Cactus and Succulents are my favorite plants as many of my readers already know. I have been searching for up-to-date books. Unfortunately, only a few have been published by Publishers in the United States. Timber Press has released The Plantfinder's Guide to Cacti & Other Succulents in 1999. Written by Keith Grantham and Paul Klaassen, both members of the British Cacti and Succulent Society, this book serves as a perfect introduction for the serious collector.
I've collected succulent plants for around 9 years now. Basically, I know what a succulent is versus a cactus. Too many people don't realize that most cactus are succulents but not all succulents are cacti. Confusing? Don't feel left out if you had this confused too. If you understand that a succulent is any plant adapted to arid conditions, then Euphorbias, Haworthias, and cactus all neatly fit into the category of "succulent" plants. One way to distinguish the cactus from other succulents, is that they originally came from the New World or Western Hemisphere. However, remember that we have other succulents in the New World too.
Grantham and Klaassen provide a good overview of the history, classification, culture, and propagation of succulent plants in their first 6 chapters. They put forth a reason for succulent plants becoming so popular with the early travelers which is still valid today with mail-order being the primary means of distributing these plants.
Whether collected on military or scientific expeditions, a succulent plant's adaptations to withstanding long periods of drought equip it ideally for transport during long journeys from its place of origin to its place of cultivation. [page 14]
Their popularity increased as glass greenhouses were developed in Europe because most of these plants needed winter protection from low temperatures and high moisture levels. During the height of their popularity, they commanded outrageously high prices and the arrival of new varieties was reported in magazines and newspapers. I had to smile when the authors mentioned several periods when succulents were particularly popular: 1840, end of 1800s, 1920s, and 1960s. They ask if we are due for another increase in the popularity of these plants soon? My guess, based on the number of people on internet email discussion groups about cacti and succulents is that we, indeed, are at the beginning of such a peak period of interest. Hopefully, the distribution of this book will help increase interest among the English speaking countries.
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