A Flora of Cornwall

A Flora of Cornwall is the most comprehensive flora so far produced for the county, and is based on a systematic survey of every kilometre square (3940) since 1999 by a small team of dedicated volunteers. This new flora covers 3018 flowering plants and ferns, based on 2.25 million flowering plant and fern computerised records, and includes over 1200 distribution maps and more than 1700 photographs. The last flora of Cornwall   (1999) covered fewer taxa (2,600) and was based on only 670,000 records. A Flora of Cornwall also summarises the distribution status and present state of  all the flowering plants and ferns found growing in the wild in Cornwall from the sixteenth century to the  April 2020..

The main part of the work consists of species accounts and distribution maps, well illustrated with photographs and in-depth discussions of the Cornish specialities.

A background section includes the effects of climate, geology, soils, topography, mining, quarrying and agriculture. There is also information on vegetation history, key habitats, botanical regions, and recording history. Losses and gains, and rare and/or threatened plants are reviewed as well as plant communities and areas of special botanical interest such as the Lizard peninsular.  A chapter dealing with drift seeds (disseminules) is written by Paul Gainey, and the extensive bramble section is written by Keith Spurgin.

An essential reference for botanists, ecologists, conservation bodies, landowners, planners, government and local agencies, it is essentially written for all those with a love for Cornwall and its unique landscape.