Product Description

Alfred Byrd Graf is probably the most widely traveled plant explorer of the world's tropics and subtropics. Horticulturist, botanist, and professional photographer, he has roamed the earth in the spirit of Von Humboll, Darwin, and David Fairchild earlier in the 19th and 20th centuries, in search of exotic botanicals to add to the enlarging horticulture of the world. Among the honors received by the author are the award of the large Gold Medal of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the Certificate of Merit of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Distinguished Service Award of the Horticultural Society of New York, a Citation Award of the American Horticultural Society, and the Tercentenary Medalliou of the State of New Jersey. IN 1967 he was invested with the Sarah Champman Francis Medal of the Garden Club of America for outstanding literary achievement. In Pittsburgh, in 1972, Alfred Graf was elected to horticulture's hall of fame, the highest distinction given by the society of American Florists, and in 1978he was awarded the doctor of Science degree.

His most recent publications are TROPICA, Color-ama of Exotic Plants with 7000 photos incl. Plants indoors. Also Hortica (8100 photos), Color Cyclopedia of Garden Flora in all Climates showing Hardiness Zones.

He is the President and founder of Roehrs Company, Book division.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #436037 in Books
• Published on: 2003-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1152 pages

From Library Journal
With their immense number of high-quality color photographs (Hortica has 8100; Tropica, 7000), these are the best sources for identifying and choosing tropical and indoor (Tropica) as well as garden plants (Hortica). Plant descriptions are very limited, but that's not the focus.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

The best color photograph plant reference in the world.
Over 7,000 (895 pages) color photographs. This will be a frequent photographic reference for any gardener, horticulturist or just plain plant lover. Some text about care and propagation of tropical plants. The author apparently is/was employed by the large international horticultural firm of Roehrs Company (New Jersey, USA, and Germany) and extensively traveled the world at its expense. Roehrs is also the book publisher. Many exotic plant photographs from Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Contains scientific and common names and plant descriptions.

Another "reference bible" for gardeners in the Tropics
Generally, I am sceptical about large reference books authored by a single person but, is there a viable alternative to using this tome? If, like me , you have discovered the parallel universe of tropical plants and can barely contain your enthusiasm and appetite for more information, then maybe this book will satiate those cravings for a good length of time. This is definitely one of THE great reference guides for lazy (i.e. not so academic) garden designers!

Tropica Color Cyclopedia of Exotic Plants and Trees
I own the 5th edition. I glanced through a few pages (after having spent hours on the Internet researching tropical plants for my personal tropical garden) and had to buy it right then and there! I did not want to chance not being able to find it again. It's the best! I can't foresee ever having to wonder what any other tropical plant looks like! I've found plants in this book that I could not identify on the web or through local nurseries. I was not able to put this book down for hours after it's purchase and continue to use it almost daily. Totally worth the $185 price! If I'd lost it on the way home from having just purchased it, I'd be right back trying to buy another!