This book is a remarkably comprehensive overview of plants and the plant world, and how they relate to the wider environment. Grohmann starts by considering the characteristics of flowering plants, before moving on to different growing areas in the world and the 'ladder' of the plant kingdom, from lichens and fungi up through ferns and conifers. Over one hundred illustrations help guide the reader through Grohmann's important observations and conclusions. This is the first of two volumes (the second deals exclusively with flowering plants in more detail).