This book provides a basic introduction to twenty-five commonly occurring families of flowering plants, chosen for their economic, ornamental and ecological importance. It is designed to enable students of botany and related disciplines to gain some knowledge of the general characteristics of each family and also the relationships among them. An introductory section provides basic botanical information essential for a proper consideration of the families themselves. For each family, information on its distribution, classification, general features and economic importance precedes a detailed description of a typical representative species that will be useful to botanists and botany students. Illustrated throughout with clear and accurate line diagrams and accompanied by an extensive glossary.