Book Description

This new edition of Whitmore's classic introduction to tropical rain forests has been comprehensively revised and updated, reflecting the changes which have taken place since it was first published in 1990. The sections on human impact have been extended to include a new global assessment of deforestation as well as details of new research on biodiversity and conservation. Discussion of the future of the rain forests and priorities for action is incorporated. The book remains unique in linking rain forest biology and ecology with silviculture, and with concerns over sustainable resource utilization and the future of the tropical rain forests. It includes sections on the diverse animal and plant life forms which are found in the rain forest, and the interconnections between them. Nutrient cycles and forest dynamics are fully explained, with new data on ecophysiology and forest microclimates. The geologic and climatic history of rain forests, and the wide-spread canopy disturbances now understood to have occurred in the past, are explored. Accessibly written, and illustrated throughout with line-drawings and photographs, this is a must for biology and geography students, and anyone else who seeks to know more about the nature and importance of the world's tropical rain forests. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

this book was very enriching and enlightening, spiritual
It was a book that helped me gain knowledge but it also made me want to go out and explore it, it was fabulous Icould hardly put it down and it helped a lot with my research paper. Thanks ... Read more

Book Description

A new method for the practical identification and recognition of trees -- and an important supplement to existing botanical methods.

The book is in two parts: Pictorial Keys and Master Pages. The Keys are designed for easy visual comparison of details which look alike, narrowing the identification of a tree to one of a small group -- the family or genus.

Then, in the Master Pages, the species of the tree is determined, with similar details placed together to highlight differences within the family group, thus eliminating all other possibilities. The details of the Oak trees on this plate are an example of the system.

All of the more than 1500 photographs were made specifically for use in this book and were taken either in the field or of carefully collected specimens. Where possible, details such as leaves, fruit, etc., appear in actual size, or in the same scale.

Reviews (12)

Tree Identification Book
As a land surveyor, back in the early '80s, I used a copy of this book for the year-round tree identification needs associated with my work (all seasons - with or without leaves). At some point my copy of the book disappeared, but job advancement placed me in the office, so I did without.

Recently, a return to performing occasional, outside survey work revived my need to identify trees. After scanning all the books available for this purpose off-the-shelf in a large book store, I lamented the loss of this book, for I found none as useful to me as this book. I assumed it was no longer in print. But, to my delight, I surfed the web and discovered it is still in print and readily available. While its photos are B&W, and not of the highest quality (little if any apparent change in the book in two decades), the book remains a standard, in my opinion, as a tool aptly suited to its name.

Not first choice
Taking this book in hand I am inclined to see the negative first. The black and white photographs look rather depressing, in particular those of the bark don't look very useful. This is not a book which looks good on the bookshelf! Also its size and soft cover make it somewhat unhandy for carrying it about: it is far from field guide size.

As a tree book I very much prefer John Laird Farrar's "Trees in Canada" / "Trees of the Northern United States and Canada" which is a handy size, is handsomely bound, has excellent color photographs of trunks, flowers and fruits and stunning line drawings of habit, leafs, leaf scars and flower details, not to mention distribution maps.

Of course the two books have only a limited overlap in area treated and in species selection and the book by Symonds certainly has the subjects for the photographs carefully chosen. Perhaps I will yet come to apppreciate it?

It Really Works
I bought a house without knowing what the 5 trees in front of it were. Using this book I guessed Apple and Cherry. The next year my spouse was surprised to find out I was right! The book gave me enough information to figure it out! And I knew nothing about trees!

easy to use!
I use this book a lot. I find the black and white pictures are easy to use and the size of the book is just right. I wasn't looking for a pocket guide - (have some of those) I was looking for a guide that would really help me id the trees and this one does. I go for walks in our woods and carry this with me to id various things I see. Its great to have on hand

Student Tree ID
The Ag Department at the high school that I work used this book. It's a good source for tree ID, but it could have stood to be a little bigger with more trees. But, the trees that it ID's, are thoughly ID'ed. I would have also liked to see it in color. I really liked the scale used for sizing the leaves, blooms and fruit. Very much worth the money spent. ... Read more

Book Description

This heavily illustrated volume will prove a blessing to every aquarium hobbyist who has had to settle for superficial plant descriptions in general fish-keeping books. It presents a detailed A-to-Z directory covering hundreds of aquarium plants with high quality color photos and succinct profiles of each plant. Information includes the plant’s common name, botanical designation, growth cycle, and general description. The book’s additional sections offer details on how to grow and propagate aquatic plants, and how to protect them from parasites and other problems. This handsome volume features approximately 450 color photos and illustrations. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Good Book
The best introductory planted aquarium manual in existence. Covers most commonly available plants, their care, and their uses. Not much here on design or aesthetics, but then the author never intended to address these issues.

Better Than Most
Many of the plant aquarium books readily available are either pamphlets or gorgeous books to dream over. Each has its merits, but this book is headed in the right direction. The balance between fish and plants is a delicate matter and one that should not be taken lightly. There is a lot to be learned and this book is a great place to start. There are a lot of easy to understand color graphics which show how plants and fish need to interact for your aquarium to thrive. The explanation of how water chemistry changes at night is most valuable. The listing of plants in the back is more of a sampling than a true encyclopedia. I hope a version of this book comes out with just a listing of plant species!

Handy Reference
Great book, a very handy reference. Includes information on specific plant species, how to properly plant and prune, lighting requirements and other helpful information.

good for beginers; but lacks sustanince for more advanced
best aquarium planted book i know of for beginers! adresses many important topics in clear, easy to understand fasion. it also has a great varaity of common aquatic plants as well as terestrial plants sold as aquarium plants- these usualy parish in aquariums. it is published in the united kingdom so many things are slightly differant (substrate and lighting in perticular) than in the US and canada; however, this is easy to over come and dosnt take away at all from the book.

although great for beginers, it dosnt realy have enough meat to satisfy the needs of advanced aquatic gardeners. the plant selection, although vary good lacks less common and hard-to-find plants.

The Best Aquarium Book I Own
When I picked up this book for the first time, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Finally, an aquarium plant book that is concise, easy to read and laid out in an attractive manner.

This book is divided into two parts: the "practical section" and the "plant profiles".

The practical section, 121 pages, covers aquatic plants and how to care for them. Selection of substrate, proper lighting and nutrition, ideal water quality, and algae identification/control are all covered in this section. The author also includes some plant-friendly fish and sample aquascapes.

The plant profile section is probably why this is called the "Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants." This 75-page section lists many, many plants along with a brief profile on each type. Profiles include: growth rate, lighting and temperature requirements, propagation, and special notes about that particular plant.

I can't say enough about the number of pictures in this book and their quality. Full-color pictures on each page really help you identify what the author is talking about. Layout of the photos is anything but mundane; each page is different from the last.

Even the index of this book is tremendously useful. It is divided into three sections: General Index, Plant Index and Fish Index. Having the three distinct sections to the index makes it easy to pick the book up off the shelf and find what you're looking for. I've even taken this book right to the pet store to select my plants...there's too much information to remember!

I also feel inclined to note that this book has a glossy, durable, hard cover, and the pages appear to be bound to the cover by stitching. I can open the book to any page and not have to worry about the pages flipping around when I'm not holding or weighing them down.

Overall, the information, photos, layout and general quality of this book make it the best aquarium book I own! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

locally good
I have used this book in two places: the Columbia Basin sagebrushcountry just east of the Washington cascades, and in south-central Idaho. For the Columbia Basin this book is very good. Anything that catches your eye is likely to be included, despite the book's slimness. In central Idaho the coverage is not so good, and you will end up wondering if what you're looking at is in the book. Just remember, as with all small, easy to use plant guides, there are probably five times as many plant species on the ground, even in the Columbia basin, as there are in the book.

The natural history coverage is reliable but not terribly extensive.

In Washington I have found it's nice to have this in combination with the authoritative but unfriendly and jargon-ridden Hitcock and Cronquist flora. Taylor will get it for you if it's a reasonably common plant, or give you a good starting point for wading around in H&C, if there's any doubt.

A Great Field Guide and Reference
This book is useful in many ways: as a field guide, reference, habitat identifier,uses of plants such as food or medicine (e.g. by local Native Americans), soil types, animals present, etc. It opens up the tremendous beauty of the steppe-shrub-sagebrush deserts of the West. Lovely photos. This so-called "barren land" is teeming with amazing diversity and color. It is also helpful for those of us attempting native plant (indigeous) gardens. I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description

Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach, Second Edition is an introductory text that incorporates phylogenetic principles and methods throughout—from the careful explanation of phylogenetic methods and principles in the initial two chapters to the taxonomic survey of vascular plant families in the last two chapters.

Orders and families are recircumscribed to represent monophyletic groups, largely following the most recent classification of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. The sources of taxonomic evidence are discussed, including morphology, anatomy, embryology, chromosomes, palynology, secondary plant compounds, proteins, and DNA. Molecular taxonomic methods are fully presented, and throughout the book reference is made to the results of recent studies, both molecular and morphological. A chapter on the history of plant classification puts current systematic methods in a historical context. Issues relating to variation in plant populations and species, including discussion of speciation, species concepts, polyploidy, hybridization, breeding systems, and introgression are carefully considered. Botanical nomenclature and field and herbarium methods are discussed in two appendices. New to the Second Edition are a chapter presenting an overview of the phylogeny of the green plants (with an emphasis on the vascular plants), a detailed glossary of botanical and biological terms, and coverage of 16 additional families of vascular plants. All chapters have been thoroughly updated, taking into account recent taxonomic methods and hypotheses.

The text is copiously illustrated, using in large part the informative analytical drawings developed as part of the Generic Flora of the Southeastern United States project. The text is accompanied by a much expanded CD-ROM, containing over 2,200 color photos illustrating the diagnostic characters of (and variability within) the vascular plant families covered in the text, including many images showing floral and fruit dissections. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Second edition
The second edition (2002) has been much expanded (from 464 to 576 pages) and has been adjusted to keep up with the (headlong) developments in this field. It also includes more descriptions of families.

In some ways the book has not changed. The same illustrations were used giving it the same look. It remain an introductory book, that although set up along the lines of a systembook is only of limited use as such, since coverage is far from complete. The Appendix on "Botanical nomenclature" is still a soft spot. Not only is the (badly) erroneous bit on the naming of cultivated plants still there, but the slanted view of the ICBN has worsened (the ICBN even being called "Linnaean"!) and the PhyloCode is plugged.

However this remains the foremost textbook for those wanting a start in plant taxonomy, a field that is changing ever more rapidly.

PHYLOGENY AND NIRVANA
Several colleagues have recently adopted, or plan to adopt the new textbook by JUDD, W. S., CAMPBELL, C. S., KELLOGG, E. A. & STEVENS, P. F. 1999. Plant systematics, a phylogenetic approach. ISBN 0-87893-404-9, for teaching vascular plant taxonomy. The book has some very useful introductory chapters on modern tools, which provide students with an insight on the applications of phytochemistry, mollecular biology and confection of cladograms.
Surely plant (and other) systematics bear on a traditional use of systems which have inherent flaws, given the tremendous diversity os species (or whatever you can call the final taxa) they deal with. The limitations of a patchy fossil record render phylogenetic approaches, however tempting their confection may be for a plant scientist in his search of a broader understanding, a kind of Nirvana that can never be completely conquered. We can know with some accuracy how long ago currently fossilized plants lived, but anyone familiar with the concept of convergence can hardly attribute affinities to a leaf imprint not attached to a flower or vice versa. Oddly enough, some of these concerns are addressed in Chapter 1 of the book, which is not consistent with the classification system proposed [since a large number of smaller but very important families was left out].
On p. 3 the book addresses the theory-neutral approach and clearly states it's intent to go further - into Phylogenetic interpretations. Conversely the most exhaustive numeric study of all species in a single extant genus, using all characters one can securely split into states, will shed light on their similarities, providing just another elegant and often valuable way to organize data, such as a cladogram. Distinguishing similarities reflecting true affinities from those brought about by convergence remains a cumbersome task which shall always rely on traditional methods.
The comment on p. 6 says: "We do not know the actual phylogeny of any nontrivial group of organisms [what would a trivial one be?], but instead must infer phylogenies from the data available to us." I have trouble agreeing with this point of view, since available data is admittedly patchy and often inconsistent. Paths in the true cladogram of evolution can not be retraced based on assumptions. We only have access to the dense upper surface of the crown, while the gross remainder of the tree's branches and trunk are obstructed from view. No matter from which angle one looks at it, Phylogeny draws on a generous dose of guesswork. On the practical purpose of classification, I cannot but paraphrase CRONQUIST (1988:12), one of the traditional taxonomists excommunicated in this book: "In taxonomy, consistency must always be secondary to the primary objective of recognizing natural groups on the basis of all available information".
Fitting the entire universe of traditional knowledge and current advances of plant systematics into a comprehensive book for students at any level poses obvious problems: How does one cope with limited space to organize the maelstrom of data? Our minds need to create categories in order to control storage and retreival of information. Obviously some omitting is inevitable, but at least the general idea of diversity must come across. In that sense I am especially intrigued by the comment by Michael Donoghue in the foreword "Students will readily appreciate the desirability of abandoning ranks altogether."
Following one of the modern trends, some groups of plants in the book's system, (for ex. used for Orchids in Dahlgren's treatment) are named using formal taxonomic rank, while other are not. If a group is recognized as separate, why not give it a rank? One inherent function of ranks is providing a common language - the only method of sharing knowledge currently used by humans. It must be recognized that the way in which ranks are currently applied is not problem-free: why must there be a defined number of them, let's say, between family and species? Rather than eliminating ranks, we should create new ways to apply them and see them.
No matter how deeply modern views have shifted, we can never entirely erase nor replace the results presented in old publications. Students need to know and understand important footsteps in 2 centuries of botanical investigation, which have paved the way toward current advances. We can now add new characters from an arsenal of chemical and mollecular data, ecological observations and a substantially improved matrix of geographic data. Regardless of academic rank, we are all students with a mission to discover and organize information and convey knowledge, not to ignore, misplace or ommit data. How can a student fit families like the Acanthochlamydaceae, Acoraceae, Boryaceae, Burmanniaceae, Corsiaceae, Costaceae, Didieraceae, Epacridaceae, Lemnaceae, Velloziaceae or Xyridaceae into such a system, when they are not even in the alphabetical index?
A good system must account for every component as best it can. Misplacing taxa (implicitly considered the most common flaw of traditional classifications) is still better than making-believe that odd parts don't exist. The argument of producing a textbook for undergraduate courses does not justify the omission of important plant families. Students deserve to start out at least with a complete set of families and the tools to recognize them. Even a great job of organizing a mere subset of information has very limited practical value, especially if Phylogeny is one of its main goals. Some of the smaller families which were left out are very important from both the taxonomic and the phytogeographic perspectives. Despite some hardships such as dichotomic keys starting with presence or absence of betalains, Cronquist's system remains the most recent comprehensive reference guide to the diversity of flowering plant families, simple enough to be used at the undergraduate level.
Though data from modern sources, such as molecular and chemical, are used in the introductory chapters, it is not quite clear how this data was usen in confecting the classification by JUDD et al., and there is no way of knowing whether the new system proposed shall hold its consistency after all omitted families of vascular plants are included in the data.

A essential book
The book of W. Judd is essential to all Botany student and studious of Systematics and General Botanical. For the ones that still feel difficulties in the comprehension of the concepts of Phylogenetic Systematics, the clear text and explanative allows a very clear vision of the whole process. The approach of the initial chapters, mostly of the chapter 2 is too much elucidative, allowing to the reader if involve with the study themes, learning simultaneously all vision of the phylogenetic systematic current. It is a book that can't miss in shelf of any botanist or studous of plants.

a college text
Dr. Judd is an amazing lecturer and has provided an excellent pictorial CD along with the textbook. While this book is used as as a college text I often refer to it when discussing plants in general.

On modern plant taxonomy
There seems to be a pretty universal agreement that this is the book to have for those who want to keep up with what is happening in modern plant systematics. It is a wonderfully concise text that clearly states principles and gives good practical examples. Also it gives a good overview of the main groups in the APG-system (based on three genes combined with more traditional taxonomical characters). The conciseness is also, in a way, its weak point. It leaves out much that traditionally belongs in basic taxonomy texts, so that it is dubious how well this work is suited as an introduction to plant taxonomy. The many plant groups that are not treated detract from its usefulness as "system book". Another quibble is that the illustrations (line drawings) are all borrowed from other sources, so that style and quality varies. ... Read more

Book Description

The most comprehensive guide to the botany, history, distribution, and cultivation of all known psychoactive plants.

• Examines 414 psychoactive plants and related substances.

• Explores how using psychoactive plants in a culturally sanctioned context can produce important insights into the nature of reality.

• Contains 800 color photographs and 670 black-and-white illustrations.

In the traditions of every culture, plants have been highly valued for their nourishing, healing, and transformative properties. The most powerful plants--those known to transport the human mind into other dimensions of consciousness--have traditionally been regarded as sacred. In The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants Christian Ratsch details the botany, history, distribution, cultivation, and preparation and dosage of more than 400 psychoactive plants. He discusses their ritual and medicinal usage, cultural artifacts made from these plants, and works of art that either represent or have been inspired by them. The author begins with 168 of the most well-known psychoactives--such as cannabis, datura, and papaver--then presents 133 lesser known substances as well as additional plants known as "legal highs," plants known only from mythological contexts and literature, and plant products that include substances such as ayahuasca, incense, and soma. The text is lavishly illustrated with 800 color photographs--many of which are from the author's extensive fieldwork around the world--showing the people, ceremonies, and art related to the ritual use of the world's sacred psychoactives. ... Read more

Book Description

The distillation of years of hands-on growing experience, this is the ultimate bamboo reference book for cool-climate gardeners. Enthusiasts will delight in the variety of new possibilities for their collection and gardeners everywhere will be captivated by the charm bamboos bring to countless different garden situations. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Handy in-field guide to common fungi
A handy guide that easily fits in a fanny pack or raincoat pocket. Chock full of colorful pictures and interesting anecdotes along with David's easy to use identification key. For the beginning explorer to the veteran who doesn't want to lug the tome Mushrooms Demystified in the field, this book is a great buy.

A must have mushroom identificaion guide
This book is GREAT! A fantastic field guide, giving great pictures, stories, recepies, and more. Even covers some of the psilocybin species. This book is aimed at mushrooms in the western U.S. so if your elsewhere it may not be helpfull, but most of these species do grow all over the world so I don't think it matters much. A great book!

An EXCELLENT Guide! (Even if you don't live in the West.)
I eagerly waited for this book to arrive to me because of all the rave reviews I read about it. Then when I found out it was a guide for WESTERN mushrooms (extending to Colorado; I live in the Midwest) I thought, Crap, I'm gonna half to return it. But the more I kept browsing through it, the more I wasn't going to return it. I LOVE this book! This is a good read even if you don't live in the area it covers. Some of a species described in the book I have actually found in my area.
The photography is excellent, and many times show different angles of the 'shroom. The descriptions are very clear and easy to understand and extra comments, stories and some cooking suggestions are included. However, this guide doesn't include all of the species; it's only made to be an easy-to-carry field guide. I would suggest a more in-depth guide as a compliment to this one. I've heard good things about Mushrooms Demystified (same author), and I am so impressed with this book that I am going to buy it as well.

Stellar book
Great on the coffee table, great in the field. This book is a whole lot more than the description suggests. Try and find Yellow Feet (a prolific edible in the west) in any other book.

Wonderful color pictures
This dandy little paperback is full of color photographs as well as very vivid descriptions, from immature to mature specimens. Makes hunting for the edible fungi easy and lots of fun. This should be used as a companion piece to the MUSHROOMS DEMYSTIFIED and can be kept right in your pack in the field! ... Read more

Book Description

Guide to identifying native (and some widely introduced) trees of U.S. and Canada east of the Rocky Mountains. Organized as a dichotomous key, the book leads the user through a series of simple questions about the shape or appearance of different parts of a tree. Includes 161 species. Illustrated with line drawings. The small (6" by 4") format fits in pocket or pack to take along on a hike. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Identifying trees by leaves
This is about the best I've seen. It is compact for carrying with you and easy to use. It is a logical key that you can follow from the tree down to its identification by its leaves. It covers the eastern US so there is not a lot of extraneous material to wade through. I have been looking for exactly this kind of book since I started being interested in trees.I recommend it very highly especially to the beginner.

Easy to use
This is the easiest tree finder book out there. Not only are the pictures very clear, but the questions that allow you to narrow down the tree type are very clear. This book is also small, so it's easy to bring with you when hiking so you can just whip it out when you see an interesting tree. This is the book that led to my profound curiosity and love of trees. Too bad I lent my copy to someone who took it back with her to Korea!

Great book for child learning to identify by leaves
My 7 yr old loves to look through this book while we go on nature hikes...yes in NJ! As a prior reviewer stated there are no illustrations of the whole tree - just the leaves. For my child's age and curiosity it works very well.

Only leaf illustrations in this one
Neat book if you need to know what the leaves of a particular tree look like, but that's it. There's no photos, only illustrations, and no illustrations of the shape of the tree or its height, just the leaves themselves. It's a cute illustration job, but unless you need to know about the leaves, I would pass this one by, and even if you think you've narrowed down which tree it is by the leaves, how can be sure that it's the same tree if there are no illustrations of the trees themselves? Probably a good book to sell in a gift shop to give a curious kid.

The title says it all
I took a class about tree identification several years ago at Morton's Arboretum near Chicago and this book was used as part of the class. I really love this little book. I have several of the fancier (and more expensive) books with color plates and photos, but for identifying trees this one is the best. Based on the tree's leaves it very clearly walks you through the identifation process step by step.

If you want to read more about the tree once you have identified it, the other guides are great. But for purposes of tree identification, this is the best I have seen. ... Read more

Book Description

This beautiful book advises Florida gardeners on how to select and care for plants that will thrive in the environment. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Native Florida Plants
I am the co-author of "Native Florida Plants". The new revised edition was printed in early 2004. The new book is not listed on www.amazon.com I think the problem may be the different ISBN number. The new ISBN number is 1-58979-051-0. The book is available from National Books Network at 1-800-462-6420. We hope to see our book on www.amazon.com very soon. This is a great site to get new and used books. I am a customer. Robert Haehle

very informative. Great field guide.Beautiful photography
I really enjoy this book. I feel like an expert on Florida native plant species, just after reading the first 50 pages. The photos make plant identification extremely easy. I highly recommend this book to anyone that realizes the importance of restoring Florida back to its natural state. The photography in this book makes the reader aware of how beautiful the native species are. I was not aware how many plants native to this area have suffered because of overdevelopment and infringement. This book makes me realize how imperative it is to incorporate native plants to not only personal landscaping, but the Florida environment as a whole. Conservationists will appreciate this book as a tool for preserving Florida back to its natural state, and home owners will have the perfect guide for native landscaping.

New Edition
Native Florida Plants is NOT out of print! A new, updated edition was published early this year, and includes additional plants, an updated source list, and a list of family names. Hope it appears on Amazon's website ASAP. (I am the co-author.)

Native Florida Plants: Low Maintenance Landscaping and Garde
As a fairly new resident of Florida I look forward to Robert Haehle's NGA email each month, with his great advise & tips. This book is a "must have" for anyone new to tropical gardening, as well as, the Southern natives. The information & beautiful photos are especially helpful in identifying what is in my yard & what I would like to add.

Phenomenal Book
This was very helpful. It organizes plants by type, but gives enough information so you know where they best grow. It has lots of color pictures and also some landscape designs that make it easy for you to create something for your own yard (especially if you are a beginner). I wish there were something like this for the Pacific Northwest (now that I've moved). ... Read more

Book Description

A definitive reference by the recognized authority on the genus, combining taxonomic information with ethnobotanical insights. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent
- Based on 25 years of travel and research, this is the ultimate guide to agaves. This is the second printing of a classic. - Eco Travels in Latin America website END

The Bible of the Agaves is back in print!
Back by Popular Demand The University of Arizona Press called this week, to let me know that they have reprinted Dr. Howard Scott Gentry's Bible of the Agaves..."Agaves of Continental North America." This book, originally printed in 1982, is an indispensable guide to the Agaves, a group of plants that have been used by the people of Mesoamerica for well over 9,000 years. With a copy of this book in your fat little hands, you can learn how to brew up a few cups of killer Mescal and weave a mat to rest on while you contemplate the authority of your brew... Dr. Gentry gave twenty-five years of his life to the Agaves, conducting field research from central Nevada south to the islands off the coast of Panama. Widely recognized as the world's leading authority on the Agaves, Dr. Gentry was an agricultural explorer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more than 30 years. I first met Dr. Gentry while on a field trip in Mexico in the late '50's. I was asked to be his mailman. I delivered mail from the U.S. to him and took mail back to post from El Paso. I learned more about the Agave family in one night around the campfire than I could have learned in two semesters at a University. I was invited to a reception honoring Dr. Gentry back in 1982 at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. The occasion was a giant celebration of the publication of the book Agaves of Continental North America. Part of the funding for the book was from a grant from the National Academy of Science. A day after the reception, Dr. Gentry took me over to his office to share some field data and photos with me. When I asked Dr. Gentry about the fine points of funding research and writing, he smiled and said: "You know, I would rather re-write the entire book and do all of the field work all over again than I would fill out all the paper work necessary to obtain funding from the National Academy." Dr. Gentry's book is one of those rare books that speak to the scholar and to the layman. Every serious student of desert plants needs a copy of this book. I know that Dr. Gentry is in Agave heaven, visiting with Mayahuel, the Goddess of Agaves and together, they are profusely thanking the University of Arizona Press, for this important reprint!

One of the classic books on agaves: a resource.
Exhaustive, well-written, highly-detailed, indispensible for a correct classification of agaves. Nothing currently in print is as authoratative and complete ... Read more

Country Living Gardener

This handsome guide, written by an ever-practical expert on shade gardening, "tells almost as much about the mechanics of moss gardening as the Kama Sutra does about dancing." ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Esoteric, beautiful, reverent book for moss & lichen lovers
This is a beautiful book, and I treasure it. I've shared it with several others who value the green mosses and lichens of the outdoors and they were also impressed. It is high quality paper, every picture (abundant) is in color. The descriptions are thorough. It is a treasured book of mine, one of my favorites for information and for pleasure. The joy of moss and worts.

I Love This Book!
Lush photographes of excellent quality. Mr.Schenk writes with flair and wit and as though he is speaking directly to you, the reader. I can't get enough of this book. I want to memorize all of it's info. So much in such a tiny book and with such personality. {no dry science book of the 50's, 60's and 70's.}He gives you exactly what he said he would in his preface. Great read and lovely to look at.

Moss Gardening is marvelous!
Impressively illustrated with glorious full color photographs of the many & various moods of moss gardening from a tilled sand Zen meditation complete with mossy stones to wild, serene woodlands carpeted with lush colonies glowing in slanting sunshine, this is one Edenesque read. If you know of anyone with moss on their minds, this is a unique love story of one fellow who bent down to earth to study these little green plants. As magnificent as the subject itself. Very well done!

Bryophyte Buddha
"Moss Gardening" is inspirational reading. The author's Zen-like appreciation of these tiny plants is infectious. A chapter that is sort of a field guide would have been helpfull, although it may have not fit with the author's intention. This book's purpose is to arrouse passion and it does that job well.

Good one
I recommend this book to begineers, it is nicely written and easy to understand. Will definitely encourage you into moss growing.

I would have appreciated a mean of identifying the types of moss that already grow in my garden, maybe some magnified pictures ? There are in this book but maybe not close enough. Although there are 15000 types of moss, maybe it is too tricky.

Good book anyway ... Read more

Book Description

Astounded by the lack of books dedicated to the wondrous variety of his favorite plant, author Jason King set out on a four-year mission to document the world’s finest cannabis. Traveling around North America, Hawaii, and Europe, he captured over 1,500 strains on film (benevolently sampling a good number as well). Here in THE CANNABIBLE, images of the best 200 varieties are included alongside engaging and informative descriptions of their aromas, flavors, effects, and origins. Study this holy writ and figure out whether Purple Haze, Magic Kush, and the “P” is da kine or da shwag; learn which strains will give you the munchies or the wobbles; discover how appropriately named are Doc Kevorkian, Black Widow, and Cat Piss; and find out which strains are good for productivity, creativity, or just sitting on the couch, staring into space. With over 400 mind-blowing, full-color photographs of the world’s most beautiful nugs, this book will have you on the floor, bowing to the mighty bud-dha. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Outstanding!
This author deserves at least five stars for his unparalleled effort! The Cannabible is a monumental work that will form the base of marijuana identification in the future. King has dedicated his life to writing about and photographing cannabis. His passion permeates every page of the book. We need more dedicated author/photographers like him. Traveling the world collecting information about an illegal plant is difficult and dangerous. King has risen to the occasion and provided great photographs and engaging text on my favorite plant. This connoisseur-quality book is a welcome addition to my library. My Cannabible II is on the way now!

*Knowledge Base*
Wow! What an amazing book! It's not just an art portfolio, the, "Cannabible", is a collection of knowledge and experience. In the introduction, you'll learn about marijuana history. Then, let into the gallery! Not only does Jason King provide great descriptions of his two hundred and fifty findings of known strains, but he also includes very interesting facts and fun smoking tips as well. This book is essential if you're a grower or a smoker. If you think that the seed banks provide solid information about their strains, think again. This book will put a smile on your face when you finish it and realize that you have just learned valueable cannabis information found no where else...

The Best Marijuana Book Available
I was recommended this book by a friend of mine. Oh My God!!! As soon as I opened it I knew I was in love. Not only does this book provide detailed descriptions of the most exotic cannabis strains on the planet but it also shows in-depth look into resin glands via his Marijuana Microphotography.

www.TheCannabible.com website alone will convince you that this book belongs on your shelf too. Bring on Volume 2 we are ready and waiting!!!!

A Must for the avid of aspiring Marijuana Epicurean!!!
Words cannot express how much of a resource this book is for those who are true lovers of the holy bush! Great pics and great place to start for aspiring growers

Better than the Big Book of Buds
The Big Book of Buds is very unimpressive because it is just a glorified seed bank catalogue. It has absolutely no use except for eye candy. So these two books are really not useful for the grower which is surprising because Ed Rosenthal claims to be one but that is beside the point. Both books are coffee table books but I prefer the Cannabible because at least it has a better design with better quality photographs - but that is about it. Even the introduction by Clarke is a bit of a let down. The breeding section is not even as good as his old Marijuana Botany book and the one found in The Cannabis Grow Bible by Greg Green is superior to both.

This book has to be taken on the grounds that it is just there for eye candy but hey! What eye candy it is! So eye candy value is right here! but the strain information is subtle and somewhat absent at best. King says that growers can affect these conditions and he is right, but questions about the strains stability occur. Some of these strains are most certainly one-off hybrids that you will probably never see again.... so enjoy them while you still can. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When your new gardening bible comes with chapters entitled "Birth," "Life," and "Death," you know you're in trouble. But be brave, turn to those chapters, and in some very practical little essays on planting, you'll uncover the very down-to-earth principle from which Piet Oudolf's radical reinvention of gardening is based: plants die.

In the traditional mixed border, shrubs, climbers, perennials, bulbs, and annuals defy mortality; when one plant passes its best, there's always another in the wings, waiting to grab the eye. But such borders have very little impact: there is too little at any one time to hold one's attention. Oudolf wonders why we fight the unavoidable. Why not create borders that bring out the beauty of plants throughout their natural cycles?

Oudolf also thinks our obsession with color is another deadening influence on current gardening practice. Plants have form: leaves, flower heads, and stems have beauty and variety, too, and last far longer than any bloom. Why not create gardens that use the whole plant, not just its genitals? This, as you've probably already guessed, is a recipe for perennials, and without any of that anxious autumn rush to cut down those perfectly lovely bare stems and seed heads.

With these versatile plants, Oudolf would have us all create gardens that change month by month, week by week, even day by day. It's a radical, beautiful vision that's absurdly easy to achieve. In Designing with Plants, Noel Kingsbury has done a terrific job of bringing Oudolf's work within reach of the rest of us. --Simon Ings, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Wow
The gardens in this book are amazing. As a landscape design student, the designs in this book give me something to aspire to.

The authors do a good job of providing most of the plants names for what you see in the pictures. The individual information about the plants is beneficial to determining their use.

I just love looking through this book and just enjoying the beauty of these perennials.

Refreshing and Inspiring
This is not a reference book for active, summer gardening. This is an inspiring book for winter gardening by the fireside, a book from which to dream, plan and design and to gain a liberating aspect of gardening.

This book presents a peerless horticultural perspective on natural habitats and how these might be brought to gardens, delivering unique ways of planting and seeing by shape, form, color, size, texture and, singularly, by light. In this the author awes the reader with the beauty of plants affected by the seasons and their elements: light, fog, dew; rain, frost and snow. As a practical tool to aid the shaping of these gardens, he includes an unconventional index that lists the characteristics, cultural requirements and companions for selected plants.

The photography is stunning, enlightening and informative in its content--and valuable. Through their exemplary quality, serious gardeners and professionals will discover a freer and more natural mode of horticultural expression. This is one of the few gardening books that both stimulates and satisfies the spiritual and aesthetic quests of many gardeners.

Tremendous inspiration
Even if the book has designs that seem more than you can handle now, the book is so breathtakingly beautiful that its inspirational value alone make it one of the best I've ever read. In the process of stretching your imagination in just one or two areas, a great deal of result may be seen in your garden, and you will have pulled the target for your creativity up several notches.

Designing with Plants
A good resource for the personal landscape and a even better one for the professional. The two authors did a wonderful job laying out the many ways in which plants can be used to create the outdoor room and place. Their bold approach is reinforced beautifully in the full color photographs that are abundtly found on the pages of the book. Not a lot of additional information, but there are numerous lists and tables to help guide in ones plant selection. More slanted towards the professional, yet for the true gardener, a wonderful addition to your library. ... Read more

Book Description

A valuable at-home reference and an extraordinarily usable guide to more than 2000 of the most common and conspicuous wild plants and animals. Specially designed for quick and easy identification. Vibrant, specially drawn full-color illustrations of each of the 2000-plus species. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

The Best Illustration for quick identification
I own many books specific to field identification of Alaska plants. On a recent trip to Ketchikan none of my books were able to assist me in the identification of a specific plant. A local person pulled out her copy of North American Wildlife (NAW). In an instant we located a colored illustation of "orange hawksbeard" . The illustation was so accurate right down to the fine hairs on its long stem. At home I located the same plant in my large treatise of Alaskan plants. I would never had been able to ID this plant with my very expensive treatise. The simple generic black and white drawings in my treatise are vastly inferior to the rich color and detail of NAW. I have been unable to locate this book so my friends in Ketchikan suggested Amazon.com. I'm thrilled that my own copy is on its way. An intertesing side bar is that my treatise of Alaska Plants states that orange hawksbeard is an introduced plant only known to found on the Glacier Hyw in Juneau.

Best All Around Field Guide
Bought this book years ago from a Reader's Digest offer. Moved to the Northwoods of Wisconsin 6 years ago and have not found a better all around guide to ALL of the flora and fauna I encounter here. I have specific guides to wildflowers, birds etc. but I usually find what I'm looking for in any catagory in this book faster and easier and more frequently than any other. I just bought another copy as a gift for my son & his family who also live Up North.

Very well done...
This book contains very clear drawings and descriptions of the most common plants and animals in North America. I especially like the section covering ecosystems in the beginning of the book. All you need to do is find the system you are located in and the most common inhabitants are listed (with page number) on the side. I think this is a great book and would definitely recommend it to a friend.

Reader's Digest North American Wildlife
Reader's Digest North American Wildlife is an "Illustrated Guide" to plants and animals found from Florida to Alaska. From birds to ferns, frogs to manta rays, seashells to mushrooms it is found in this colorful guide.

This is a book that is intended to be used as you explore nature. I found this book to be very useful and makes the enjoyment of the outdoors a more fulfulled experience. If you see a bird or a plant and want to know the name of it... check this book first and you will most likely find it. This is a treasure trove of information the entire family can use. Fascinating and enjoyable to use over and over again in the years to come, I have found this book to be indispensible.

Fully illustrated, easy to use with identification charts this should be with you on all serious nature walks.

It takes me back
I used to love looking thru this book when I was little, my mom's copy was so worn out. I love the illustrations of everything and the descriptions. I think it's a great nature book. ... Read more

Book Description

From spring green to winter gold, the drama of grasses is nonstop. There are the striking yellow-and-green ostrich plumes of Zebra Grass. The fine-textured leaves of Blue Oat Grass. Flame Grass's dazzling red-orange leaves, Fountain Grass's coppery brushes, the rich brown nuggets of Northern Sea Oats, the feathery purple haze of Switch Grass.

Whether on their own or as backdrops for colorful garden flowers, ornamental grasses are admired for their color, form, movement, and texture. They also aid in erosion control, soil stabilization, and water retention, making them great conservation tools for gardeners in all hardiness zones. Although grasses are widely available at garden centers all over North America, few books advise the gardener on how to use them in the garden - and especially how to combine them with perennials and other plants. GRASSES features plans and practical advice for more than 24 unique gardens. It's complete with an identification and growing guide to the plants, and it features more than 150 full-color photographs, illustrations, and landscape plans.

... Read more

Reviews (1)

Quality photography enhances this practical reference guide.
Grasses by freelance gardening writer Nancy J. Ondra is a beautiful and practical guide to raising ornamental grasses in one's garden. Filled cover to cover with excellent color photographs by life-long gardener and gardening photographer Saxon Holt of aesthetic and splendid grasses, the profusely illustrated text presents the reader with a wide choice of colored grasses to best accentuate the beauty of one's garden and how to best select choice plants for wet, dry, hot, or shady sites. Highly recommended for personal and professional gardening, horticultural and landscaping reference collections, even non-gardeners will appreciate the dazzling, coffee-table book quality photography of this singularly elegant yet practical guide. ... Read more

Book Description

Plant Life of Kentucky is the first comprehensive account of the native and naturalized ferns, flowering herbs, and woody plants of Kentucky.

Ronald L. Jones has compiled detailed identification keys to families, genera, and species. The plant family descriptions contain information on wildlife and human uses, important weeds, poisonous plants, and medicinal herbs, and the species accounts provide scientific and common names, flowering periods, habitat, physiographic distribution, state and federal designations, and wetland ranking. A total of 179 families, 856 genera, and 2,600 species and infraspecific taxa are included, and nearly 2,000 line drawings illustrate the volume.

The extensive introduction includes information on a variety of topics, including the history of the flora, vegetation types, and current conservation issues.

Plant Life of Kentucky is an authoritative, accessible guide to Kentucky's flora, and an indispensable resource for students, teachers, researchers, wildlife biologists, farmers, county agents, amateur naturalists, land planners, environmental consultants, foresters, and conservationists. ... Read more

Book Description

The Visual Method for the Practical Identification and Recognition of Shrubs (and vines and ground covers) -- and an important supplement to existing botanical methods.

The book is in two parts: Pictorial Keys and Master Pages. The Keys are designed for easy visual comparison of details which look alike, narrowing the identification of a shrub to one of a small group -- the family or genus.

Then, in the Master Pages, the species of the shrub is determined, with similar details placed together to highlight differences within the family group, thus eliminating all other possibilities. The details of laurel blossoms on this plate are an example and are followed in the book by details of laurel fruit, leaves, and bark.

All of the 3,550 photographs were made specifically for use in this book and were taken either in the field or of fresh material carefully selected from the more than 20,000 specimens collected. Wherever possible, details such as leaves, fruit, twigs, etc., appear in actual size; otherwise, similar details are reproduced in the same scale.

Reviews (5)

great book
I think this book is great. I've been able to id almost every tree/shrub we've got in our woods (I also purchased some of the other books by this author so I can id vines and things too). True the pictures are in black and white but it really isn't a big deal. You're looking at leaf shape and vein designs and things like that - it would be green and white if it were in color. I think its a terrific reference and I'd buy it all over again

Fantastic guide!
I bought both Symonds' Shrub guide and Tree guide. They are both terrific! The Shrub guide has not only shrubs but also vines and ground covers. It has plants that I've been wanting to be able to id for ages but because the only book I had found until now were wild flower guides, I was always at a loss. This book is fantastic. It has master plant pages a the back so you can look at all the parts of the plants together (I use this when i have an idea of what it might be already and just need to narrow it down) or you can go to the parts sections in the front of the book and go to "leaves" for example and search that way. Its the best approach I've seen and the pictures, although black and white - are terrific. They show great detail and actuall because they're b/w you're not confused by variations in color. Definitely one one my best books - the one I go to first.

Rare and valuable multiple entry key
"This is a 'multiple entry' key, a rare type. You can start with any part of the plant - leaf, twig, flower, bark, even armament -- and quickly reduce your possibilities or confirm your id.

the best field guide for shrubs
This came highly recommended by the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commisions, so I had my local library borrow it from another town library for a test-read. It proved to be the BEST field guide I've found yet for shrubs. I got my own copy for Chrstmas, but am slightly disappointed by the too-dark printing of the excellent photography, which is why I gave it 4-stars. The author's contribution is immortal, the publisher's effort less impressive. Nevertheless, it is an invaluable addition to a naturalist's collection.

A visual guide
Companion to The Tree Identification Book, a visual method with photos and but minimal text needed. Sections on: leaves, Flowers, Fruit, Twigs, Bark (all photos refer to master pages), and Mater Pages by species which include all these characteristics, plus common and scientific names, size, and range, of species native or common to the U.S. and much of Canada. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very useful manual for coastal wetland plants:
Sections include:
-Coastal Wetland Ecology: A General Overview (different tidal wetland habitats, their description and characteristics, & typical species of each)
-Identification of Coastal Wetland Plants (keyed system, easy to use diagnostic keys)
-WETLAND PLANT DESCRIPTIONS and ILLUSTRATIONS (this is over half the book, organized by environment: Each entry with name, common and scientific names, family, full description, habitat, range, similar species, and very accurate diagram drawings by Abigail Rorer. Over 150 species covered).
-Places to Observe Coastal Wetlands, with maps
-Sources of Other Information, References, Glossary, and Index.

Should the author ever desire to revise or write another edition, I hope he doesn't change much, as it is good, but he might consider adding a few key upland plants which grow in extreme proximity to coastal wetland plants; these might be American Beach Grass (Ammophila brevigulata), Beachpeas (Lathyrus maritimus), Seaside Rose (Rosa), Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica), Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica), Sea Celery (Ligusticum scoticum), Common Sow Thistle or Beach Lettuce (Sondus oleraceae) - but these are easily learned on their own.

This is an excellent, very well written reference manual, useful to environmental consultants, wetland delineators, and botanists. Get a plastic book cover to protect it, and use it in the field (or salt-marsh, as the case may be). This may be the best text on this particular subject. -DMM ... Read more