Manual of Leaf Architecture. 2009. 360 figs. and illus. 220 p. gr8vo. Paper bd.

An essential reference for describing, measuring and classifyingthe foliage of flowering plants. The presented system provides long-needed guidelines for characterizing the organization, shape, venation,and surface features of angiosperm leaves. In contrast to systemsfocusing on reproductive characters for identification, the emphasisis on macroscopic features of the leaf blade including leaf characters,venation, and tooth characters. The advantage of this system is that itallows for the classification of plants independently of their flowers,which is especially useful for fossil leaves and tropical plants. Anillustrated terminology including detailed definitions and annotatedillustrations is the focus of the classification system, the leavesto be described and classified consistently.