After covering such subjects as beetles, frogs, eggscaterpillars, and even orchids, the University of Chicago Press‘ Life-Size series is finally showing signs of going to seed – well, “seeds” actually (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

Publishing this month (February 2018), The Book of Seeds: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from around the World continues the well-established tradition of the series in offering readers a tour of six hundred of the world’s seed species, life-size – as well as enlarged when needed – and in full color, with accompanying descriptions, maps, and information regarding the conservation status of the species depicted.

As editor Paul Smith has taken great pains to ensure that what has been included provides a widely varied selection of the planet’s remarkable range of seeds, examples range from the the widespread to the highly localized, and depict a fascinating assortment of sizes, shapes, and colors.