“Laurel – that's Victorian shrubberies, right, and we eat it as well?”
Scream in horror – you'd get in a lot of trouble if you thought that Bay Laurel (used in Bouquet Garni) was the same as Cherry Laurel (which was used, in the past, by insect collectors to kill their specimens).
Likewise, if you thought that Cherry Laurel's fruits were edible cherries, you might find yourself visiting the hospital.
This Crib details the differences between the two edible Laurels and the three very much inedible ones, along with some interesting information about the plants along the way.
This is more a Crib for a gardener, than for a wildflower botanist, but the various Laurels are increasingly popping up in council planting and new developments, so you are likely to encounter some of these evergreens while out and about.
This Field Guide is one of a series of books intended for use in the field by UK Botanists, both Improvers and complete beginners, to help swiftly narrow down the identification of a plant, and to extend your knowledge and understanding of the genus.
They cover commonly found UK species, and are not intended to replace a full-length Field Guide such as Poland or Rose: but they present the salient information in an easy-to-read format, to people who have gone beyond having to key out every single plant, and who are now trying to learn the difference between species.
The Kindle is the perfect format for this, as you can look up any words you don't understand in the Kindle dictionary, and then annotate the Table to remind yourself.
Originally they were in the form of a pack of A6 cards on a ring, and you may prefer to print out the Crib to take with you: but if you can take your Kindle out botanising with you, then so much the better!
Scream in horror – you'd get in a lot of trouble if you thought that Bay Laurel (used in Bouquet Garni) was the same as Cherry Laurel (which was used, in the past, by insect collectors to kill their specimens).
Likewise, if you thought that Cherry Laurel's fruits were edible cherries, you might find yourself visiting the hospital.
This Crib details the differences between the two edible Laurels and the three very much inedible ones, along with some interesting information about the plants along the way.
This is more a Crib for a gardener, than for a wildflower botanist, but the various Laurels are increasingly popping up in council planting and new developments, so you are likely to encounter some of these evergreens while out and about.
This Field Guide is one of a series of books intended for use in the field by UK Botanists, both Improvers and complete beginners, to help swiftly narrow down the identification of a plant, and to extend your knowledge and understanding of the genus.
They cover commonly found UK species, and are not intended to replace a full-length Field Guide such as Poland or Rose: but they present the salient information in an easy-to-read format, to people who have gone beyond having to key out every single plant, and who are now trying to learn the difference between species.
The Kindle is the perfect format for this, as you can look up any words you don't understand in the Kindle dictionary, and then annotate the Table to remind yourself.
Originally they were in the form of a pack of A6 cards on a ring, and you may prefer to print out the Crib to take with you: but if you can take your Kindle out botanising with you, then so much the better!
