Bruce A. Bohm Livres

A comprehensive look at the wide variety of flowering plants and ferns found in Hawaii's wild providing simple but scientifically up-to-date information on their origins and evolutionary relationships. The book includes almost 200 color photographs for most of the species featured in the book and directions to convenient locations to observe them. Dr. Bohm stresses throughout the book that readers, hikers and novice biologists need to be aware of the sensitivity of native plants to habitat destruction and the devastating impact of the invasion of alien species.

The book offers an in-depth exploration of flavonoids within the sunflower family (Asteraceae), the largest family of flowering plants. It compiles over 2,500 reports on flavonoid occurrences from 1950 to the present, analyzing their variations and systematic significance. By integrating findings with modern phylogenetic studies based on morphology and DNA, the authors present a comprehensive synthesis of the evolutionary roles of flavonoids, marking a significant contribution to the understanding of angiosperm taxonomy.

Focusing on the geographic distribution of plant secondary metabolites, this book explores various natural product classes, including acetylenic derivatives, alkaloids, carotenoids, and flavonoids. It highlights the diversity of these compounds across natural populations, contrasting with previous studies that concentrated on specific taxa or regions. This comprehensive overview aims to provide a broader understanding of chemical variation in plants, moving beyond the limitations of earlier literature on "chemical races."