Amazonian ethnobotanical dictionary /

First published in 1994 (CH, Nov'94, 32-1525), this 2017 edition is not an update to the original text, although it is the first hardcover edition. This work of the late James Alan Duke, formerly of the US Department of Agriculture, and Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez, former assistant curator of the Missouri Botanical Gardens, remains a foundational text within the ethnobotanical literature. The brief introduction explains that the text was conceived within and created for the rainforest, its inhabitants, and devotees. Within the main text, plant species are listed in alphabetical order by genus, and each entry contains a brief description of the various uses for that species. The text contains many black-and-white line drawings, but no color illustrations or photographs. The text includes two indexes, the first an index to common names cross-referenced to the correct taxonomical name for the species, and the second an index of various medicinal uses with associated species. The majority of information included in this text is found in the open access USDA resource,Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases (https://phytochem.nal.usda.gov/phytochem/search; CH, Feb'01, 38-3317). However, this text is still relevant, both in the stacks and within a researcher's field pack. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. --Lauren M. Manninen, William & Mary