The book, published in English, received the distinction during OPTIMA's XVIII congress held in Nevşehir (Cappadocia, Turkey). The OPTIMA silver medal is awarded every three years to the authors of the best works or books on Mediterranean phytotaxonomy published in the preceding three years.
The book, available for free download as an ebook, is the result of 28 years of research and fills a gap in the botanical literature on geraniums, as the last monograph dated back to 1912. This massive and exhaustive work has been published by the CSIC.
For each of the 307 species covered, the book provides a complete synonymy, detailed description, distribution, relationships, variability, and taxonomic history. It includes distribution maps, drawings, and color photographs.
Introductory sections detail the morphological structure, chromosome number, reproductive system, phytochemistry, distribution, habitats, and phylogenetic relationships. Four identification keys have been prepared to facilitate species recognition across different geographical areas.
The author, Carlos Aedo Pérez (born 1960), holds a degree in Biology from the University of Oviedo and a PhD from the University of Salamanca. Since joining the Royal Botanical Garden-CSIC in 1992, he has held various positions and has been a Research Scientist since 2007. He has published over 150 articles and authored or co-authored around thirty books, and coordinated the ‘Flora iberica’ project.
