Description in French:

(For English description see below) Le Guide d’identification des Arbres du Mali est la synthèse de plus de dix années de collecte de spécimens végétaux (graines et herbiers) et d’informations sur la flore locale dans le cadre des activités de conservation des ressources phytogénétiques au Mali, en collaboration avec le Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Produit unique et dérivé du partenariat Millennium Seed Bank (MSB), le programme a aussi été mis à profit pour combler un manque d’institution nationale et de documentation, particulières a la flore du Mali. L’Unité de Semences Forestières et Herbier (USF-H) du Mali contient aujourd’hui environ 10,000 spécimens de près de 1,000 espèces de la flore nationale. Ce guide de terrain fournit de précieuses informations locales et un effort particulier a été déployé pour faciliter la reconnaissance de ces 300 espèces ligneuses à travers les descriptions botaniques, les noms locaux, les cartes de répartition géographique et les fascinantes photographies comme aide visuelle à leur identification. Les informations sur les graines aident à la régénération, la propagation, la domestication et les plantations pour une utilisation durable de ces espèces locales utiles.

Text in French.

Description in English:

Guide d’identification des arbres du Mali is the result of over ten years research in collaboration with Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank Project. Over 300 woody plant species are described in the book, with accompanying keys, colour photographs, distribution maps and local names and uses. This book is an essential reference for anyone required to know and recognize the woody flora of the forests of Mali, including forestry technicians, agriculturists, conservation workers, farmers, botanists, teachers and students.

Biocultural collections cross the boundary between nature and culture, documenting the remarkable richness and diversity of human engagement with the natural world. With materials ranging from blocks of wood to DNA, and from ancient books to new websites, they play a diverse role in research and relaying valuable information about our world. Curating Biocultural Collections is the first book that both recognizes this role and provides wide-ranging advice for successfully managing these resources.

Written and edited by experts from around the world, Curating Biocultural Collections  draws on real-world experiences, providing examples from ethnobiology, anthropology, agriculture, botany, zoology, and museum curation. The book places a strong emphasis on meeting the needs of collection users and encourages ethical and equitable engagement with source communities. With one hundred photographs, including objects from little-known collections, alongside case studies and a carefully chosen bibliography, this book gives valuable insight for anyone working to preserve valuable resources.

For many plant lovers, winter seems like a lost time. The bursts of color and distinctive leaf shapes disappear, leaving what seems like ambiguous branches. But there is no need for botanical enthusiasts to hunker down until spring. What we overlook as “dead trees” are simply shoots covered up for the season. If we look closer, we’ll see that trees and shrubs have distinct shapes to their buds and twigs that allow them to be classified reliably in winter.

While most books focus on identifying leaves and other seasonal characteristics, this practical guide is one of the few that will allow gardeners to identify trees and shrubs while they are in their dormant state. It covers more than seven hundred species and includes easy-to-use illustrated identification keys. More than 1,400 color images make it even easier to spot the distinctive pieces of these plants.