This is a stunning visual guide to more than 750 of the most important wild flowers, trees, shrubs, herbs, cacti, grasses, mosses, aquatic plants and weeds. Each catalogue entry details the flower size, shape, colour, height, leaf, habitat and distribution, as well as the growth stages of the plant, from seeds, buds and open bloom to pollination and seedhead. A detailed introduction describes the life cycle of wild flowers, the habitats in which they thrive, and how to identify them in their own habitat. The encyclopedia is divided geographically into the distinct areas of Europe and Africa, the Americas, and Australia and Oceania. The key features of each habitat are clearly described, together with an analysis of the type of plants that exist in each one and any common qualities they have. The individual entries are arranged according to plant family, and the key features of each are described in full. For each entry, details are provided, such as flower colour, size and shape; stem height and spread; leaf size, shape and colour; the number of flowers per flowerhead and the number of flowerheads per stem, as well as details of their environment and their pollinating insects. A map accompanying each entry shows the countries where each flower is known to proliferate. With more than 1750 colour photographs, specially commissioned watercolour artworks and maps, this richly illustrated guide to the world's flora is a comprehensive reference source to be used by the famil, libraries, schools and professional horticulturists.