I have found the book straightforward to use and it is a good introduction to identification keys for those who have just started looking more closely at some of the plants they come across when they are out in the countryside.

Following on from its successful launch in 2009, "Collins Wild Flower Guide" - the ultimate reference book for wild flower enthusiasts - now enters its second edition. Does not have a particularly user friendly key so not the best book for quickly finding the identify of a flower unless you have rough idea to start with.Detailed information on which places to visit in Britain particularly rich in flower species are also included, along with individual maps showing where each species can be found. Featuring all flowering plants, including trees and grasses, and ferns, this fully revised and updated field guide to the wild flowers of Britain and northern Europe is the most complete illustrated, single-volume guide ever published. I received this book last week and have tried it out in the field, mainly on ferns and trees and some difficult genera. It covers Britain and Ireland and contains a combination of illustrations and identification keys: those interested in wild plants may have previously seen this combination in the Francis Rose guide.

Leading botanical artists specially commissioned to ensure beautifully detailed illustrations feature the most widely common British wild flowers. Comparison pages show different leaf shapes and flower clusters to enable quick and easy navigation to the right section of the book to make your identification.

Featuring all flowering plants, including trees and grasses, and ferns, this field guide to the wild flowers of Britain and northern Europe has been fully revised and updated to reflect the latest changes in taxonomy and nomenclature. This is quite a thick heavy book so we usually leave this one at home for reference use rather than for field use. The illustrations are very detailed highlighting the salient points as are the grasses, sedges and rushes. The APG system has now been incorporated into the most recent edition of Stace’s standard British flora and has been followed in this new edition of the Guide.