Genera Palmarum

Book excerpt: "Palms are the symbols of the tropics. They are the most distinctive of all flowering plants, and yet their diversity of form and ecology is astounding. A family of Superlatives, the palms boast the longest leaf the longest unhrauched aerial steins, the biggest inflorescences and the largest seed in the plant kingdom. They play a vital role in economies throughout the world, supplying major traded commodities such as oils, starch and sugar, and are significant in the global horticultural industry. They also provide countless resources to local communities at the subsistence level." "The scientific interest of the family encompasses many aspects, including their copious fossil record, evolution, ecology and natural history. Current research on the relationships among palms has culminated in a new phylogenetic classification of the family, which forms the basis of Genera Palmarum: The Evolution and Classification of Palms. This encyclopaedic account of the family provides a new standard reference to underpin all palm studies."--BOOK JACKET.