The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland

This well-illustrated seven-volume work (1906–13) covers the varieties, distribution, history and cultivation of tree species in the British Isles.

Henry John Elwes (Author), Augustine Henry (Author)

9781108069328, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 23 January 2014

286 pages, 60 b/w illus. 1 colour illus.
29.7 x 21 x 1.5 cm, 0.69 kg

Although without formal scientific training, Henry John Elwes (1846–1922) devoted his life to natural history. He had studied birds, butterflies and moths, but later turned his attention to collecting and growing plants. Embarking on his most ambitious project in 1903, he recruited the Irish dendrologist Augustine Henry (1857–1930) to collaborate with him on this well-illustrated work. Privately printed in seven volumes between 1906 and 1913, it covers the varieties, distribution, history and cultivation of tree species in the British Isles. The strictly botanical parts were written by Henry, while Elwes drew on his extensive knowledge of native and non-native species to give details of where remarkable examples could be found. Each volume contains photographic plates as well as drawings of leaves and buds to aid identification. The species covered in Volume 1 (1906) include beech, spruce and yew.

Preface
Introduction
Fagus
Common beech
Ailanthus
Sophora
Araucaria
Ginkgo
Liriodendron
Chinese tulip tree
Tulip tree
Picea
Servian spruce
Brewer's spruce
Ajan spruce
Hondo spruce
Menzies' spruce
Taxus
Common yew
Cryptomeria
Pyrus
True service
Wild service
Service tree of Fontainebleau
Swedish whitebeam
Bastard mountain ash
Whitebeam
Taxodium
Thuya
Giant thuya
Western arbor vitae
Japanese thuya
Chinese arbor vitae
Plates.

Subject Areas: Botany & plant sciences [PST]