Book Description

The species covered in the final volume of this comprehensive three part series include Cephalotus, tuberous Drosera and Utricularia from southern Australia; pygmy Drosera and Byblis from south western Australia and Drosera, Byblis, Aldovanda and Nepenthes from tropical northern Australia.Line drawings, detailed descriptions, coloured photographs and location maps make these invaluable guides to the insectivorous plants of Australia for naturalists, enthusiasts and botanists alike. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The 2nd of a Great Series of 3 CP Books!
This is the 2nd book of a series of 3 that describe in details the complete range of Carnivorous/Insectivorous Plants in Australia. In the same format as the other two books, each species is described in one page of text giving a brief botanical description and any significant charactristics. A fairly decent line drawing faces this page of a typical full grown plant shwing the leaf, flower, and root form in detail as required. There are also a number of full colour photographs of each species in the wild showing plants in flower, etc.

A good book, one of the better CP ones (see my Review of Vol. 3 as well). Buy the book if you can - if not try and have a look at a copy and see what you are missing......

Great (3rd) Book on Australia's Carnivorous Plants
This is the long awaited third book in a series that documents the complete range of Australia's Carnivorous/Insectivorous Plants. Like the two before it, the book combines short (single page) semi-botanical descriptions of each species with a high quality sketch illustrating the form and a number of colour photographs showing typical (and sometimes atypical) plants in their natural environment.

This book is not so aimed at the 'how to grow them' shelf, but, at the accurate identification of numerous Australian Drosera (sundews), etc. In this respect it is a 5* hit and a must for any CP grower. Add it to your collection NOW before the print run is sold out (I pre-ordered last year!) - Vol.s 1 and 2 are now hard to get hold of and sell at a premium and a re-print may not occur for a long time.

ONE OF THE BETTER CP BOOKS ... Read more

Book Description

This beautiful book surveys the evolution of botanical illustration from the crude scratchings of paleolithic man down to the highly scientific work of 20th-century illustrators. With 186 magnificent examples, over 30 in full color. "A classic ... the first book to give us a complete picture of the history of flower illustrations as a whole"—The Sunday Times (London). "The text is as interesting and lively as the illustrations."—The Spectator.
... Read more

Book Description

As our earliest ancestors migrated out of Africa, they encountered entirely new floras. By sampling these, they found plants that appeared to (and sometimes did) heal wounds, cure maladies, and ease troubled minds. This process of discovery continues today, as multinational pharmaceutical companies bioprospect in the globe's remaining wild places for the next tamoxifen or digitalis.

The gardener and botanist David Stuart tells the fascinating story of botanical medicine, revealing more than soothing balms and heroic cures. Most of the truly powerful and effective medicinal plants are double-edged, with a dark side to balance the light. They can heal or kill, calm or enslave, lift depression or summon our gods and monsters. Often the difference between these polar effects is a simple change in dosage.

Stuart chronicles the tale of how the herbal materia medica of healing and killing plants has sparked wars, helped establish intercontinental trade routes, and seeded fortunes. As plant species traveled the globe, their medicinal uses evolved over miles and through centuries. Plants once believed to be cure-alls are now considered too dangerous for use. Others, once so valuable that they sowed the wealth of empires, are merely spices on the kitchen shelf.

David Stuart recounts engrossing human stories too, not only of the scientists, explorers, and doctors who gathered, named, and prescribed these plants but also the shamans, magicians, and quacks who claimed to possess the ultimate herbal aphrodisiac or elixir.

Book Description

Plants seldom figure in the grand narratives of war, peace, or even everyday life yet they are often at the center of high intrigue. In the eighteenth century, epic scientific voyages were sponsored by European imperial powers to explore the natural riches of the New World, and uncover the botanical secrets of its people. Bioprospectors brought back medicines, luxuries, and staples for their king and country. Risking their lives to discover exotic plants, these daredevil explorers joined with their sponsors to create a global culture of botany.

But some secrets were unearthed only to be lost again. In this moving account of the abuses of indigenous Caribbean people and African slaves, Schiebinger describes how slave women brewed the "peacock flower" into an abortifacient, to ensure that they would bear no children into oppression. Yet, impeded by trade winds of prevailing opinion, knowledge of West Indian abortifacients never flowed into Europe. A rich history of discovery and loss, Plants and Empire explores the movement, triumph, and extinction of knowledge in the course of encounters between Europeans and the Caribbean populations.

Reviews (6)

A great botany reference!
This is one of the few text books I kept after the class. It's an invaluable general botany reference. The text is very readable, yet covers the material in great depth, which is no small feat considering the scope of the book.

I have reached Enlightenment
After meditating upon chapter one by the river a top the mountain, my essence dissociated from my body and i saw Buddha in a vission.

Translation: get this book!

never tought botany could be entertaining
When I first looked at this book I didn't tought I would learn so much from it. The book can get you interested even if you aren't interested from the beginning. The layout is excellent and written in a very userfriendly way. Really recommend it!

Terrific book; scholarly, thorough, accessible, entertaining
I read this book in random chunks, as a volunteer for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, but found the parts I read (long books are normally read by multiple readers, in order to prepare recorded versions as quickly as possible) so fascinating that I came back to buy the book for myself and read it all.

Profusely illustrated (and I will say that many of the illustrations are a Major Pain to describe aloud!), _very_ well organized, and deeply insightful, the book has an excellent style; elegant and readable without any loss of information. It contains descriptions both of the history of botanical research and the state of current knowledge (expanding by leaps and bounds), and points the way into the future. Highly recommended!

--Diana Gabaldon, Ph.D.

Excellent introductory text
I am a self-taught biology student with a special interest in botany. I've read sections of and otherwise skimmed all the plant biology texts printed in the past 40 years. This book is the one I bought for myself and read cover to cover and still refer to often. I recommend it highly, the more so for the solo reader. ... Read more

Book Description

In this fascinating book, celebrated author Judith Sumner rescues from the pages of history the practical experience and botanical wisdom of generations of Americans. Crossing the disciplines of history, ethnobotany, and horticulture --- and with a flair for the colorful anecdote --- Sumner underlines a part of the American story often ignored or forgotten: how European settlers and their descendents made use of the "strange" new plants they found, as well as the select varieties of foods and medicines they brought with them from other continents. From "turkie wheat" (corn) to "tuckahoe" (a Native American source of starch), Sumner describes the transition from wonderment to daily use, as homesteads were built upon and prospered from the plants of the New World. It is a remarkable story of the interdependence of plants and the American home. Historians, herbalists, home gardeners, and ethnobotanists will find American Household Botany a treasure trove of original research and insight. ... Read more

Book Description

Protein Biotechnology and Biochemistry is a complete and definitive source of information for all those interested in the area, providing a broad overview of the various medical, diagnostic and industrial uses of proteins. It covers basic biochemical principles as well as providing a comprehensive survey of products currently available or under development.

• The new edition has been thoroughly updated with new material.
• The key difference is that this new edition will include more "pure" biochemistry.
• There are two completely new chapters: Protein Structure - an overview and Novel Proteins from Novel Sources.

... Read more

Book Description

Phycology is the study of algae, a ubiquitous and extremely important range of species ecologically because of the dependence of other species on their primary production. This third edition of Phycology is designed to serve both as a textbook for a one-semester course and also as a reference on modern concepts in the study of algae. Algae are divided into four natural groups and chapters on each group cover the cytology, morphology, physiology, life cycles, ecology, and systematics, all presented in a manner that can be understood by readers with a basic knowledge of biology. The use of clear, concise drawings, as well as the special emphasis placed on those algae that are commonly covered in phycology courses, and encountered by students in marine and freshwater habitats, has led to the establishment of this book as a classic introductory text suitable for courses throughout the world.This new edition offers a larger, more student-friendly format, along with fully updated reference sections and coverage of hot topics such as toxic algae, ozone depletion, and gene sequencing. ... Read more

Book Description

This is by far the best and most comprehensive manual andillustrated guide to native and naturalized vascular plants-ferns, conifers, andflowering plants-growing in aquatic and wetland habitats in northeastern NorthAmerica, from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and south to Virginia and Missouri.Published in two volumes, this long-awaited work completely revises and greatlyexpands Norman Fassett's 1940 classic A Manual of Aquatic Plants, yet retainsthe features that made Fassett's book so useful.

Features include:*coverage of 1139 plant species, 1186 taxa, 295 genera, 109 families*more than 600 pages of illustrations, and illustrations for more than 90% ofthe taxa*keys for each species include references to corresponding illustrations*habitat information, geographical ranges, and synonomy*a chapter on nuisance aquatic weeds*glossaries of botanical and habitat terms*a full index for each volume

Wetland ecologists, botanists, resource managers, public naturalists, andenvironmentalists concerned with the preservation of wetland areas, which areincreasingly threatened, will welcome this clear, workable, and comprehensiveguide.

This comprehensive and up-to-date reference work is anidentification manual covering more than 1100 species of vascular plants thatare native or naturalized in aquatic and wetland habitats in the northeasternregion of North America, from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and south toVirgina and Missouri. This is a major revision, long-awaited, of NormanFassett's classic (and much smaller) A Manual of Aquatic Plants. It willinterest biologists, resource managers, and environmentalists concerned with thepreservation of wetland areas, which are increasingly threatened. ... Read more

Book Description

Peonies, of the genus Paeonia, are among the most dramatic and beautiful flowers for gardens. Although species of Paeonia are found in the wild throughout the Northern Hemisphere, they are mainly associated with Asia and Asian gardens. Josef Halda is one of the few botanists who has traveled to see every known peony species and subspecies in the wild, often in extremely remote areas. He documents twenty-five species in these pages, including forty subspecies and varieties. He also provides an account of the closely related genus Glaucidium, whose two species will be of intense interest to peony fanciers.

Although this work carries the mantle of authority from Halda's work in taxonomy, it is also a helpful resource for everyday gardeners who wish to try even the rarest peonies in their gardens. James Waddick has teamed up with Josef Halda to provide valuable information on growing peony species, with a full account of cultivation requirements, hardiness, propagation, and diseases and pests.

The text is graced with the stunning botanical paintings of Jarmila Haldová, Josef Halda's wife and one of Europe's leading book illustrators. Haldová has also contributed dozens of useful line drawings of peony characters to aid in identification. Period woodcuts and other historical illustrations round out the work.

Sponsored by the Heartland Peony Society, which helped fund its publication, The Genus Paeonia is a rare work of beauty, science, and practical value. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Sets a high standard for plant reference books
I agree with the previous reviewer completely.The text is well-written with useful blend of information about propagation and habitat along with more traditional plant reference fare.Pictures are crisp and clear.This is exactly the book I was seeking.

Clear and Concise
This book was a great source when in the Bahamas.My parents live there and the locals use many of the plants in "bush medicine" practice.This book had clear photos of the various plants unlike somebooks with drawings only.The medicinal uses described are informative andsometimes amusing.Their copy has become so popular on the island that Ihave had to purchase at least 6 copies for other interested readers. ... Read more

Book Description

A rewritten and reorganized edition of The Physiological Ecology of Seaweeds (1985),this book contains a new introductory chapter reviewing seaweed morphology, cytology, life histories and an expanded treatment of tropical seaweeds. The final chapter on mariculture is much larger, and includes a case study on how principles of physiological ecology were applied in developing the carrageenan industry. Also contains an appendix summarizing the taxonomic position and nomenclature of the species mentioned in the book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great for Algae students
I purchased this book because I was frustrated with the textbook in my alge class.I found this book to be both helpful and informative.It is not a difficult read and the authors didn't use a lot of technical wordsjust to prove they knew them.Tons of great information. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Entheogens: Professional Listing
"The Healing Forest" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy

Excellent
Technical, but excellent. Photos are stunning ... Read more

Book Description

Volume 5:Ornamental Plants deals with trees, shrubs, and flower crops including foliage plants. The effects of nutrient deficiencies and toxicities are given for commonly grown examples of ornamental trees and shrubs, bedding pants and foliage and landscaping plants.Guidelines for the use of this information to identify nutrient problems in a wide range of plants, including those not mentioned in the book, are given. Professional horticulturalists and home gardeners will find this information of great value.

Plant Nutrient Disorders Vol 5 contains the largest published collection of colour photographs of nutritional disorders in ornamental plants, and the most complete set of plant analysis standards for ornamental plants available.

Other volumes in this series are:

Volume 1:Temperate and Subtropical Fruit and Nut Crops
Volume 2:Tropical Fruit and Nut Crops
Volume 3: Vegetable Crops
Volume 4: Pastures and Field Crops

.Largest international published collection of photographs of nutrient disorders
2.Useful for both professional and home gardeners.Largest international published collection of photographs of nutrient disorders ... Read more

Book Description

Written by James Perry and David Morton, the full-color atlas includes photos of botanical specimens, utilizing light, transmission, and electron microscopy. It also contains macro photography of whole specimens, microscope parts and techniques, and biological tests commonly used in the laboratory. ... Read more

Book Description

In recent years, plant lovers and environmentalists have cultivated a popular interest in prairie restoration. Many of the most common prairie plants are now easily visible along roadsides and park trails (not to mention in gardens) throughout the Midwest.

Prairie in Your Pocket offers an easy-to-use and inexpensive guide for identifying more than one hundred of the most common plants of the tallgrass prairie. Ideal for travelers, the guide is laminated for durability and folds down to the size of a business envelope. Slip one into your glove compartment for road trips or into your backpack or pocket for cycling and hiking.

By focusing on one ecosystem, Prairie in Your Pocket is perfect for amateurs as an introduction to prairie plant identification. It is the only guide of its kind for identifying tallgrass species. The guide provides color illustrations along with common and scientific names, plant heights, and blooming periods for 114 species. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great guide
I bought this guide at the Living History Farms gift shop in Des Moines and was pleasantly surprised to learn it was published in my hometown. This is a portable, durable, beautifully illustrated guide to identifying some of the most common plants of the tallgrass prairie. My family has taken this guide along on outings, and we have found it a very helpful way to connect with our natural surroundings. My pre-teen daughter especially has enjoyed closely examining the plants we encounter to see if they match up with the examples in the guide. Also recommend *Woodland in Your Pocket* by the same illustrator. ... Read more

Book Description

The predictability of the physical arrangement of plants, at whatever scale it is viewed, is referred to as a spatial pattern. Spatial pattern is a crucial aspect of vegetation that has important implications not only for the plants themselves, but also for other organisms that interact with plants, such as herbivores and pollinators; or those animals for which plants provide a habitat.This book describes and evaluates methods for detecting and quantifying a variety of characteristics of spatial pattern. As well as discussing the concepts on which these techniques are based, the book includes examples from real field studies and worked examples, which, together with numerous line figures, help guide the reader through the text. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

fantastic
Dale brings you through the methodology of spatical sampling and substantiates these procedures through numerous well-known references. Equations are given in clear and concise language, and examples are very well designed to fully explain the text. This book is a value to any and all aspiring environmental scientists given it's ease in understanding the wide breadth and depth of plant ecology. ... Read more