Review: Field Guide to Fynbos by John Manning

I am likely biased, as someone who has a love of Fynbos and lives in the Western Cape of South Africa, but this is the most useful book I’ve seen in quite some time.  John Manning’s Field Guide to Fynbos is a revised edition of his previous book by the same name, and it is perfection. As the cover boasts, there are over 1100 photographs contained within these glossy pages – and oh my, are they sharp, clear and beautiful. Yet what it does not boast is how thoughtfully and practically these images are arranged.

Field Guide to Fynbos is organized firstly by colour for ease of finding a plant or flower, and also includes the area to which each plant is indigenous, as well as other clarifying factors such as flower shape and number of petals. It is the easiest book that I have ever used to identify flowers quickly and accurately, and I am in awe; John Manning has made my job as an aspiring botanist that much more easier and so much more fun.

In addition to its ease of use, Manning includes a history of fynbos (it’s a floral kingdom of its own, you know!) as well as a general list of fynbos characteristics by geographic region, the importance of fire in the plants’ reproductive cycles, as well as the soil types and topographies in which the various blooms thrive. Basically, this book has literally everything you need in order to become a fynbos professional and be the envy of your outdoorsy friends (and those friends who dwell in cities and are unfortunate enough not to be surrounded by the plants). I am absolutely in love with this book and have no doubt that it will be in any backpack I wear while hiking, walking, or just stopping to smell the flowers.

The Western Cape is truly rich in its fynbos diversity, and to not take the time to appreciate that is doing yourself a disservice. Go bos with this book - get outside (book in hand) and learn about your surroundings, and maybe have an extra copy for gifting, because this book is perfect for anyone.

Field Guide to Fynbos by John Manning is published by Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa.