Product Description
Bringing together descriptions of all 690 angraecoid orchid species—including those from Africa and Madagascar—for the first time, this account reflects the authors' close observation of the living plants in the wild and in cultivation and offers precise ecological information on habitat, altitude preferences, and flowering season of individual plants. Exquisite photographs and illustrations complement the authoritative text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent Angraecoid orchids collection!!
Before I browsed this book, I only knew Ang.sesquipedale, the Star of Bethlehem, which is a huge orchid. When I got the book, I was surprised that there are so many species of Angraecoid orchids!!

Recently, I start to collect these orchids from a flora market and stories online in my country. I love the mini orchids such as Aerangis fastuosa, Angraecum didieri, and Jumellea confusa. I hope that I can get Mystacidium capense, which is a robust native to South Africa and I heard that it prefers to habit on orange trees so farmers hate it!!I wish people can help this lovely orchid and orchid traders can import it to my country.

There is a beautiful orchid not included in this book is Polyradicion lindenii, the Ghost orchid, which is famous for the book, Orchid Thief. This orchid is a native to Florida Everglades. I was crazy about this beauty. Because it is not an African orchid, the authors lost it. What a pity it is!!

Long overdue
At last, a more recent revision of this group of orchids, incorporating numerous changes that have occured since the last major work by Hillerman.
The descriptions are accurate and comprehensive, with cultural advice etc. This book is a must-have as a refernce work and general addition to any good orchid library. My only negative impression was that there were a number of species with no line drawings or photos - I always find that a book with a larger variety of pictures of the species is of greater use to the general orchid grower. Nevertheless - this is a book any orchid grower must have, especially as it covers a large selection of these wonderful African Orchids.

Angraecoid Orchids: Species from the African Region
I found this text to be most informative and easy to read and to understand.The layout was logical.For a grower relatively new to this genera the insights provided by Joyce Stewart helped me understand the limitations that my growing conditions place on successful culture of this group.

I believe that any serious grower of orchids would find this a welcome addition to thier reference library.

Review on Angraecoid Orchids
Excellent reference book for the Angraecoids.This is a huge work to list the many species, habitats, and culture.
Great color photos of these beautiful orchids.

A book for all the african orchid lovers
A very nice book with beautiful fotos. A complete review of the genus Angraecoid. ... Read more

Product Description
More than 80% of Australia's lavishly abundant species of native orchids are found nowhere else in the world. With their delicate beauty, often brilliant colors, bizarre shapes, and wondrous biological relationships, they have attracted a dedicated following of passionate devotees. This magnificently illustrated, up-to-date, and authoritative book covers 150 of the most well known and widespread species as well as many that are extremely rare or were only recently described. These include both terrestrial and arboreal orchids from all parts of this fascinating continent.

John Riley's drawings are not only beautiful but masterpieces of meticulous accuracy: all are anatomically exact, representing the finest collection of illustrations of this flora published to date. The concise text, by David Banks with contributions from Riley, complements the drawings with precise, pertinent information.

Each species description consists of a full page of color illustrations of all key parts with a page of text opposite. The orchid genera are arranged alphabetically and, where appropriate, separated into informal groupings. Within each genus, the species appear in chronological order of their scientific description. Closely related taxonomic groups are therefore presented together, for easier comparison.

Orchids of Australia will become a benchmark among the burgeoning numbers of orchid lovers, growers, and specialists worldwide, combining the most up-to-date nomenclatural treatment of Australia's indigenous orchids with superb, highly detailed, full-color illustrations.

John J. Riley, who worked for many years as a sheep shearer in his native Australia, is one of the country's most accomplished botanical artists. He has been researching and drawing the country's orchids in the field for more than twenty years. In 1992 he was awarded a fellowship by the Australian Institute of History and the Arts in recognition of his botanical illustrations and his celebrated carvings on emu eggs. David P. Banks is the editor of the Australian Orchid Review and former editor of The Orchadian. Author of Tropical Orchids of Southeast Asiaand Growing Orchids, he is a popular lecturer both in Australia and abroad on orchids and their cultivation.

• The most beautifully illustrated, up-to-date book on some of the finest of Australia's abounding native orchids
• Strikingly detailed and accurate, full-color drawings of 150 species, from the most well known and widespread to the rare and recently described
• Each orchid described by a page of illustrations
• Text on facing page provides succinct information on range, etymology, flowering time, habitat, conservation status, and distinctive features
• Closely related taxonomic groups presented together for easier comparison
• Genera arranged alphabetically and species within each genus ordered chronologically by date of scientific description
• Range map for each species

Customer Reviews (3)

A Great Coffee Table Adornment
This is a beautirful book with glorious artwork. We thought of cutting out some coloured drawing and faming them to hang on the wall, but finally decided to keep the book intact as a coffee table adornment. But this book is not a guide to the orchids of Australia. It contains only a relatively small number of the thousands of species. There are other books that buyers should consider if they want a comprehensive guide, such as David Jones's 'A Complete Guide to the Native Orchids of Australia'.

Wonderful book!
Both a great reference and a lovely coffee-table book.I gave two to my advisors as graduation thank-you gifts and they were delighted.

Great work from down under
The book is a great reference data base of the fascinating Australian orchid flora. Although 'only' a choice of 150 out of some 1200 Australian species is shown this book gives a good impression of what an orchid friend may expect from the Orchidaceae of this continent. Both terrestial and epiphytic species are included. The plants are shown in alphabetical order of the genus, with the species in chronological order of scientific description.

John Riley's drawings of the species are most skillful and combine botanical accuracy with a highly esthetic standard. Every illustration is a masterpiece, showing the plant entirely and its parts in adequate magnification. Thus the reader gets an impression of the plant which is very close to the real view. The presentation of anatomical details allows to identify closely related species. This is useful feature especially in the case of a number of very similar species, for instance within the genus Pterostylis. I have seen several species myself in natura and I can confirm that such a drawing gives more visual information about the plants than a photo often can.

Additional information about the species is given in the accompanying text. It contains data about the distribution, the typical habitat and the state of endangerment. David Banks' text is concise and testifies a great competence in this field.

In summary this book can be recommended all orchid friends. And I hope that the authors will have the time and opportunity to publish some additional volumes of their magnificent work to deliver insight of their intriguing orchid flora to all interested people inside and outside of Australia. ... Read more

Product Description
The author spent nearly three years photographing thousands of orchids in all their diversity. This volume of the pictures features more than 120 new hybrids, obscure specimens and classic blooms, with informative captions and essays on the history, mystique and hybridization of orchids worldwide.Amazon.com Review
"Photographing rare orchids drew me into a world of beauty Ihad never known before," states Béla Kalman, who spent three yearsphotographing more than 6,000 plants for his new book, RareOrchids. One of the largest families of flowering plants in theworld, with more than 20,000 species, orchids are also easily the mostdiverse, varying widely in size, shape, color, texture, and decorativemarkings. As this book demonstrates, it's this diversity that largelycontributes to their allure, beauty, and mystique. While the 140gorgeous photos are the stars of the show here, the book also includesaccompanying text and interesting essays by orchidenthusiasts. Describing the art of hybridizing, one writer's expertiseand passion for the flower is evident: "Similar to a painter with anempty canvas, and using pollinia from one of the largest plantfamilies in existence as a palette, hybridizers combine imaginationwith botanical skills to bring new colors, shapes, and patterns tolife." As beautiful as it is informative, Rare Orchids would bea welcome addition to any orchid enthusiast's library. --AndyBoynton ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

disappointing
This would be a good coffee table book.Most of the orchids highlighted are fairly common to orchid growers.This would be a good book for someonewho is not familier with orchids.It is over priced for the informationthat it contains.I would suggest waiting until it shows up on a discounttable.I would not invest any money for this book.

Excellent gift !
I purchased this book for fathers day and could not be happier. Chock full of gorgeous blooms in vivid color, professionally photographed. Fear not you will be pleased. ... Read more

Product Description
Curtis' Botanical Magazine is probably the finest and most important source of illustrations of orchids and early copies of this publication are now collectors' items with considerable rarity value. This beautiful volume makes available for the first time portraits and scientific details of more than 1200 orchid species, many first described in Curtis' Magazine. The scientific value of this facsimile reprint has been considerably increased by the provision of an updated botanical nomenclature including synonyms and bibliography. The illustrations are of a very high standard and represent the work of leading botanical artists including Walter Hood Fitch, Lilian Snelling and Mary Grierson. These colour plates (a total of 408) form the bulk of the book and have been printed to the very highest standard, and matched against the Basel edition of the Magazine itself. ... Read more

Product Description
Providing a guide to the cultivation of both the terrestrial and epihytic orchid species growing in South Africa, this volume includes numerous hints, illustrations and photographs to help simplify the process. Detailed growing notes are given for over 60 terrestrial and over 40 epiphytic species. ... Read more

Product Description
This work follows on from the 1995 publication on European orchids. The atlas is now completed with a second part, containing data on the pollination of orchids of the continents of America, Asia, Africa (including Madagascar) and Australia (including New Zealand).;The first part of the book is adapted from the general account of the previous publication and is extended with chapters on taxonomy and pollinators. The general account deals with such things as the history, evolution, morphology, chemistry and genetics of orchid pollination. The second part gives a systematic account for each continent of all well known details. The text is designed to have relevance for orchid lovers whether professional or amateur. ... Read more

Product Description
Vietnam has a remarkable and diverse orchid flora that is still being explored and described. The slipper orchids, a small but showy part of the flora, epitomize the exuberance of Vietnam's orchids. This book provides comprehensive accounts of the history, nomenclature, and relationships of each of the 22 slipper orchid species and natural hybrids found within the country. It provides the first detailed accounts of their habitats, biology, and ecology, and highlights the imminent threat of extinction faced by many of them. This book also surveys non-orchid flora, and it will enthrall the reader with descriptions of Vietnam and its unique environment, rich flora, and endemic plants. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An excellent reference
This book is worth the purchase price for the beauty of its photographs alone. What a treat--it's the loveliest orchid reference book I've seen. In situ photos of the Vietnamese slippers abound, as do detailed climate charts and habitat info. Great for the armchair gardener, but a must-have for the Paphiopedilum collector. The only way you'd get a better idea of the growing conditions and habitat of these plants would be if you traveled to Vietnam yourself.

A superb slipper orchid reference book
The book contains about 308 pages composed of: 54 pages on Vietnam flora and habitat, 34pages on the anatomy, ecology, and distribution of orchids, 178 pages about individual slipper orchid species found in Vietnam (22 species), 20 pages on the conservation, 9 pages onliterature referenced, and a 14 page index.

The text is far more extensive than just "slipper orchids" or "Vietnam". Rather it also introduces the flora, habitat, and physical geography of Vietnam, and it covers all slipper orchids of southeast Asia in very complete detail.

The last 2/3rds of the book is a treasure of information about the individual species of Vietnam slippers. It contains lots of field pictures, closeups of the flowers, flower diagrams, and distribution maps. I was impressed with the completeness of the treatment for each orchid. This is a superb slipper orchid reference book.

If you are a Paphiopedilum orchid book enthusiast - times are very good. There are presently three absolutely outstanding slipper orchid books in press: "The Genus Paphiopedilum" by Braem, Baker & Baker, "The Slipper Orchids" by Catherine Cash, and "Slipper Orchids of Vietnam" by Leonid Averyanov, Phillip Cribb, Phan Ke Loc & Nguyen Tien Hiep. Each book sets the highest standard of excellence. We slipper orchid hobbyists are truly blessed to have such talented and passionate writers on this subject. I reference each of these books several times each month. They are great additions to my orchid library.

There is total concensus over 2/3rds of the species in all of the books. But there are major disagreements over much of the rest. Discussions in the text are filled with little daggers about what the other book authors had missed or misinterpreted - it is facinating! Since Slipper Orchids of Vietnam was written after the other two books, Averyanov & Cribb have the last word in the arguement. But I suspect that new books from Braem and Cash are already in the making.

It's a great time to be a slipper orchid enthusiast. You gotta buy this book! ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is above all a pictorial essay on the diversity of flora found in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It is directed primarily at nature and orchid lovers. The text accompanying the paintings describe each species, including its taxonomy, natural history and distribution. Readers with deeper interest will find definitions and additional information in the Introduction and Glossary. Contains over 50 watercolors.

Este volumen es, ante todo, un ensayo pictorico sobre la diversidad de la flora de Puerto Rico e Islas Virgenes. Se dirige principalmente a los amantes de la naturaleza y las orquideas. El texto que acompana las pinturas describe cada especie, incluyendo su taxonomia, historia natural y distribucion. Los lectores que deseen profundizar aun mas encontraran definiciones e informacion adicional en la Introduccion y en el Glosario. Contiene mas de 50 acuarelas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Illustrated Guide on Identifying Caribbean Orchids
A beautifully organized guide, "The Orchids of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands / Las Orquideas De Puerto Rico y Las Islas Virgenes" by James D. Ackerman and Maria Del Castillo is a botanist's delight when it comes to identifying orchids commonly found in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Published by the University of Puerto Rico Press, this hardbound, bilingual book allows readers who are admirers of the islands' ecological systems or anything else related to them, to clearly identify the many forms of orchids found on the Eastern Caribbean islands.

The book, which only can be obtained via special order, is beautifully designed and features paintings of many orchids, which I found unique, because it definitely captures the essence of flora more so than a photograph. The book will make an excellent gift to anyone who is fascinated by the island's and their contents. Overall, this is a beautiful, informative book for botanists or botany lovers out there. ... Read more

Product Description
Native orchid expert and author Paul Martin Brown continues his successful series on the wild orchids of North America with Wild Orchids of the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Rockies. Whether beginner or professional, curious orchid hunters will be able to locate the nearly 50 species to be found in a wide variety of this region’s local habitat—from seashore to temperate rain forest to alpine meadow. Brown reveals the best spots to find the orchids he describes and offers expert advice on how to plan and execute an enjoyable (and environmentally responsible) outing. As with Brown’s other guides, all information is presented in a simple, straightforward style and with ample illustration so that proper identification is a snap.

Geographical coverage includes:
· Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho, western Montana, and western Alberta
· 10 detailed area treatments: The Siskyous, Columbia River, The Cascades, Olympic Peninsula, Vancouver Island, Glacier National Park, Cypress Hills, Kodiak Island, Downtown Anchorage, Denali National Park
· 47 species, 1 subspecies, 10 varieties, 5 hybrids, and 62 forms ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Just the thing!
I needed a book that would let me identify orchids in my area.This is just what I needed.It's complete - there was a lot of research that went into finding old records and herbarium collections to confirm ranges.The key is easy to use if you know your botanical terminology. Thisbook is not designed for the casual hiker who is not familiar with botany.But if you want to really know about orchids, this is it! ... Read more

Product Description
This text covers all of the Malawi orchids, both epiphytic and terrestrial. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Natural History Library
Glad I found this "rare" book at a semi-reasonable price. I've been regretting not buying when it was published a few years ago and amazed at prices it's been fetching in marketplace.It's great book for a Minnesota native plant-lover to have in their library. Condition was better than advertised.

A fantastic reference for native orchids
I am a nature photographer and have a passion for finding and photographing orchids.Because of their relatively short flowering times it is really essential to be able to know where and what habitat to findthem, when they will be blooming and a bit of the biology of the flower. With thisreference I have been able to actively locate these lovelyjewels across Minnesota.It isn't a book necessarily full of photos (ithas enought though of the more showy varieties) but I still highlyrecommend this book for anyone truely interested in orchids native toMinnesota.It is a much better reference than similar books I've seenabout other states' orchids.

A taxonomic overview of the Orchid species of Minnesota
Orchids of Minnesota by Welby R. Smith covers the many species of Orchids that live in the state of Minnesota with all it's diverse plant habitats. The book has nice drawings that make species ID easy.

This is ataxonomic over view of the Orchid species that grow in Minnesota, coveringidentification, what locations or habits they grow in, were in the statethey grow (including state maps) with growing locations illustrated, whenthey bloom and if they are rare.

The focus of the book is not prettypictures but the identification and description of the many species andforms of these plants that live in the state. This book is for those thatare familiar with plant identification and have a love for "nativewild plants" It is not geared to the gardener. It is informative andeasy to read, with an illustrated key (used to identify plants), speciesaccounts (covering location were plants grow, habitats they grow in andsome historical information).

I recommend this book if you areinterested in theidentification and ecology and location of the Orchidsof Minnesota. I think it would be valuable to those that do not live in theMinnesota too for its over view of each plant.The naming of the plantstakes in recent taxonomic work so the book is up to date and the keys areeasy to use. A book valuable for the layman as well as those with moreBotanical interests. It is a nice looking book for the series minded Orchidlover.

Paul Henjum Specialty Perennials ... Read more

Product Description
In this spectacular and comprehensive book, orchid expert David Jones describes more than 1,300 species and subspecies of Australian native orchids.Almost every species is illustrated with a beautiful color photograph, and the detailed species descriptions include information about every part of the plant, as well as its distribution, habitat, how to distinguish it from other similar species and its conservation status. A must for dedicated orchid enthusiasts, professional botanists or anyone interested in Australia flora. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Complete Guide to Native Orchids of Australia: Including the Island Territories
An excellent well written book - just the thing for the Australian Native Orchid lover.A Complete Guide to Native Orchids of Australia: Including the Island Territories

the Big Book on Australian Orchids
This is the best book to have if you're really serious about identifying the orchids you see in Australia. It's much better than any of the others - more complete, better pictures and descriptions. It provides a good view of the current understanding of the taxonomy of country's orchids. The pictures are generally great, the written descriptions useful.

Two quibbles - One, there are no keys to allow you to determine which of several closely related species you might have. Species or subspecies can be so similar that the pictures and the written descriptions don't allow you to distinguish among them. Two, range maps rather than place names (some of which are so small they don't make it into an Atlas) would be nice.

Quibbles aside, it's a very useful book. ... Read more

Product Description
Detailed botanical classic, originally published by Chicago Natural History Museum, presents all known orchids of Guatemala and Belize—a total of 527 species and 25 varieties in 89 genera. All genera illustrated, as well as more than 100 additional species in 204 detailed black-and-white illustrations.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Old orchid classic
Orchids of Guatemala and Belize is an old classic, with several volumes which have been reprinted in a softcover, low cost format. It's useful, however most of the taxonomy is outdated. This is a volume that surely is a good acquisition for any orchid library, and good value in the relation to the low cost and thickness, however the reader should not expect many illustrations. There are no pictures, and only a limited number of line drawings in relation to the total number of species covered.

A must for orchid lovers everywhere.
Oakes Ames and Donoval Stewart Correll excelled themselves with this fabulous addition to worldwide botanical knowledge. Featuring a listing of the then-known 531 species found in Guatemala and its northeastern neighbor Belize, it also includes dozens of detailed black-and-white drawings depicting the different parts of the plant like roots, leaves and flowers. Each genus is followed by a detailed description and a key to identify the different species present in it. Each species is followed by its appropriate list of synonyms, a tremendously detailed description, and sometimes a few words to compare and contrast with similar species.It also features a complete introduction to the orchid family, including illustrated characteristics and descriptions, and a brief essay on the distribution of Guatemalan orchids. The book, divided in two parts, was later grouped with a third addition describing some newly found species and other places where they had been found. All three parts make up this outstanding volume, packed with interesting remarks, fascinating facts and beautiful illustrations - a "must" for orchid lovers everywhere! ... Read more