How to Identify Trees

‘How to Identify Trees in Southern Africa’ – a first of its kind for the
region – provides the background knowledge essential for tree
identification. The book promotes an approach that will equip readers to
use any field guide to trees with greater ease and more confidence.
Starting with the basics of plant form, it systematically uncovers the
structure of trees to enable a clear understanding of what to look for when
trying to identify an unknown tree.

The book is divided into two parts: Part One, well-supported with colour
illustrations and photographs, describes the various parts of a tree and
their significance for identification. Part Two features a key to 43 tree
groups based on easy-to-observe stem and leaf features. As a first step
towards identification, the group-recognition approach has proved to be
more helpful to the layperson than the often-used formal botanical
families. An icon is used to depict the principal characters of a group,
thus making it easier for the beginner to record and conceptualize tree
diversity. Group accounts present explanatory notes on group characters and
tips on species identification. A selection of tree species is described
and illustrated, and a list of all the southern African plant families
represented in each group is supplied (greater coverage of species is
featured in the authors’ ‘Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa’, 1997).