Based on a 20-year survey organized by the Botanical Society of Scotland, this is a full and authoritative flora of Edinburgh and the Lothians. In addition to a complete flora of vascular plants in the three Lothian vice-counties, the book includes: specialist chapters on topics ranging from fungi to ferns and from geology and climate to ethnobotany; a substantial bryophyte flora of Edinburgh and the Lothians; a discussion of land use changes and the ecological and phytogeographical indications from the survey; a description of the survey and details of the methods used in the compilation of the Flora; and 30 colour and black and white plates, nearly 400 distribution maps and other illustrations. The Lothians are rich in diversity, from the moist uplands of the south to the dry, flat lands of the north-east. Habitats range from seacoast to moorland, from river and loch to woodland and meadow. In addition to this variety, there is the impact of man as manifested by agriculture, urbanization, industry, and now climate change. This study presents an up-to-date account of this richness and should provide an essential basis for comparison with the flora and vegetation of the future.