A Flora of Cornwall

eBook
Author(s): C. French
With contributions from: K. Spurgin and P. Gainey

Published: 2020
550 pages with photographs and distribution maps

A Flora of Cornwall is the most comprehensive flora so far produced for Cornwall; based on a systematic survey of every kilometre square (3940) since 1999 by a small team of dedicated volunteers. This new flora covers 3018 flowering plants and ferns, based on 2.25 million flowering plant and fern computerised records, and includes over 1200 distribution maps and more than 1700 photographs. It also summarises the distribution status and present state of  all the flowering plants and ferns found growing in the wild in Cornwall from the sixteenth century to April 2020.

The eBook version of the Flora has been updated with an addenda to include the 117 flowering plants and ferns that have been added to the Cornish list since its publication.

A background section includes the effects of climate, geology, soils, topography, mining, quarrying and agriculture. There is also information on vegetation history, key habitats, botanical regions, and recording history. Losses and gains, and rare and/or threatened plants are reviewed as well as plant communities and areas of special botanical interest such as the Lizard peninsular.  A chapter dealing with drift seeds (disseminules) is written by Paul Gainey, and the extensive bramble section is written by Keith Spurgin.

An essential reference for botanists, ecologists, conservation bodies, landowners, planners, government and local agencies, it is essentially written for all those with a love for Cornwall and its unique landscape.