If you’re just starting out, go for “Botany in a Day.” It introduces you to plant terms and to the concept of plant families, which you’ll rely on greatly for understanding plant taxonomy. Also, this book has quite a bit of information on the chemical compounds found in plants.

If you already have a good grasp of the fundamentals of botany, then jump right into an advanced textbook on systematics. I like the one by Michael G. Simpson called “Plant Systematics.” Another one, called “Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach” by Walter S. Judd and others, has a little more emphasis on molecular information although the focus is on understanding the evolution of plants rather than on phytochemicals in general.

Good luck with your studies. It’s a fascinating field.

Wow! Each of the families you named have thousands of species. You’d need a book for each family, I would think. However, I fully understand your question because I had the same one when I started studying the plants here in Panama. So far, what I’ve found most useful is to look for monographs on the family. Many of these monographs were published years ago and are now available online.

When I want to learn about a family, I go to Botanicus.org. There I search for the family and then, among the options listed, I look for titles like “Flora of Panama.” You’d of course look for monographs from your area. These monographs can be downloaded and you’ll find they cover all the species known in that family at the time of writing. They also include keys to help you decide which species you have in hand.

Once you’ve reached the species level, then you can go back out to other sources online and learn whether the species name has changed and other details that have been learned since the writing of the original monograph.

I hope this helps, and I wish you great luck with you wonderful endeavor.

Mary

The best all-around book that I can think of is the one by Zuchowski: Plants of Costa Rica. I know the title says Costa Rica and not Panama, but we’re very close and the plants don’t recognize our geographical borders. This book covers edible, medicinal, and otherwise humanly useful plants, and talks about that, as well as helping you identify the beautiful native plants.

Good luck with your move!

Mary

Thanks for your considered answer to Phyllis’s question. It’s perfect and really good to hear from a professional.

Mary

I edit Aroideana, the journal of the International Aroid Society, and have just declined a section in a paper that deals with botanical terms in the forthcoming volume which addressed pronunciation. Latin is spoken today following two or three formats, but in my view, rather than argue between these versions, I advise people to follow the pronunciation that would exist if a word were in their native tongue. It is true that we italicize botanical names because we regard latin as a foreign language, but in fact many of the names are already “common” names, and all could be treated as such. If the person to whom you are speaking wishes to correct you, listen politely and decide whether to accept the version proffered, then go ahead and use it or not. Who really cares, there is no right and wrong way.

You might also find the website for Fine Gardening useful – you can listen to the pronunciation. Good luck!
Mary