This useful and well-organized identification guide describes 1200 plant species of Spain, Portugal, southern France, Italy and Malta. There is information on habitat, distribution and flowering time, and coverage of the more conspicuous species of orchids. Assuming the reader has prior Botanical knowledge; this book is arranged according to flower families and has no key. But the high quality photographs help even the novice to distinguish very similar members of the same family, such as orchids. For the book's size, the authors wisely concentrate on the most widespread and conspicuous species. Species limited only to Greece and the Balkans are not included, nor are the rarer alpines. The informative text is printed conveniently on the page facing the photographs and line drawings in the margin of distinctive features help with identification. There is a glossary, an index, and a useful note on the most important areas of interest to flower-lovers.