Pooley’s Trees of Eastern South Africa by Richard Boon

(R295, Flora & Fauna Publications Trust)

This fantastic guide is an updated version of Elsa Pooley’s original 1993 book, Trees of Natal, Zululand and the Transkei, which was reprinted several times. This revised edition has more than a thousand descriptions of trees, shrubs and woody climbers with photographs, scientific and common names in line with botanical reclassifications and details of discoveries made over the past 20 years.

A new key helps the layman identify an unknown plant by a simple process of elimination based on features of the plant. But beginners be warned – I found I needed to have a long session with the glossary before I could make head or tail of it.

This is no coffee-table book, but a guide with the field spotter in mind – seen in the thick weather-proof cover, tight layout crammed with information, concise distribution maps and precise line drawings associated with each entry, and even in the ruler printed along the side of the back cover to help measure plant samples.

This book was reviewed by Gaby Stadler.