Glossaries Bibliography
This list covers plant-related glossaries and dictionaries.
The Kew Plant Glossary: An Illustrated Dictionary of Plant Terms
Author(s): Beentje, Henk; Williamson, Juliet (Illus.)
Publisher: Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2012
ISBN: 978-1842464229
View at: Barnes & Noble, or Amazon
Comments: This plant dictionary defines over 4,250 botanical terms, many of which occur in no other field of endeavor and had to be invented to allow botanists to exchange written information about plants. There are aboiut 730 line drawing illustrations. Presentation is alphabetical, but there are also a series of illustrated groups of related terms in the back. 163 pages.
Plant Identification Terrminology: An Illustrated Glossary, 2nd Ed.
Author(s): Harris, James G. & Harris, Melinda Woolf
Published: 2009
ISBN: 978-0964022164
View at: Barnes & Noble, or Amazon
Comments: This 226-page guide is filled with precisely executed black & white line drawings that define botanical terms much more clearly and quickly than written explanations alone, especially if you are an amateur. This is the first place I look for definitions.
Author(s): Stearn, William T.
Publisher: Timber Press, 2004
ISBN: 978-0881926279
View at: Barnes & Noble, or Amazon
Comments: Botanical Latin, generally speaking, is not the Latin in ordinary use among ancient Romans. When scientists began the serious work of classifying plant properties, Latin was the lingua franca for the scientific community, but like other languages then and now, it was not up to the task of describing plant features. Botanists invented their own offshoot of Latin, adding terms as needed. This 546-page book provides comprehensive coverage of the language, including history, discussions of plant families, and definitions. A great book.
Note: book cover sizes in the list below are shown relative to each other. The list is organized by primary author. Some out-of-copyright books are available free at the supplied links.