7 December 2001 D.M. van Gelderen & J.R.P. van Hoey Smith
CONIFERS
The Illustrated Encyclopedia
2 Volumes, with Indexes, Timber Press, published in association with the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society, 706 pages, 2347 colour photographs, 113 drawings
ISBN 0-88192-354-0

Inside Cover

     Compiled by two of the world's authorities on the subject and illustrated throughout in full color, this book is the most complete collection of photographs - 2347 strong - of conifers ever assembled. This new encyclopedia updates the authors' acclaimed earlier book, Conifers, originally published in 1986. That book forms the nucleus of Conifers: The Illustrated Encyclopedia, but the greatly expanded coverage of cultivars including many introduced in recent years, plus double the number of photographs, make the present work more than twice its size.
     The authors have added 10 genera bringing the total covered to 65. Included for each genus are notes on distribution, discussion of botanical characteristics and classification, and lists of species of particular merit. New in this twovolume set are a common name index, an index of synonyms, a suggested reading list, and a brief essay on photographing conifers. The photographs display fine details of bark, cones, and needles as well as general habit; many species were photographed during the authors' conifer forays to North America, Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar, Japan, and China.
     Like the earlier book, Conifers: The Illustrated Encyclopedia will be an invaluable identification tool for gardeners, landscape designers, nursery professionals, and plant lovers. It may also be used in conjunction with the detailed text descriptions in Gerd Krüssmann's Manual of Cultivated Conifers, available in an English-language translation from Timber Press. Everyone who has become intrigued with the amazing variety and versatility of conifers in the landscape will hail this book as a treasure.

Conifers: The Illustrated Encyclopedia is published in association with the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society

Front jacket photograph (both volumes): Garden at Sandringham House by J. R. P. van Hoey Smith. Back jacket photographs (both volumes): Wollemia nobilis, a species of conifer first discovered in 1994. Photos by M. Sherp and W Jones.

D. M. VAN GELDEREN is an officer of the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society and coproprietor of Firma C. Esveld in Boskoop, The Netherlands, one of the world's great specialist nurseries for conifers, maples, and rhododendrons. In 1994 he was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Gold Veitch Memorial Medal and in 1986 the Silver Doorenbos Medal by the Dutch Dendrology Society.

J. R. P. VAN HOEY SMITH is director of the Trompenburg Arboretum in Rotterdam and president of the International Dendrology Society. An avid conifer collector, he travels extensively to photograph plants in their native habitats. He was awarded the Silver Doorenbos Medal in 1981 and the Gold Veitch Memorial Medal in 1984.

Preface

In 1986 the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society celebrated its 125th anniversary. The original edition of the book Conifers, the predecessor of the present volumes, was published to commemorate that centenary. The Society was founded in 1861 to bring order to the otherwise confused use of plants and plant names in the Dutch nursery trade. One of the aims of the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society has always been the evaluation and judging of a wide range of plant species and cultivars for introduction into the nursery trade. As early as 1896 the Society founded a Judging Committee of seven persons, all very knowledgeable nurserymen, so there is a new centenary to celebrate--hence the publication of Conifers, The Illustrated Encyclopedia.
     The Judging Committee continues to play an important role in ensuring the quality and reputation of the Dutch nursery industry. The results of the trials are published yearly in Dendroflora, the yearbook of the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society, published in cooperation with the Dutch Dendrology Society.
     Since Conifers was published, public interest in these plants has continued to grow, and the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society is pleased to cooperate in the publication of this new, much more comprehensive work. An inventory was made to ensure inclusion of as many of the newer cultivars as possible, including many not published previously. Information and photographs for more than 1500 additional cultivars; were collected, many of the photographs taken in various parts of the world during the authors' conifer forays to North America, Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar, Japan, and China. Of course, many interesting new cultivars were found in Europe, too. After a careful study of all data and illustrations, a survey encompassing about 2300 different conifers is presented here. Results of additional taxonomic investigation and nomenclatural study of conifers have been incorporated.
     In the framework of this photobook, detailed descriptions of the plants are omitted because the pictures speak for themselves. Nomenclature is based on Gerd Krüssmann's Manual of CultivatedConifers with some exceptions, mainly changes of names and in classification made after 1984.
     We hope that Conifers, The Illustrated Encyclopedia, may be used and appreciated even more than the original book. By such use, we will be fully rewarded.

Acknowledgment

The authors wish to thank the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society for its support, which has made possible this revised and enlarged work, Conifers, The Illustrated Encyclopedia.

Contents

VOLUME 1		VOLUME 2
Foreword vii Preface viii Photographing Conifers ix Photograph Locations x What Are Conifers? 1 Descriptions of the Genera 3 The Photographs A-K 31    Abies 31    Acmopyle 73    Actinostrobus 73    Agathis 74    Amentotaxus 76    Araucaria 77    Athrotaxis 81    Austrocedrus 83    Austrotaxus 83    Callitris 84    Calocedrus 86    Cathaya 90    Cedrus 90    Cephalotaxus 107    Chamaecyparis 111    Cryptomeria 205    Cunninghamia 219    xCupressocyparis 220    Cupressus 225    Dacrycarpus 241    Dacrydium 241    Decussocarpus 244    Diselma 245    Ephedra 245    Falcatifolium 250    Fitzroya 250    Fokienia 250    Ginkgo 251    Glyptostrobus 255    Gnetum 256    Halocarpus 256    Juniperus 257    Keteleeria 333		The Photographs L-Z 337    Larix 337    Libocedrus 347    Metasequoia 348    Microbiota 349    Microcachrys 350    Microstrobos 350    Neocallitropsis 351    Papuacedrus 352    Parasitaxus 352    Phyllocladus 353    Picea 354    Pilgerodendron 436    Pinus 437    Podocarpus 569    Pseudolarix 579    Pseudotaxus 580    Pseudotsuga 580    Saxegothaea 592    Sciadopitys 592    Sequoia 596    Sequoiadendron 598    Taiwania 601    Taxodium 601    Taxus 605    Tetraclinis 629    Thuja 629    Thujopsis 663    Torreya 666    Tsuga 669    Welwitschia 693    Widdringtonia 693    Wollemia 695 Hardiness Zones of Europe 696 Hardiness Zones of North America 697 Hardiness Zones of China 698 Suggestions for Additional Reading 699 Index of Synonyms 700 Index of Common Names 704

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7 December 2001