This second edition is a completely revised version of the first edition, which was published in 2013 with ISBN 9789491431265. 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.
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.
Preface 9
Introduction 13
1 Organization of the manual 13
2 Taxonomy 15
2.1 Family, genus, and species 16
3 Morphology 17
3.1 Seed 17
3.2 Fruit 19
3.2.1 Number of carpels 21
3.2.2 Number of ovules per carpel 22
3.2.3 Position of the ovary 23
3.2.4 Consistency 23
3.2.5 Differentiation 24
3.2.6 Connateness 25
3.3 Inflorescence and infructescence 26
4 Ecology 28
4.1 Diaspore 28
4.1.1 Exocarp 28
4.1.2 Heterodiaspory 31
4.1.3 Dehiscing, fragmentation, and dislodging 31
4.2 Seed dispersal 34
4.3 Wild and domesticated plants 37
5 Typologies 37
5.1 Basic typology of the fruit 37
5.2 Basic typology of the diaspore 41
5.3 Representativeness in plant families 45
Amaranthaceae 49
Apiaceae 65
Asparagaceae 79
Asteraceae 87
Boraginaceae 103
Brassicaceae 111
Caprifoliaceae 127
Caryophyllaceae 139
Convolvulaceae 147
Cucurbitaceae 155
Cyperaceae 167
Ericaceae 177
Euphorbiaceae 187
Fabaceae 197
Geraniaceae 215
Juncaceae 223
Lamiaceae 231
Linaceae 239
Malvaceae 245
Onagraceae 257
Papaveraceae 265
Plantaginaceae 275
Poaceae 287
Polygonaceae 305
Primulaceae 315
Ranunculaceae 323
Rosaceae 335
Rubiaceae 347
Scrophulariaceae 357
Solanaceae 365
References 375
Glossary 379
Taxonomic index 383
Subject index 395
