500 Cacti: Species And Varieties In Cultivation Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
A visual reference to 500 cacti. The cactus family includes more than 2,500 species of cacti, succulents, caudiciforms and euphorbs. Native to the Americas, they are at least 50 million years old and highly advanced in their evolution. Not all are desert plants. Some are found in the rainforest, where they enjoy the heavy rainfall and grow much more vigorously than their desert cousins. Many cacti are very popular with rock gardeners and houseplant enthusiasts. This new book features 500 species representing all cactus groups. The cacti are arranged alphabetically by scientific genus, with an entire page devoted to each species. At-a-glance information includes size, distribution, spination, flower and flowering time, plus varieties and synonyms used. Detailed descriptions reveal the amazing adaptations cacti have made, such as: Stems with waterproof skin to store water Far-reaching, shallow root systems Leaves that are shed during a drought Spines toward off predators. The author provides professional advice on growing these plants at home. Among the 500 color photographs that appear in the book are stunning shots of cacti in bloom. 500 Cacti is a useful reference for all who admire these long-living and distinctive plants.
Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: Firefly Books (April 12, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1554072611
ISBN-13: 978-1554072613
Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.6 x 6.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #197,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #20 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Plants > Cacti & Succulents #160 in Books > Reference > Encyclopedias & Subject Guides > Gardening #166 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Reference
This is quite an impressive little book. As the title tells us, it addresses 500 cacti. Now no book can cover them all. There are thousands of cacti genus out there. This work though goes along way in giving good information to the amature collector, grower, or in my case, photographer of these wonderful plants. The book is set up alphabetically by genus, but the wonderful photographs are just as valuable indentification. The book is filled with good growing and collecting tips. It is set up more like a field guide than a gardening book, something I find quite useful. The photographs are of good quality and when ever possible, show the plant in bloom. This is certainly one you will want to add to your collection.
I collect and grow cactus and feel this would be a great book to have in anyone's library of reference books. I cross checked some of this book's data with Edward Anderson's book, The Cactus Family "The Cactus Family" and found them to be accurate. "The Cactus Family" is considered by most to be THE definitive cactus resource.Nearly all the photographs include a flower, but also have at least some of the body of the cactus which helps for identification purposes. The book is also laid out very nicely. Each page has a sidebar that includes anatomical data such as spine count, flowering time, and geographical distribution.
I was a little disappointed with the book. To be honest, I purchased this book to help identify the cheapo cacti I have purchased. Quite a few of the plants didn't have any kind of label on them for identifying their species. I live in the Mojave Desert where it gets cold in the wintertime. So it's a crapshoot on whether to keep them in pots so I can move them indoors for the winter or plant them in the ground.While I was able to identify two of my $2.47 plants, I then had to go online to get the information I needed about whether it would survive in my climate. Many of the plants I couldn't identify didn't survive the winter or my rodents, so it's a moot point now. The golden barrel doing great and the old woman of the Andes is hanging on, so I'll stick to what works.Most of the book is taken up with rare species, apparently collected by the author on numerous trips to super remote parts of the Andes. Not what a beginning cactus enthusiast is going to find at Home Depot. It's also pretty lacking, for me, in native North American cacti -- in which I am very interested.So, if you're interested in learning about a newly discovered South American species that was discovered from a boat while the valley it lives in was flooding after the construction of a dam, go ahead and buy this book. But if you're trying to figure out the little pincushion cactus from the succulent garden your Mom brought back from Arizona, see if you can find this book at the library. But you'll probably do better looking online.
This book is a must have addition to any serious cacti collector or just someone wanting to know what they've picked u at the local big box store. Very clear pictures and consistent descriptions of the various plants. Each species is well covered and documented. A few of the pictures of cacti in the wild are not very helpful to someone who has a cultivated plant in front of them, but those incidences are not very numerous. No book can be totally accurate or complete, but combine this book with one or two others along with a few websites and positive ID's are not difficult. Highly recommended. The book arrived on time, in good shape and as described.
I have recently renewed a hobby of cacti collecxting and am happy to have this excellent resource that is available economicaaly and with free shipping with Prime. I am astonished on the travels of Ken Preston=Mafham, I wish biblioghraphic information on this broadly trained botanist/entomologist/ecologist was available to lrearn more about him. I pick up this book almost every day since I purchased it a month or so ago.The photos are excellent and cover almost every genus with wonderful pictures of the species in flower. The authgor must have an excellent collection as he has made field collections of seed and personally grew them to flowering. Although many US species are lightly covered this is a grat resource to use for someone attemptingf to understand cactus taxonomy.This is a wobnderful book that I highly reccomend for a household bontanical library. Thank you Ken Preston-Markham for your stimuating work.
I love this book and it's indispensable for identifying cacti. The descriptions are not in depth, but you wouldn't expect them to be considering there are 500 cacti represented here. Plus, the book has a small "footprint" so you can carry it with you very easily. Highly recommended!
I like all my cactus books that I ordered. I just can't learn enough about the fascinating cactus plant. I like the thorny type of Cactus and there so different , needing diffren't care for many of them. Did you know that some cactus plants can sunburn? Knowing how to feed them and when and what months to stop watering and feeding them also is a big help. You can learn a lot with this book and other cactus books too. It is great for a beginner.Louise F
I bought this book to find out what kind of cactus to purchase and to get some idea what the flowers would look like once put in a full sun area of my yard. I did not know there where so many cactus plants that have flowers. I did like this book. The book arrived in excellent condition and on time as promised.
500 Cacti: Species and Varieties in Cultivation Cacti: An Illustrated Guide To Varieties, Cultivation And Care, With Step-By-Step Instructions And Over 160 Magnificent Photographs Cacti and Succulents: An Illustrated Guide to the Plants and their Cultivation 500 Cupcakes: The Only Cupcake Compendium You'll Ever Need (New Edition) (500 Series Cookbooks) (500 Cooking (Sellers)) 500 Tapas: The Only Tapas Compendium You'll Ever Need (500 Series Cookbooks) (500 Cooking (Sellers)) Cacti and Succulents for Cold Climates: 274 Outstanding Species for Challenging Conditions The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cacti: Over 1200 Species Illustrated and Identified Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation: Simple to Advanced and Experimental Techniques for Indoor and Outdoor Cultivation McGraw-Hill Education 500 Financial Accounting and Reporting Questions for the CPA Exam (McGraw-Hill's 500 Questions) McGraw-Hill Education 500 Business Environment and Concepts Questions for the CPA Exam (McGraw-Hill's 500 Questions) Butterflies of North Carolina, South Carolina & Georgia: A Guide to Common & Notable Species (Common and Notable Species) McGraw-Hill Education 500 Auditing and Attestation Questions for the CPA Exam (McGraw-Hill's 500 Questions) A Modern Herbal (Volume 1, A-H): The Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic and Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folk-Lore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs & Trees with Their Modern Scientific Uses 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets & Gelatos: The Only Ice Cream Compendium You'll Ever Need (500 Cooking (Sellers)) 500 Appetizers: The Only Appetizer Compendium You'll Ever Need (500 Cooking (Sellers)) 500 Soups: The Only Soup Compendium You'll Ever Need (500 Cooking (Sellers)) 500 Low-Carb Recipes: 500 Recipes, from Snacks to Dessert, That the Whole Family Will Love 500 Smoothies & Juices: The Only Smoothie & Juice Compendium You'll Ever Need (500 Cooking (Sellers)) 500 Casseroles: The Only Casserole Compendium You'll Ever Need (500 Cooking (Sellers)) 500 Pizzas & Flatbreads: The Only Pizza & Flatbread Compendium You'll Ever Need (500 Cooking (Sellers))
