Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #415818 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 776 pages

Review
"The real meat of this large, scholarly work is contained in its encyclopedic treatment of the 125 genera of cacti. [The photographs] are superb and will entice many avid collectors." David Salman, American Gardener, September/October 2001 -- David Salman "American Gardener"

Synopsis
Anderson (senior research botanist at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona) offers an encyclopedic treatment of 125 genera and 1,810 species of cacti, using the classification system developed by the International Cactaceae Systematics Group. Arranged alphabetically by genus and species, descriptions include complete nomenclatural inform

Customer Reviews

A "must have" reference book for the cactus enthusiast
Perhaps not a book for the novice grower due to its somewhat scientific approach, but clearly a much needed reference book bringing together many recent taxonomic changes.

The book starts with basic descriptions of cacti - their identification and distribution, followed by their uses and cultivation. These introductions take up nearly 100 pages which leaves almost 700 pages of short descriptions of various species. Where appropriate under the species name there is a common name and previous latin names, followed by a description including the spination and flowers, closing with the distribution.

Although there are numerous photographs in the book, not every plant described is pictured. Many of the pictures show plants growing in habitat so not all of them are perfect specimens.

At the back of the book are indexes by both scientific names and common names, the scientific index is significantly larger - partly because it contains many of the old (rejected) names.

Simply the Best
Where do you start with a book of this magnitude? (well I had to borrow a review copy from an editor friend of mine, unfortunately he wanted it back). The author, a Senior Research Botanist spent most of his lifetime amassing the information that forms this book and then sadly died shortly after publication. This is a book for the serious hobbyist. If you are looking for nice photographs of plants in pots, this is probably not the book for you. Having said that there are enough photographs in this book to satisfy even the most avid plant spotter (1016 colour plates.) "Is this plant an Acanthocalycium or an Echinopsis?" This book will give you the answer. In one form or another the book covers most of the Cactaceae family. It is certainly one of the first books to use the nomenclature of the IOS Consensus group. This is a big book 776 pages, "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested" Francis Bacon 1561-1625. This book certainly falls into the latter category and it is a great shame that the author is not with us to take the acclaim he surely deserved, but what a legacy he has left. I would love to own this book and it will be one of the first things I order from Amazon after I've sorted everyone elses Christmas presents out.

Splendid - comprehensive
"The Cactus Family" is a handsome and impressive publication which lists 1810 species of cacti. The first chapter, Distinctive Features of Cacti, considers what identifies the cactus. Chapter Two: Ethnobotany of Cacti, describes the various practical, religious and recreational uses of a number of cacti. Chapter Three considers the Conservation of Cacti and Chapter Four, the Cultivation of Cacti. Chapter Five discusses the Classification of Cacti. The alphabetically listing the The Cacti commences on page 105 and runs to page 681. The book concludes with Appendix One: MAPS, and Appendix Two: Botanic Gardens and Herbaria with Significant Collections of Cacti; a Glossary; Literature Cited; Index of Scientific Names and Index of Common Names.

The main section The Cacti lists the plants alphabetically by Genera and then species. Each Genera has a general introduction discussing its characteristics, habitat, taxonomy and discovery. The listing for each species includes its date of finding, common names and synonyms, a botanical description and additional relevant information such as comments regarding variation, uses or habitat. Many of the species are illustrated with the illustrations appearing on the same page spread, the majority seem to be of plants in their habitat. The size of the illustrations varies from about 5cm x 8cm (2" x 3") up to half-page. There are over 1,000 colour photographs in The Cacti section in addition to the many photographs of cacti and their associations in the other chapters.

The presentation is excellent, it is well laid out and the typography adds much to the clarity and understanding of the information; the result is a page which looks appealing and invites reading. The introductory chapters make interesting and informative reading. I was a little surprised that the chapter on cultivation is somewhat brief and prescriptive, and that it does not consider different growing environments enthusiasts have to contend with or availability of materials which must inevitably apply locally; it is nonetheless informative.

The obvious up to date comparison for "The Cactus Family" must be "The New Cactus Lexicon" complied and edited by members of the International Cactaceae Systematics Group. While the latter two volume work does not pretend to be more than a descriptive list of cacti, their being nothing to compare with the first five chapters of "the Cactus Family" it does boast more than twice the number of illustrations, again mostly in habitat. The two publications do not agree 100%; "The New Cactus Lexicon" lists 124 Genera, 1816 species, "The Cactus Family" 125 Genera and 1810 species; and the difference is probably greater as the latter lists some as a separate species which the former considers merely as a form of one variable species. However "The Cactus Family" is the more accessible and certainly the better typographically, "The New Cactus Lexicon" text pages are unappealing and confusing by comparison.

On its own or in comparison, this is a splendid tome and indispensable for any serious collector.