British Trees

Anyone who wants to put names to the trees they pass will find this field guide useful. It covers 360 species found in Britain and Ireland, and each one is described so that it can be identified from its leaves, twigs, bark, or the overall shape of the whole tree.

Each entry also explains where the species grows, with a distribution map, how tall it typically reaches, the uses people have found for it, and its history. Photographs show each tree's bark, leaf, seed, flower and twig, as well as the whole tree, so the text can be checked against what is in front of the reader.

The entries follow a consistent pattern. The silver birch, for example, is presented as a slender, fast-growing deciduous tree that reaches up to 26 metres, with a narrow, tapering crown when young. Older trees, particularly those in open, uncrowded spots, tend to develop drooping branches.