This reference is for anyone interested in plants and gardening. Over 15,000 entries cover both the scientific and common names of flowering plants, ferns and conifers - providing a short definition of the plant and the origin of its name, the group or family to which it belongs, geographical origin and distribution, and applications in medicinal, culinary, industrial, and other areas. The dictionary concentrates primarily on northern temperate plants, particularly those which grow out of doors or under cover in Britain, but it also includes some of the better known mosses, algae, and lichens and tropical plants world-wide. The book should be of interest to gardeners, horticulturalists, anyone interested in plants (other than professional botanists), agriculturalists and conservationists.