The common names that we give to trees varies from country to country, the scientific name does not. It is the universal language of all who are interested in the natural world; some tree scientific names have become so familiar that we use them without thinking (Rhododendron and Magnolia for example) when talking about trees, others are much more obscure, despite the species being known to us all by more common names (Aesculus hippocastanum for example).Scientific names not only show us how species are related to one another, but they can also tell us where the tree originates, or who discovered it, or the habitat it prefers, or whether it has hairy leaves or sharp pointed needles; they can even tell us about how we used to use the tree in the past.There is a lot of information that can be gleaned from the scientific name of a tree, but, with Latin no longer taught as a mainstream subject, it is often a language that we don't understand.A Dictionary of Scientific Tree Names has been written to help you understand and interpret these names; the book covers over 450 species of trees that are found in Britain.This is the latest book by wildlife author and tour guide Ian Parsons.
Ian Parsons spent twenty years working for the Forestry Commission as a Ranger specialising in the conservation of everything from Butterflies to Raptors. He now runs his own bird tour company, Griffon Holidays, running tours in the birding paradise of Extremadura Spain. When not leading tours, Ian writes for various magazines and is also the author of several books including A Birding Miscellany and A Years Birding in Extremadura.
