This has been my main botanical reference book for 8 years of working as an ecologist, carrying out a variety of botanical surveys. In some cases, such as the splitting up of the Scrophulariaceae and the Liliaceae into a number of separate families, this has resulted in some unfamiliar changes although in many cases they had already been predicted by traditional taxonomy.

Collins Flower Guide is an indispensable guide for all those with an interest in the countryside, whether amateur or expert. Featuring all flowering plants, including trees and grasses, and ferns, this field guide to the wild flowers of Britain and northern Europe has been fully revised and updated to reflect the latest changes in taxonomy and nomenclature.David Streeter is Reader in Ecology in the School of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sussex and a member of the Editorial Board of the prestigious Collins New Naturalist series. For all ebook purchases, you will be prompted to create an account or login with your existing HarperCollins username and password. Following on from the successful first edition of the Collins Flower Guide, this second edition has been renamed to reflect the fact that it covers wild and not cultivated plants. The illustrations I thought at first were quite small then with a closer look I saw how accurate they are - the depictions in most cases make it possible to recognise the whole plant and only need a closer inspection where plants are very similar. I received this book last week and have tried it out in the field, mainly on ferns and trees and some difficult genera.

The book has mostly common plants but the serious plant hunter will need companion floras like Stace 3. It covers Britain and Ireland and contains a combination of illustrations and identification keys: those interested in wild plants may have previously seen this combination in the Francis Rose guide. I love the 'little circles' around pertinent points where there are close similarities - draws the eye immediately to the bits you need to compare.The effort and technical expertise given in this book is due to the valiant effort of many taxonomists, and my hat comes off! Helpful information about habitats of wild flowers and useful tips to aid identification are included along with a botanical hotspots section detailing 100 rarer species.

Where the names differ from those in the first edition they are added in parentheses following the new name for reference. Even at its huge depth and quite a weight I will consider carrying it into the field on appropriate 'flower based days'. I have found the book straightforward to use and it is a good introduction to identification keys for those who have just started looking more closely at some of the plants they come across when they are out in the countryside. Featuring all flowering plants, including trees, grasses and ferns, this brand-new field guide to the flowers of Britain and northern Europe is the most complete illustrated, single-volume guide ever published.While perhaps not suitable for everyone, this book is essential for any taxonomic degree, and would be great for anyone with the desire and patience to learn how to use taxonomic keys. Following on from its successful launch in 2009, Collins Wild Flower Guide – the ultimate reference book for wild flower enthusiasts – now enters its second edition. Excellent book, beautifully illustrated although pictures (and book itself) are a little small, but if this were a table-sized book it would be huge, so just about right.