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Succulents: The Illustrated Dictionary
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About Succulents: The Illustrated Dictionary
Product description Succulents are among the most popular and fascinating plants with their extraordinary variety of forms, they can be found in the wilderness and cultivated in homes and gardens. A time-tested reference, this first volume includes some of the best-known and most cultivated genera such as Agave, Haworthia, Kalanchoe, and Yucca. Review "As an identification tool, it is superb. There is no comparable work." Booklist, November 1, 1994 ( Booklist) "As identification tools or pre-buyer shopping lists, the [dictionary is] superb ... As inspiration for buying plants for your planter, rock garden, greenhouse or coffee table, [this] illustrated [dictionary offers] years of information and enjoyment." Coni Tarquini, Hardy Plant, April 2003 ( Hardy Plant) "A first of its kind, this unique book features an impressively wide range with varieties from 195 different succulent genera." Lynette Walther, Palatka Daily News, October 4, 2000 ( Palatka Daily News) Book Description Many of the succulent genera-Agave, Haworthia, Kalanchoe, & Yucca, for example-include some of the best-known & most often cultivated house plants, & few plants of any kind can compete with Lithops for sheer weirdness. The Preston-Mafhams' book on cacti concentrates on the globular cacti, particularly Mammillaria, but includes some popular columnar forms such as Echinocereus. Both books represent truly remarkable values. About the Author Dr. Maurizio Sajeva is based at the Department of Botany at the University of Palermo in Italy and is president of the Italian Cactus and Succulent Society. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. The problems of nature conservation are widely appreciated. Those who are considering growing, collecting and studying succulent plants must be aware of the impact that they can have on the wild populations of the plants they wish to study. Most succulents grow in habitats that have a fragile ecological equilibrium, and the environmental conditions often lead to slow rates of growth and low reproductive rates. For example, only 0.1 per cent of the seeds produced by Welwitschia mirabilis will raise a new specimen, even in favourable conditions. In the plant's habitat, the Namib Desert, favourable conditions may not occur for several years, as rain is very rare. If mature plants were to be removed, the reproduction rate of the species would fall below a sustainable level. Similar conditions apply to several other species. In some instances the demand from collectors has meant that the limit in sustainable collecting of wild species has been reached. In response to this, in 1973 more than one hundred nations signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) ... CITES does not prohibit the trade in plants and animals; it merely regulates and monitors international trade in endangered species with the aim of preserving them in their habitats ... It is important to remember that even species that are not listed in CITES may be protected by local legislation. If you are going to collect any wild plant, first check the local regulations and ask for an official permit. Collectors can play an important role in conservation. The management of well-documented collections can help in conserving the genetic diversity of endangered species, and propagation helps to relieve the pressure on wild plants. Collectors should, however, always be aware of the damage caused by illegal collecting, and they should never buy wild-collected plants of endangered species, even with the aim of saving the specimen. The aim must always be to save the species not the individual.
