A Landmark Cactus Book
The remainder of the book consists of cacti descriptions. Each description includes the name, the person who named the species and the date. The plant is described using horticultural terms and the known distribution of the plant is listed. If alternative names exist, they are listed along with the person and date the plant was given the name. Many of the cacti described are also illustrated with color photographs.
Various appendixes and maps end the book. A comprehensive list of publications about cacti is also provided, which will help other researchers in their study of cacti. An index of scientific names and one for common names is also given.
Who Should Buy This Book?
The list price of this book is $99.95. Price alone makes purchasing this book impossible for many people. If you have a spouse or other relative, who is an avid fan of these plants, this book is the ideal gift. Botanists, horticulturists or taxonomists studying cacti will find this to be an essential book because it contains the latest classification of cacti. Future researchers will modify this book's classification scheme as more cacti species are identified.
I would not recommend it for people with just a few of these delightful plants. A new hobbyist may find the quantity of information presented totally overwhelming. If the hobbyist has a basic understanding of botanical terms, they would probably be content with owning just this one book for many years to come. Of course, everyone wants more pictures to look at!
I plan to keep this book on my reference shelves until I totally lose interest in succulent plants - something that won't happen until I die! There simply is no other book about this subject that is as comprehensive or up to date. I predict it will be another 10 years or more before any book comes along that will serve as a good substitute.
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