The genus Sloanea (Elaeocarpaceae) in America. 2017. 118 pls.(=line - drawings). 122 dot maps. 428 p. gr8vo. Hardcover.

The genus Sloanea contains some of the most magnificent and spectacular rain forest trees in tropical America, reaching 40-50 m in height. They are conspicuous in having very large buttresses supporting the trunk, often more than 10 m high and spreading 34 m across the ground. The large buttresses, combined with the lack of coloured exudate in the cut bark, make identification to the genus easy, without recourse to leaves or flowers.

Sloanea occurs in tropical America, Madagascar and tropical Asia where it extends as far as the north west Mexico throughout Central America and the West Indies to the whole of tropical South America as far south as Bolivia, southern Brazil and Argentina. Penningtons monograph, covering nearly 130 species, includes notes on taxonomic history, morphology and phylogeny, identification keys to the species in the various geographical regions where they occur, comprehensive descriptions of the individual species, an extensive list of exsiccatae examined and an index of vernacular names. It is illustrated with Wises full-page analytical drawings of each species and with distribution maps.

The generic name Sloanea aptly commemorates a man who left an important legacy to the world of science and natural history. Hans Sloane (16601753), physician to the Royal Family (Queen Anne, George I and II and other wealthy clients) had a life-long interest in natural history. As a young man he went to Jamaica as physician to the Governor and made extensive collections of flora, including many new species, and fauna and many other objects, and on his return in 1689 published his History of Jamaica (17071725), the text of which was used by Linnaeus to describe some of his new species in Species Plantarum (1753). He amassed a large fortune from his medical practice, and was also esteemed for his philanthropy and for giving free medical treatment to the poor. In 1719 he was elected President of the Royal College of Physicians and in 1727 President of the Royal Society. On his death his collections were bequeathed to George II for the nation and they became the foundation of the British Museum, which was first opened to the public in 1759.