BRIT Press Publishes Bilingual Plant Guide for Northwest Baja California, Mexico
Fort Worth, TX (PRWEB) April 01, 2015 -- Over 210 wildflowers in 44 families described in bilingual text and published with hundreds of stunning color photos are the centerpiece and focus of the highly anticipated Plant Guide: Maritime Succulent Scrub Region, Northwest Baja California, Mexico. Guía de Plantas de la región del matorral rosetófilo costero: noroeste de Baja California, Mexico. The Maritime Succulent Scrub Region (or MSSR) occurs only at the southern end of the California Floristic Province and is one of the most biodiverse “hotspots” in the world. The guide includes a variety of succulent plant forms like stem succulents, leaf succulents, and columnar cacti. This 217-page wildflower guide—beautifully illustrated with numerous drawings and color photos—is set for release by the Botanical Research Institute of Texas Press in April.
Each plant is described in English and Spanish. Color coded reference keys at the top of each page show at a quick glance the plant community or communities in which a plant is found along with the plant’s geographic range. One to several photos showing habit and a close-up are provided for each species. Plants are arranged alphabetically by family and then species. Other sections include a description of the MSSR, natural reserves within the region, other plant communities found in the region, plant evolution, and a quick guide to major plant families in the book.
The Plant Guide is a tool for botanical and ecological research, education, and conservation. The guide was conceived, written, and principally photographed by Jim Riley (Terra Peninsular) with key editing and many photographs contributed by Jon Rebman (San Diego Natural History Museum) and Sula Vanderplank (Botanical Research Institute of Texas-BRIT). The book was designed to reach a broad audience of botanists, conservationists, and lay people. Although primarily a wildflower identification book, the Plant Guide is an educational resource for beginners with a brief introduction to plant evolution and a quick guide to plant families. It is essentially a mini-flora of the more prominent plant life of the region, a region for which, until now, there has been no other wildflower guide.
“We are proud to see this book come to fruition and to know it will promote awe and enjoyment of our natural world for the reader and help inspire conservation of Baja California’s plants” said Barney Lipscomb, director of the BRIT Press. “The Plant Guide will be important and beneficial to botanists, naturalists, wildflower enthusiasts, and conservationists.” Professors at the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California said they would probably use the guide in field botany classes.
To order your copy of the Plant Guide, visit shop.brit.org. The price is $35.00 plus shipping.
For more information about the Botanical Research Institute of Texas visit http://www.brit.org
Book Author Contacts:
Jim Riley (Terra Peninsular Conservation Committee Member) jsriley50(at)yahoo(dot)com
Jon P. Rebman (San Diego Natural History Museum) jrebman(at)sdnhm(dot)org
Sula Vanderplank (Botanical Research Institute of Texas) 951-660-5769, svanderplank(at)brit(dot)org
Chris Chilton, Botanical Research Institute of Texas, http://www.brit.org, +1 817-546-8691, [email protected]
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