The Jepson Manual, Higher Plants of California is a collection of identification keys to help biologists identify the vascular plants within the state of California. This large, illustrated book is generally regarded as one of the best resources for California botanists to study the characteristics of certain taxonomic groups, and is considered the standard manual for the state.
The book is named in honor of Willis Linn Jepson, who was an influential California botanist, and author of the 1923 Manual of the Flowering Plants of California. Contrary to popular assumptions among California plant enthusiasts, The Jepson Manual is not a new edition of Jepson's 1923 book, but a completely new work. Like other scientific manuals, it builds upon prior publications; except for the number of line drawings, it has more in common with the prior standard manual, Phillip Munz's A California Flora and Supplement (1968) than with the 1923 book.
Botanists often refer to this book simply as "Jepson."
Hickman, J.C. (Ed.), 1993. The Jepson Manual, Higher Plants of California.