Book excerpt: This easy-to-use identification guide to the 280 tree and shrub species most commonly seen in India is perfect for resident and visitor alike. High quality photographs from India's top nature photographers are accompanied by detailed species descriptions, which include nomenclature, size, distribution and habitat. The user-friendly introduction covers geography and climate, vegetation, opportunities for naturalists and the main sites for viewing the listed species. Also included is an all-important checklist of all of the trees and shrubs of India encompassing, for each species, its common and scientific name, its status in each state as well as its global IUCN status.