Vol. 36: Staples, George: Convolvulaceae. 2018. many col. photogr. & dot maps. 407 p. gr8vo. Plastic cover. - In English.

This volume on Convolvulaceae is the 36th issue of the Flora of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and the first to integrate Tropical Fauna and Flora series. So far, thirty-five fascicles have been published on families of angiosperms and Gnetaceae.

The family Convolvulaceae comprises about 1,900 species distributed worldwide in the tropical and warm temperate regions. This new account of the Convolvulaceae in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam includes 22 genera, 108 species, and 10 infra specific taxa, with brief mention of another 13 cultivated species.

The indigenous species richness for Convolvulaceae is quite high in this area, particularly for the genera Argyreia, Cordisepalum, Dinetus, Erycibe, lpomoea, Lepistemon, Merremia, Neuropeltis, Porana, Rivea, and Tridynamia.

A general introduction to the family is followed by technical descriptions for each genus, species, and infraspecific taxon, keys for identification, and concise summaries of what is known about the ecology, phenology, the distribution globally and mapped, any uses, vernacuL: iames in languages spoken in the area, and pertinent notes concerning taxonomy or other topics. The flora is profusely illustrated with historical and modern botanical illustrations (line drawings, watercolours) and colour photos of living plants in the field. Voucher specimens are cited to document all information presented in the book. A bibliography of cited references where more detailed information may be found is included and three indexes conclude the flora.

American botanist, now retired, George Staples has worked in the tropics throughout his research career. From 1988-2006, he was botanist at the Bishop Museum, Honolulu, U.S.A., where he specialized in the taxonomy of tropical garden plants, leading to publication of a major reference book on the cultivated plants of the Hawaiian Islands (A Tropical Garden Flora, 2005). From 2007-2013, he was Senior Researcher at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where he focussed on the plant family Convolvulaceae in the Asia/Pacific region. He authored the Flora of Thailand (2010), Flora of Peninsular Malaysia (2015), and coordinated the Convolvulaceae information for the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (online from 2015). From 20132017, he conducted researches and performed special curatorial projects in Brazil, France, Singapore, Thailand, and the U.K.
Currently, he maintains active research affiliations with the Bishop Museum, Honolulu, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, U.K., and Harvard University, U.S.A., while continuing to travel extensively in pursuit of Convolvulacea