The Kew Plant Glossary an Illustrated Dictionary of Plant Terms

Every other author may aspire to praise; the lexicographer can only hope to escape reproach, and even this negative recompense has been yet granted to very few. I have, notwithstanding this discouragement, attempted yet another glossary of botanical terms. These two sentences (with a slightly altered ending) have of course been lifted from the famous lexicographer1 Samuel Johnson; just as this glossary has been compiled from other works, albeit with a personal touch. Why write yet another glossary? Because the one I find myself using most of all is my favourite edition of the old Jackson glossary of botanical terms (Jackson, 1928); but that is now a little out of date, and does not have pictures. I also enjoyed compiling, with my colleague Martin Cheek, the glossary for the Flora of Tropical East Africa (FTEA) (Beentje & Cheek, 2003; 2377 terms). I thought that slim volume was beginning to resemble my vision of an updated Jackson. But by its terms of reference, it was parochial: it had vegetation terms and geomorphological terms particular to East Africa, and included only terms that had been used in that flora. I have now gone through many more floras, monographs, revisions, other glossaries, text books and so on. This current glossary is still based on that original FTEA glossary, but it has been updated from comments made by users of that FTEA glossary; and it has been expanded by terms I have gleaned from a host of botanical works, as well as by specialist terms for various groups contributed by colleagues. It now has 4144 terms; the definitions have been worded by Martin Cheek and me (for about 2000 terms in Beentje & Cheek, 2003) or by me, with the help of many colleagues and experts (for the additional 2100), but obviously based on the works listed in the bibliography. My goals have been clarity, ease of use and indicating where confusion may arise.