The abridgment of the Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum contains:—
1. Characters and short popular descriptions of all the species and varieties of hardy trees and shrubs now in British gardens, with directions for their culture; including the soil most suitable for them, their propagation, and their uses in the arts, and more especially in landscape-gardening and profitable planting.
2. Engravings of all the species which are described, to one and the same scale, of which a figure, 1, a beautiful new species of Cytisus (Cytisus Weldenii), and fig. 2, a species of pine from Mexico (Pinus Teocotes), are here given as specimens.
3. The scientific names and scientific synonymes of all the species, and their popular names in the languages of the different countries where they are indigenous or cultivated.
4. An alphabetical index to all the species and varieties, with their synonymes.
5. A tabular analysis of the leaves, by which the name of any species of tree or shrub described in the work may, in general, be discovered, from a small portion of a shoot with the leaves on.
6. Specific characters, descriptions, and figures of some species, more particularly of pines, firs, and oaks, which were not in the country in 1838, when the large work was completed.
7. An analysis of the commoner trees and shrubs of Britain, with reference to their uses in plantations, useful or ornamental, their adaptation for particular soils and situations, their flowers and time of flowering, &c. &c.
In a word, though this abridgment does not include all the interesting and useful information on the natural history of trees which will be found in the larger work, or any of the portraits of entire trees which constitute so distinguished a feature in it, yet it contains all that is necessary to enable the reader to discover the names of the different species, and to ascertain their culture, propagation, and uses in Britain; in short, all that is essential for the nurseryman, gardener, and forester.