Flowering Plants of the Galápagos

The Galápagos are home to a wide-ranging assortment of unusual plants and animals. The islands became famous as the site of Charles Darwin's research leading to his theory of evolution by natural selection, and their magnificent flora and fauna...

Conley K. McMullen is Assistant Professor of Biology at James Madison University.

This is a well-organized, small, but information-packed book.... It is, however, a valuable reference book for travelers to the Islands.

This book is destined to be a valuable resource for the amateur naturalists who have made the Galápagos their destination of choice.

The field guide should meet the needs of both of its intended audiences.... Large public and academic libraries will find this guide a valuable addition to their collections wherever there is interest in tropical biology or travel.

Darwin visited the Galápagos in 1835, collected plants, and later wrote about the finches. This attractive guide by McMullen will introduce many of the plants Darwin saw (and collected), and it is certain to become an indispensable companion for anyone fortunate enough to visit these islands.... Surprisingly, many introduced and cultivated plants well known throughout the tropics are also featured in this guide, their showy flowers likely to attract the novice botonist.... Brief essays on the history of botanical exploration, vegetation types, and conservation will entertain readers cruising from island to island, or dreaming of visiting this land of giant tortoises.

The format and aids provided will enable less knowledgeable readers to use it and identify plants. It should be of interest to anyone who has visited the Galápagos Islands or plans to in the future or just wants to learn more about the unique and threatened flora.

McMullen's book is a user-friendly guide to the flowering plants of the Galápagos Islands written for the average visitor with a general interest in botany.... This is an excellent book that definitely fills a need. It is a field guide to be recommended to every Galápagos visitor with an interest in plant life.

Peter R. Grant, Princeton University:

Visitors to the Galápagos Islands will find this to be an invaluable guide to the flora. Technical language has been reduced to a minimum in order to make it possible for amateurs to identify the most common plants they are likely to encounter.

Margaret D. Lowman, Director of Research and Conservation, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens:

This well-organized book is comprehensive and easy to use. The introduction to the natural history of the islands and to their ecological zones are excellent, as are the keys and plant descriptions.

Peter H. Raven, Director, Missouri Botanical Garden:

Flowering Plants of the Galápagos provides short descriptions, an easy-to-use key, numerous natural history observations, and many hypotheses about how and from where the species arrived to the area. Conley K. McMullen gives amateur botanists, travelers, tourists, and anybody else with an interest in natural history a good introduction to the plants and botany on the Galápagos Islands.

Ole Jorgen Hamann, Director, Botanic Garden, University of Copenhagen:

Combining important basic information about the flora of the islands with thorough plant descriptions and high-quality photographs, this well-written book fills a definite need.