Resources
The BSBI website is a key resource for all botanists, beginner to advanced, professional or amateur.
If you are looking to develop your ID skills ahead of taking on a course like Identiplant, why not view the BSBI Get Started page, which details equipment, social media resources, botanical keys and other online help for starting out in botany.
BSBI publishes a range of books and guides to help develop ID skills, as well as a range of eBooks.
FSC Publications are another useful resource, including their fold-out charts and Aidgap guides.
Reference Books
This list includes some of the most useful reference books that you might want to collect; all are available from the Summerfield Books website, where BSBI members receive a discount.
- Beentje, Henk (2016) The Kew Plant Glossary: an illustrated dictionary of plant terms - 2nd edition. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Cope, T. & Gray, A. (2009) Grasses of the British Isles. BSBI Handbook No.13 (also available as an eBook from the BSBI website)
- Hickey, M. & King, C. (1997) Common Families of Flowering Plants. Cambridge University Press.
- Hubbard, C.E. (1954 & later editions) Grasses.
- Poland, J. & Clement, E. (2009, 2nd edition 2019) The Vegetative Key to the British Flora: A New Approach to Plant Identification. BSBI.
- Poland, J. (2018) The Field key to Winter Twigs. BSBI.
- Rose, F. (1989) Colour Identification Guide to the Grasses, Sedges, Rushes & Ferns of the British Isles and north-western Europe.
- Stace , C.A. (2022) Concise Flora of the British Isles.
- Streeter, D. et al (2016) Collins Wild Flower Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland.
The BSBI also produce Handbooks on various difficult groups. See the full list on the BSBI website.