Product Description

This book bridges a long-standing gap between obscure references in tropical botany and the gardener's need for an accurate, practical guide with clear photographs. Incorporating the latest advances in plant taxonomy from the definitive text of Dr. Walter Judd, the book is a rare work of scrupulous research --- and magnificent photography --- that will be as useful to the gardener as it is to the botanist. Kirsten Llamas exhaustively documents more than 1400 flowering trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants commonly grown in tropical and subtropical gardens. She provides thorough information on cultivation for each plant, including growth characteristics, light exposure, cold hardiness, invasive tendencies, and unique horticultural features. More than 1500 color photos of magnificent flowering specimens make this book as much a pleasure to browse as it is a resource for research. Sure to appeal to gardeners, landscapers, nurseries, collectors, botany students, florists, and botanical gardens, Tropical Flowering Plants promises to be a staple reference for decades to come.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #262518 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 424 pages

From Booklist
Tropical plant enthusiasts who enjoy cultivating unusual blooms and green thumbs seeking practical advice on how to care for rare specimens will embrace Llamas' up-to-date guide to a wealth of species that should flourish in USDA zone 9 or do equally well if nurtured indoors and brought outside in summer. Arranged according to botanical families, plant listings open up a wondrous world of evergreen shrubs, bulbous herbs, epiphytic vines, and clustering palm trees. Scientific names are linked to common ones for clarity, while descriptions contain insightful details regarding plant origins, habitats, and cultivation requirements. The straightforward yet engaging writing style, along with a profusion of telling photographs depicting leaf shapes, showy flowers, and tree forms, will help in identification as well as in selecting plants to grow, whether one gardens in a greenhouse, on a windowsill, or outdoors in a sun-drenched climate. Alice Joyce
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Imagine 50 years' worth of memories of the world's best botanical gardens ... Then imagine all of those photographs you wished you had taken on your visits to those gardens. Now you have an idea of this wonderful book. ... [This] well-researched and beautifully produced book will make a fine addition to any library whose patrons are gardeners as well as botanists, and artists as well as scientists."
—G. C. Stevens, Choice, February 2004 (Choice )

"[This book is] top shelf from a production standpoint and from an information standpoint — I like everything about it."
—Ray Rogers, American Gardener, May/June 2004 (American Gardener )

Imagine 50 years' worth of memories of the world's best botanical gardens ... Then imagine all of those photographs you wished you had taken on your visits to those gardens. Now you have an idea of this wonderful book. ... [This] well-researched and beautifully produced book will make a fine addition to any library whose patrons are gardeners as well as botanists, and artists as well as scientists. G. C. Stevens, Choice, February 2004 (Choice )

[This book is] top shelf from a production standpoint and from an information standpoint I like everything about it. Ray Rogers, American Gardener, May/June 2004 (American Gardener )

Review
"Tropical Flowering Plants is a lifetime treasure."
—Clear Englebert, FungShway.com, November 28, 2003

Customer Reviews

A Garden Docent's View:
It's not necessary to be a horticulturist to add this beautiful book to your library. You're not even required to live in the tropics! I am a Docent at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and our Conservatory includes many of these interesting plants. As visitors walk through, I am now able to provide much more information, thanks to this book. Particularly helpful to non-horticulturists are the many notations throughout this book as to edible, medicinal, and native uses of plants. All conservatories are dedicated to preservation, and Dr Llamas' book allows me to tie in history and practicality to emphasize how vital this is. The crisp and detailed photographs provide clear identification for those of us who don't have formal botanical training. This book will enrich anyone who has an interest in gardening, conservation and the environment. Added to that rich mix is the superb photography. Highly recommended.

the best research source for tropical flowering plants
There is no other comparable reference source for Tropical Flowering Plants in print known to me. The photographs are first quality. The information for each plant is very comprehensive, concise and is easy to understand.
This is the first attempt to classify plants based upon their DNA. Although plants were previously classified based upon then known acceptable principles, the methods used were not as exact as what Ms. LLamas has done. We now have a better more reliable method of classifying plants.
The number of photographs in this work is remarkable,and is a tremendous aid for identifying our tropical flowering plants and trees. I am a grower of Tropical Flowering Plants and I am constantly refering to this text.

Good book, but not for everyone.
Llamas' book is attractive and up-to-date with the oft-changing taxonomic nomenclature. However two things limit its usefulness to the average reader.

First, the decision to organize plants by family, rather than genus, makes it impossible for most to locate plants without resort to the index. For example, the overwhelming majority of people know that Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, the common tropical hibiscus, belongs in the genus Hibiscus and would expect to find it listed there. On the other hand, very few people know that the genus Hibiscus is contained in the family Malvaceae- where Llamas has listed it. Likewise, everyone know the lemon belong to the genus Citrus, while few people know - or care- that the Lemon is in the family Rutaceae. For the serious hobbyist this organization by family may be rationale and even helpful. But for most others, it simply adds time to locating the information desired.

The books second drawback is the relative dearth of cultural information. In other words, the book may help you put a name to the odd plant, but it's not likely to help you grow it.

If you consider yourself an arm-chair botanist, than this book is for you. For more practical advice or coffee-table reading, I'd look elsewhere.