Preface to the Book

This book is compiled primarily of articles written by members of the Education Subcommittee of the Natural History Society of Jamaica, and published in the Children’s Own Newspaper during the 1993-1994 school year. The members of the education subcommittee are all volunteers dedicated to educating the children on Jamaica’s natural heritage. Each article is somewhat unique in its approach as the styles of the various authors have been retained as much as possible.

In recognition of the need to make the information available to all, the articles, with some additions, were compiled for this book. It was written for children of age 8 to 14 however teachers, visitors and other persons will find the information useful. It consists mainly of scientific information but historical facts and folklore are also included. The plants (mainly trees but including some herbs and grasses) are arranged in four categories - palms; woodland, pasture and forest trees; fruit trees and seaside trees and represent only a fraction of the over 1000 species of trees which occur in Jamaica.

Acknowledgments
We are grateful to the former editor of the Children’s Own Newspaper, Mrs. Crescencia Medhurst who has supported our efforts over the years and to the Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, whose facilities were invaluable in the production of this book.