Research for field guides involves uncovering and cataloguing little known “field characters”, e.g. bark details.

Characters such as 'knotted vein' glands in the leaves of Pycnocoma spp. are rarely documented, but vital for the preparation of tropical plant field guides. Many such characters can be explored through Virtual Field Herbarium; useful for field guide writers, monographers and general plant identification.

Bolivian field guide.

Guides based largely on pictures, supported by text, are ideal for raising public awareness. With little botanical experience, such guides can help achieve a high level of accuracy.

Research also involves studies into the usability of trial guides by different user groups.

Testing different field guide formats in a hotspot of globally rare species. To check accuracy, respondents were asked to identify 20 plants and to report on the usability, affordability and general superficial appeal of different field guide formats.

Picture-based formats with limited jargon, and no formal keys, open the way to increasing awareness among the rural poor in the tropics. We have made guides for Grenada and Ghana based on findings.

A Ghanaian village baker, with no prior knowledge of rain forest trees, was able to identify 80% of her local forest trees using a pictorial field guide. Only the single, best professional tree spotter could achieve the same score in the same forest with his own prior knowledge.

Schoolchildren in a Grenadian National Park comparing the accuracy, user-appeal and other features of field guides made from paintings, drawings or photographs. The paintings and drawings were prepared by Rosemary Wise.

Some field guides  have to be more detailed, but can still try to focus on vegetative features. A new complete – and huge- guide to the woody plants of the forest zone of Western Africa

Fruits of the West African understorey tree Cola chlamydantha. Cola species can be difficult to identify when sterile; in our trials in Limbe Botanic Garden (Cameroon) we evaluated how different field guide formats work with Cola species. No picture format works 100% reliably for difficult groups and casual users.