A wealth of botanical delights are revealed in Wild Flowers of The Lizard - the latest in a series of books about the peninsula by local authors Robin Bates and Bill Scolding.

Published earlier this month, the book features colour photographs and information on almost 200 local flowers, as well as fascinating snippets detailing their discovery, former uses and associated folklore.

The flowers are listed according to the habitat in which they are most commonly found - a deliberate ploy by the authors to help make the book more user-friendly.

"We wanted to avoid the field guide approach which tends to list flowers by families and assumes a certain amount of knowledge," said Bill.

"Our book is designed to be used by the complete layman, so that someone walking on the cliffs or over heathland at least knows where to start looking for the flower they are trying to identify."

During the course of their research, Bill, from Cadgwith, and Robin, from Mullion, came across many rare species - some so rare they agreed not to jeopardise their existence by revealing their location.

Among the endangered species encountered by the pair was Pennyroyal, cultivated by herbalists in the Middle Ages as a means of inducing abortion but now only found in a handful of locations in the south of Britain.

Other Lizard specialities are the Cornish heath (native virtually nowhere else in Britain) thyme broomrape, another serpentine lover, and the rare land quillwort, which induces keen botanists to arrange their holidays around its appearance in early April.

A year's painstaking research has resulted in a book guaranteed to prove an invaluable companion to any ramble on The Lizard - a fact borne out by impressive early sales figures.

The authors, who clearly know and love their chosen territory, have already produced four books detailing walks on the peninsula, as well as one exploring its geology.

They are currently working in conjunction with the Plymouth Co-operative Society on a book featuring walks through nature reserves around the city.

Wild Flowers of The Lizard, price £3.75, is available at local outlets and from the National Trust.