Book excerpt: Fully updated and expanded, this third edition of the top-selling Field Guide to Common Trees & Shrubs of East Africa now features more than 520 of the trees and shrubs – indigenous and naturalized exotics – commonly found in the region. Each of the four sections – trees, shrubs, palms and mangroves – is arranged in alphabetical order according to scientific name. The book features: an informative introduction to families. Species accounts describing the plants’ habitat, bark, leaves, flowers and fruit. General and commercial applications and uses in traditional medicine. Almost 2,000 photographs depicting the species, its fruit, flowers and bark. Glossaries, both textual and illustrated, of botanical and medical terms. An invaluable ID guide to the trees and shrubs in gardens, parks and along roadsides of East Africa.