Trees, Shrubs, & Cacti of South Texas

Rating:
Summary: OK
Review: This guide book devotes a page to each species treated, with half the page taken up by a color picture of a flowering or fruiting specimen of the species in question. On the same page some data are given. Arranged by family (look for Leguminosae under Fabaceae, Buddleja under Loganiaceae, etc). Picture quality varies from pretty decent to quite good, although it is noticeable that a curious grid tends to be visible in the background (a digital camera?). Some pictures are a little overexposed. Occasionally the composition could be better (sometimes a lot better). Text seems unremarkable, but the choice to include author citations in the botanical names has not been followed up by doing this properly (needs a lot of work). Synonyms are provided. The "Trees" in the title should be taken to include a palm; the "Shrubs" is meant in the widest possible sense (including subshrubs and smaller stuff) and this goes for "Cacti" too (= "succulents"). Printing quality is just short of excellent. All in all this is OK, but unremarkable.