The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California
(1993) is a revision of Willis Linn Jepson's
Manual of the Flowering Plants of California.
It represents the most comprehensive identification guide to nearly eight thousand taxa of native and naturalized California plants. The means to identify plants (using key traits and illustrations) is accompanied by special information such as horticultural requirements, endangerment, toxicity, weed status, and notes on the management of sensitive species. Identification keys are designed for ease of use, and terms are simplified and illustrated, making
The Jepson Manual
the most authoritative field guide for the expert and amateur alike.
Since the publication of the Manual in 1993, botanical investigation has become more sophisticated and new species have been identified. The rapid pace of new discoveries about the California flora and the need to make the information available to a wide array of users, has led to the development of the
Jepson Online Interchange for California Floristics (2001).
The Interchange provides the latest information on identification, taxonomy, nomenclature, distribution, ecology, relationships, and diversity of California vascular plants. The necessary scientific data to understand the basis for new plant names and updated taxonomic treatments and distribution maps from
The Jepson Manual
are also available.
Production of a Second Edition
The development of the Jepson Online Interchange was the first step toward producing a
Second Edition of
The Jepson Manual, scheduled for publication in 2008. The editors and staff of the Jepson Flora Project are working with many contributing authors to write revised taxonomic treatments for the new edition.
