A guide to flowers of Bhutan

26 June 2009

The effort made by Wangchuk, an untrained Botanist, for his first book A pictorial guide to the wild flowers of Bhutan is commendable. The book is the first of its kind written by a Bhutanese author. Most people, who study taxonomy, know how daunting it is to collect data on classification and identification. The four years of work is portrayed by the colourful illustrations of the book.

The book features 200 species of wild flowers under 53 botanical families with brief information like flowering season, elevation range, habitat and distribution. It also features a flower that is endemic to Bhutan, found only in Trongsa and Bumthang, Lobelia nubigena, which is considered a rare species.

Most of the flowers illustrated are those of alpine and tropical regions, most of which can be found along the lateral highway. Some wild flowers of medicinal plants are also presented.

Although the pictures are not professionally taken, the layout and good print quality on glossy paper make the book user-friendly. It will be ideal for researchers, foresters, students, nature enthusiasts and tourists alike.

The book would have been better if the common and local name for each flower was given as well.

The author, who is a teacher, started off the book as a small handbook for his school’s nature club. Overtime, it developed into a pictorial guidebook.

Wangchuk is currently working on his second publication entitled Medicinal Plants of Alpine Bhutan. He is the vice principal of Zilukha Lower Secondary School in Thimphu.

Ratings: 1 Star