ILLUSTRATED FLORA OF TURKEY

The Flora of Turkey has been compiled twice before — once in Latin, once in English. This new edition will be written in Turkish and, crucially, will include scientific illustrations of every single plant species. The project is carried out under the patronage of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey.

I work as art editor on this project, alongside a remarkable team of scientists and artists from across Turkey. The team continues to grow as new artists and researchers join. The creation of a work of this magnitude is only possible through the dedication and wholehearted contribution of everyone involved.

Illustrated Flora of Turkey is a project implemented in cooperation with the Flora Research Association, Nezahat Gökyığit Botanic Garden (NGBB), and the ANG Foundation.

Turkey’s geographical position gives it an extraordinary diversity of vegetation. Current records document around 11,000 plant species, of which approximately 3,000 are endemic — found nowhere else on earth. On average, a new species is discovered in Turkey every ten days.

For this reason, updating and rewriting the Flora of Turkey has become an urgent need. Written in Turkish for the first time, Illustrated Flora of Turkey aims to reach a far wider audience than its predecessors.

Under the leadership of Turkish botanists, and prepared to the highest scientific standards, the goals of Illustrated Flora of Turkey are:

•       To raise public awareness of the vital importance of plants — the foundation of all life and biodiversity.

•       To support the establishment of a national botanical garden and herbarium, with well-documented collections serving scientific research and education.

•       To contribute to the protection of endemic, rare, and endangered plant species, and to preserve plant diversity as a cornerstone of biodiversity.

•       To train plant taxonomists who can both follow and lead advances in contemporary science, and to support the development of our national botanical garden as a centre of public education.

•       To train botanical artists who will play a meaningful role in communicating the importance of plants to the wider public.

This project will consolidate a vital body of botanical knowledge, bringing it together in one authoritative reference.

The complete work will comprise 55 volumes, featuring 2,000 watercolour plates and 9,000 line drawings.

35 scientists and 42 artists contributed to the preparation of Volume 2.

The editorial team comprises Prof. Dr. Adil Güner, Prof. Dr. Yusuf Menemen, Prof. Dr. Ali Kandemir, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Yıldırım, and Serdar Aslan. The art editorial team comprises Fatma Şen, Gülnür Ekşi, Işık Güner, and Nurcihan Kahraman.

The following volumes have already been published. Order your copy here. E-copies are also available at the same link.

•       Volume 1 (Second Edition)

•       Volume 2

•       Volume 3a, 3b

•       Volume 4a, 4b

•       Volume 17a, 17b, 17c

As the very first step of the Illustrated Flora of Turkey project, the Turkey Plant List (Vascular Plants) was published in 2013. This is a landmark publication: for the first time, every plant within Turkey’s geographical boundaries is listed alongside both its scientific name and its Turkish name.

•       Preparation took approximately 2.5 years.

•       The book runs to 1,290 pages.

•       102 scientists contributed to its preparation.

Cover of the Book — Yitik Lale (Tulipa sprengeri Baker)

The cover illustration was painted by me. I first encountered this plant at the Chelsea Flower Show in London in 2012. There are records of its collection from Turkey dating back to the 1890s, after which it was declared extinct in its natural habitat — which is why it came to be known as Yitik Lale, meaning ‘the lost tulip.’ Fortunately, it survives in several botanic gardens around the world.

The editorial team: Prof. Dr. Adil Güner (Director, Nezahat Gökyığit Botanic Garden), Serdar Aslan, Prof. Dr. Tuna Ekim, Prof. Dr. Mecit Vural, and Prof. Dr. Tekin Babaç.

Order a copy here.

Several further volumes in the series have been published. Order the full set here.

•       Turkey Plant List: Mosses (Bryophyta)

•       Turkey Plant List: Algae (Chlorophyta)

•       Turkey Lichen List

•       Turkey Fungi List

•       Turkey Archaea and Bacteria List