Christopher Grey-Wilson

This long-awaited field guide covers more than 2000 of the region’s exceptionally diverse and important plant-life, from the most common species to local endemics. Illustrated throughout with colour photographs, each species profile includes nomenclature, description, dimensions, habitat, flowering times and distribution. With comprehensive, up-to-date coverage sorted by habitat, this is the essential guide for students, professional botanists, scientists, gardeners and plant-enthusiasts alike.

Hailing from the world’s harshest climates, the iconic edelweiss, vibrant blue forget-me-nots, delicate saxifrages, and stunning gentians are just a few of the exciting species that you will discover in this book. Short detailed descriptions and images reveal the intricate world of more than 400 species and cultivars, providing an informative and practical overview of cultivating alpines whatever the size of your garden or patio. Written for the gardener, enthusiast and horticulturist.

Since the publication of the first edition of Guide to the Flowers of Western China in 2011, there have been great strides in knowledge of the flora of China through international collaboration. Many plants included in the first edition have been revisited in the wild, while areas hitherto inaccessible have opened up, if sometimes only temporarily. Great advances in systematic botany have occurred since the publication of the first edition, particularly with widespread availability of rapid DNA analysis. The result of this has been an influx of new photographs and data, and the need for a second edition of Guide to the Flowers of Western China.