I've had this book on my wishlist for a year or two. It seemed like the perfect reference for my illustration work, in which I often incorporate plants based on their symbolic meaning, as well as their native location, scientific properties, etc. But looking up symbolic plant meanings online has always been a chore, with no source feeling definitive or complete—not to mention the annoyance of navigating popups and ads! So I used some of my Christmas money from last month to acquire this book and I'm pleased to report that it was everything I hoped and more!

The book itself is much smaller than I expected, but still jam-packed with hundreds (if not thousands) of entries, arranged alphabetically by scientific name. Each entry is well-organized with an extensive amount of information that makes this book seem, if not exhaustive, definitive enough for my satisfaction and purpose. The fact that everything is beautifully illustrated, layed out, and otherwise designed turns this tool into a treasure. The way one can look up entries in the indices by the plant's common name as well as by common meanings makes this book extremely useful, as well.

Although my main purpose was to equip myself with a reference for future illustration work, for my first reading, I very much enjoyed looking up my favorite plants, as well as all the known plants on my property. The book may be titled with the word flower, but it covers a wide variety of plants and plant parts, including root systems and rose buds. Ultimately, I am extremely pleased with this acquisition and I'm sure this small but mighty tome will see lots of use from this day forth!