Publishing date 1996 Copyright Meg Coates Palgrave – Know Your Trees PO Box 4643 Harare Zimbabwe Tel: (263-4) 734419 Printed by Modern Press, Gweru, Zimbabwe ISBN 0-7974-1606-4 Category Botany Language English
Meg Coates Palgrave says “All trees have labels on them telling us what their names are, all we have to do is learn to read labels.” In presenting the Key to the Trees of Zimbabwe, it is hoped that people will be able to spell out the identity of the indigenous trees for themselves.
The keys are based on leaf and vegetative characteristics such as bark, spines or prickles, milky sap, the prominence of the veining and presence or absence of hairs. Pods are often included. This is because they remain on the trees from one season to the next and are therefore a positive aid to identification.
Scientific terms are kept to a minimum but sometimes for the sake of clarity it is better to use the botanical term. Where this is done it is explained.
When identifying trees you actually have to know where you are. Distribution is another very important factor. There are separate colour-coded keys for different areas so that a person only has to concentrate on the trees around them and not worry about those elsewhere.