluable resource for the beginner, providing information at a glance: each of the species presented is described in easy-to-read text, with a photograph and distribution map. A short introduction gives context to the topic.

This highly visual new guide introduces readers to 100 of the most memorable trees in the bushveld – the northern and eastern regions of South Africa, encompassing both the lowveld and the highveld.

An introduction covers the basics of tree anatomy, supported by a pictorial glossary, and details the author’s streamlined ID method that enables even novices to make quick and sure identifi cations.

• Most trees are generously featured across double-page spreads;

• Full tree images along with diagnostic photos (bark, leaves, thorns, fl owers, pods, fruit, etc.) enable readers to distinguish even those trees that are most confusing, such as the ‘acacias’ or the bushwillows;

• Concise text highlights each tree’s key features;

• Interesting facts, multiple uses and particular value the trees have among local populations are given.

With its abundant, detailed photographs and straightforward text, this guide will help readers unlock the complicated world of trees.

Sasol First Field Guide to Aloes of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the aloes of the region.

Full-colour photographs , distribution maps and easy-to-read text will help the budding naturalist to identify the more common aloes found in southern African gardens and landscapes, discover where they occur, and learn about their unique features.

Medicinal Plants of East Africa is a fully illustrated guide to 136 East African plants with important medicinal applications. Initially released in 2010, this fully revised edition updates the species descriptions, photographs and range of medicinal uses, and expands on the pharmacological properties of the plant parts.

Supported by more than 600 photographs, the book:

• describes the characters and ecology of each plant to aid identification
• lists indigenous names of species in 92 languages spoken in the region
• details the medicinal uses of the different plant parts by drawing on traditional knowledge
• includes recipes for the preparation and administration of remedies used to treat common ailments and afflictions
• discusses the active chemical compounds found in each plant to explain and unpack the healing properties at work

Covering Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, this volume is a vital addition to the bookshelves of botanists, health and wellness practitioners, students, travelers, and all who have an interest in the healing properties of plants.

Botanists and seed collectors Rod and Rachel Saunders set out on what seemed to some to be an impossible mission – to find and photograph, in full bloom, all gladioli species found in South Africa and to collect and share their observations in a field guide. They had found all but one species before their untimely deaths at the hands of kidnappers in a forest in KwaZulu-Natal.

In the wake of this tragic event, friends and colleagues collaborated to keep the Saunders’ dream alive. This book is the result their collective efforts.

Gladioli are showy bulbous plants that fall within the Iris family, and the bulk of species are endemic to South Africa. Comprehensive and lavishly illustrated with more than 1,300 photographs, this guide covers the 166 Gladiolus species known to occur in the region.

The book is divided into seven taxonomic sections, according to the species’ distinguishing features. Each species is presented on a double-page spread, with a full plate of color photographs, including close-ups of diagnostic features, different color forms and habitats. Botanical descriptions cover identification (corm, cataphyll, spike, bracts, anthers, pollen, capsules, seeds, and scent), distribution, pollination, conservation status, and notes on ecology and the authors’ personal observations in the field. Distribution maps and flowering periods are given for each species, and tables highlight differences between similar-looking gladioli.

There are almost 300 recognized species, widely distributed across Africa, Europe and the Middle East, with more than half of the species found in southern Africa, making this book useful to botanists world-wide, as well as to horticulturist, propagators, students, gardeners and anyone with an interest in natural history.

This series of natural history field guides has been developed in the hope that young people and anyone with a budding interest in natural history will take up the challenge to learn the secrets of southern Africa's fascinating fauna and flora. These little guides are an invaluable resource for the beginner, providing information at a glance through superb photographs, maps, and easy-to-read text.

Sasol First Field Guide to Wild Flowers of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the wild flowers of the region.

With the help of full-colour photo graphs and easy-to-read text, the beginner and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common wild flowers that grow in southern Africa, discover where they are found, and learn about their unique features.

This highly regarded reference work, a botanical classic, has been fully revised and updated. A fresh new design and beautiful full-colour images aid identification.

First published in 1981, Succulent Flora has long served as an authoritative guide for academics and lay enthusiasts alike. This third edition takes into account intervening taxonomic advances and the discovery and naming of ever more species.

Information has been supplemented in line with the latest thinking and the book has been newly designed for clarity and ease of reference. Given the phenomenal extent of our succulent flora, this fully updated edition is a timely addition to the botanical literature of southern Africa.

This comprehensively updated and expanded edition of the region’s best-selling field guide to trees offers much, much more than the highly successful first edition. Fully updated text (including additional species entries) and distribution maps, numerous new photographs and a new 87-page section of full-tree photographs makes this well-loved guide even more indispensable in the field.

Southern Africa has a rich variety of tree species, with an estimated 2 100 indigenous species and more than 100 naturalised aliens. Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa describes and illustrates more than 1 000 of these, focusing on trees that are the most common and most likely to be encountered. Species are logically arranged in 43 groups based on easy-to-observe leaf and stem features, and each account is illustrated by full-colour photographs of the plant’s diagnostic parts. The text also touches on the practical uses of the plants.

Southern Africa boasts a rich variety of tree species, both indigenous and exotic. Pocket Guide Trees of Southern Africa is an authoritative introduction to the region’s trees, describing and illustrating 132 species.

This publication has its origins in Van Wyk’s A Photographic Guide to Trees of Southern Africa and has been fully revised and updated by well-known authority Braam van Wyk.

Each species account highlights the key identification features, and also touches on the medicinal and commercial uses of the trees.

This compact, easy-to-use guide makes an ideal travelling companion and will help readers to become more knowledgeable about trees.

Pocket Guide: Wild Flowers of South Africa covers some 260 flowers representing all of the region’s major vegetation types:

- Accounts are conveniently organised by flower colour.

- Key ID features are supplied for each flower, as well as interesting facts.

- A photograph and distribution map accompany each species.

- Includes common and conspicuous plants as well as some alien species that are naturalized in the region.

This book showcases some of the region’s diverse, strikingly beautiful floral splendours.

Namaqualand is justifiably famous for the floral wonderland it becomes in spring, when seas of bright flowers carpet the land. Astonishingly, the carpet comprises some 3,800 species, of which 28% are endemic.

This book introduces nearly 600 species, highlighting those most commonly found, most conspicuous, spectacular or interesting, as well as endemics. An introduction touches on the species selection for the book, the climatic and topographical subregions within Namaqualand, plant names and uses, and conservation issues.

The concise species descriptions also give seed and fruit details, uses, local growing conditions and fl owering times, along with beautiful full-colour photographs. This is a must-have guide for visitors to Namaqualand, or for anyone interested in the wild flowers of southern Africa.

Featuring 250 of the region's most interesting and commonly encountered succulents, Guide to Succulents of Southern Africa is a guide to the identification of these increasingly popular plants.

Colour photographs vividly portray all the species covered. Authoritative text describes key identification features. Distribution maps show the occurrence of each species in Southern Africa.

This guide will have wide appeal both to naturalists and to the gardening public who, increasingly, are on the lookout for indigenous, low-maintenance and waterwise plants.

Orchids of South Africa is the first field guide to local orchids to be published in over 30 years, and presents the more than 450 orchid species found in the region, including Lesotho and Swaziland.

A comprehensive roundup of orchids in their natural habitat, the book features:

- multiple photos for each species

- distribution maps

- flowering time-bars

- succinct text, enabling sure identification of these fascinating plants.

An illustrated introduction discusses orchid structure, ecology and conservation status.

Informative, colourful and easy-to-use, Orchids of South Africa is the authoritative update enthusiasts have been waiting for.

Aloes are the flagship plants of Africa, vividly defining the landscapes in which they occur.

In garden settings, these stately succulent plants capture the allure of the African savanna and serve as excellent focus plants around which other indigenous plants can be successfully grouped.

Aloes in Southern Africa explores the character and biology of African aloes, describing their habits, characteristic features and distribution in nature. It also details 58 aloe and related species across several vegetation zones.

Aloe cultivation and propagation is discussed too, providing insight into optimum growing conditions, gardening styles and plants that flourish in different regions.

A feature on medicinal, cosmetic and culinary uses reveals the special properties of these intriguing plants. Whether you are starting a garden, redeveloping one or simply looking to expand your knowledge of these fascinating succulents, Aloes in Southern Africa will prove an invaluable guide.

East Africa is one of the world's premier wildlife regions, well known for its mass migrations of herds and the dramatic predators that accompany them. As iconic are the trees that grow here - some endemic to the region and almost all identified with the plains and slopes of this land, stretching from the muggy coast, through grasslands and up to the cold, dry reaches of high mountain peaks. Among them are mangroves, cycads and palms; marulas, acacias and sausage trees; fever trees, toothbrush trees and giant bamboos and heaths.

This book presents some 100 of the region's most visible and significant tree species, arranged by vegetation zone. Multiple images of each species showing key ID features, such as bark, leaves, flowers and fruit, are teamed with concise descriptions, where to see the trees, calendar bars indicating flowering months, interesting notes about their uses - both medicinal and practical - and the myths and legends they have generated.

Colorful, interesting and geared for quick tree identification, this handy guide will help visitors and locals alike make the most of East African safaris.

A compact guide featuring nearly 400 wild flowers of Kenya and northern Tanzania, grouped for ease of use according to colour. The book includes the most widespread and commonly encountered species as well as some unusual flowers found in more remote areas.

Plants range from hardy succulents to spectacular epiphytic orchids and shaggy mountain lobelias, each concisely presented with reference to key features and typical habitat. Additional notes indicate whether a given species has particular ecological, medicinal or cultural value.