Plants of the Klein Karoo

by Jan Vlok and Anne Lise Schutte-Vlok

This book sets a new standard for wildflower guides, and is unique not just because it is an excellent field guide, but it incorporates ecology, biodiversity conservation issues, as well as having a CD with a detailed vegetation map and more photographs. Thus this book is not just for plant lovers, but essential for land owners, and managers. The number of species covered is astonishing, out of a flora of ~3 200 species ~1 450 are described in the book.

Because this is not just a wildflower guide there are 26 introductory pages describing 19 separate vegetation types, list of their indicator species and conservation status, as well as a visual demonstration of their inter-relationships.

The bulk of the book, with excellent photographs arranged opposite pages of text, is arranged with monocots first followed by dicots; with families in alphabetic order. To assist identification there is a specially devised key to families, and failing that one can enjoy simply paging through the book looking for your species and enjoying the kaleidoscope of plants in the Klein Karoo.

The authors are under no illusion that identification of plants is a simple matter, so have done their utmost to provide helpful hints and notes. For example, for each genus they give the total number of species in the region and deal with just a few species as examples, which means that the book is a comprehensive guide to member species in all families – even those with non-petaloid flowers like grasses, sedges and restios.

To me this is a ‘must have’ book for all plant enthusiasts, and other stakeholders – simply magnificent.

Eugene J Moll