【内容提要】
WuZhengyiandPeterH.Raven,co-chairsoftheeditorialcommittee
TheChineseflora,withanestimated30,000species,isofimmensescientificandhortculturalimportance.Noteworthy,too,isthetraditionalmedicineofthecountry,whichisbasedontheremarkableplantresources.Descriptionsandidentificationkeysforthisdiverseflora,untilnowunavilableinEnglish,havebeenpublishedoverthepasttwelveyearsintheFloraofChina,inconjunctionwithaseparateillustrationsseries.Twenty-threeofthetotalof50volumeshavealreadybeenpublished,thankstoanunprecedentedandlong-standingcollaborationbetweenWesternandChinesescientists.
Volume14oftheillustrationsseriesdepictsthefollowingplantfamilies:Apiaceae（orUmbelliferae），containinganumberofvegetablesandherbsthatareessentialtogheworld'scuisines:anise,carrot,celery,cilantroofcoriander,cumin,dill,fennel,andparsley,aswellasseveralspeciesusedintraditionalChinesemedicine;Cornaceae（andtherelatedGarryaceae,Helwingiaceae,Mastixiaceae,andToricelliaceae）。includingthelovelywhite-blossomeddogwoodtrees;Diapensiaceae,afamilyofherbsandornamentalshrubs;andEricaceae,theheathfamily,encompassingthegloriousrhododendronsandazaleas,aswellascranberriesandbilberries.