A Manual for the Identification of Plant Seeds and Fruits. 2nd rev. ed. 2021. (Groningen Archaeological Studies, 23). 640 col. photogr. 399 p. Hardcover.

The taxonomic and ecological identification of individual seeds and fruits of wild and cultivated plants is not always straightforward. This book helps you to get started, and also serves as a basis for further identification.

It describes the inflorescence(s) and infructescence(s) seen in each of a set of 30 plant families, as well as the morphology of the seeds and fruits (with special emphasis on typology), the dispersal units (diaspores), and, if present, heterodiaspory. The manual is richly illustrated with 640 colour photos of inflorescences, infructescences, seeds, fruits, and diaspores. Technical terms are described in a glossary. Indices of scientific plant names and subject names are included.

This book will be of interest not only to those engaged in the identification of seeds and fruits, such as those who work in seed testing, but also to taxonomists, ecologists, archaeobotanists, and florists who wonder what they are looking at.

This handbook is a completely revised version of the first edition, which was published in 2013. An important adaptation relates to new developments in plant taxonomy and the classification of fruits and diaspores. The number of plant families has been extended from 19 to 30.

A Manual for the identification of plant seeds and fruits describes the following plant families:
Amaranthaceae
Apiaceae
Asparagaceae
Asteraceae
Boraginaceae
Brassicaceae
Caprifoliaceae
Caryophyllaceae
Convolvulaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Cyperaceae
Ericaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Fabaceae
Geraniaceae
Juncaceae
Lamiaceae
Linaceae
Malvaceae
Onagraceae
Papaveraceae
Plantaginaceae
Poaceae
Polygonaceae
Primulaceae
Ranunculaceae
Rosaceae
Rubiaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Solanaceae