Customer Reviews

Carnivorous Plants of the World

5 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(5)

 

 

Overall, the photos are quite good. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the written material. There were a number of errors in plant information. An example was the information presented for the monotypic genus Darlingtonia californica, which contained erroneous information regarding its habitat extending north into British Columbia. The line drawings in this work are quite delightful and worth viewing. Overall, this book would be useful to newcomers into the world of Carnivourous plants, but long time hobbyists should examine other publications for more serious, in-depth information.

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While this book does have some nice photos, it is overall a poor introduction to the cultivation of carnivorous plants giving erroneous information concerning their cultivation, propogation, collection and distribution. This, in my opinion, makes it an unworthy book. Purchase 'The Savage Garden' or, if you can find it, 'Insect Eating Plants and How to Grow Them'. Both are much more worthy of the enthusiasts money!

As has been said by others, the authors are unethical and support (even in their book, in writing!) the wild collection of carnivorous plants, many of which are now in danger of extinction from, guess what, habitat destruction and wild collection by poachers. The authors have been known through out the CP community to actually financially support plant poachers and this coupled with the poor accuracy of the books information makes it a poor purchase. Please, try D'Amato, Slack or Rice's texts if you want a real CP book. This is garbage, written by trash. Do not give them your money because they are helping to wipe out the plants you care about.

This book is an okay book. It has good examples of plant experiments which you can do if you have a stable collection. However, I prefer to sit and read Savage Garden by D'Amato and get his more insightful view.

This book bothers me in that it contains many inacuracies on plant culture and distribution. But that's not all. The author has some politically incorrect opinions on wild collection of endangered plants. Try D'Amato's, "The Savage Garden" instead.

I bought this book when it first came out and before I knew much about poaching and how it was endangering wild plants, especially carnivorous plants. After reading the book and their opinion on field collection I'm appalled and ashamed to have spent money on this book and supported this business in any way.

Typically found in nutrient-poor soils, carnivorous plants are true predators that attract, entrap, and digest insects for the purpose of obtaining minerals necessary to their growth, function, and reproduction. In Carnivorous Plants Of The World, James and Patricia Pietropaolo (founders of the Peter Pauls Nurseries in Canadaigua, New York) draw upon their more than 25 years of experience to provide the gardener, horticulturalist, and botanist with a comprehensive compendium of carnivorous plants from around the world. Each chapter specifically addresses a particular category of carnivores including Venus Fly Trap; Pitcher Plants; Sundew Types; Butterworts; and Bladderworts. Within each genus, the species in cultivation are fully treated while the remainder are listed with brief descriptions for identification. The authors then cover the issues of cultivation techniques, pests and diseases, propagation and hybridization. The "reader friendly" text is enhanced with line drawings, lists of carnivorous plant sources and societies, a glossary, and an index. Carnivorous Plants Of The World is an essential addition to any professional or academic botanical reference collection.

I recently finished reading this book and found it both interesting and easy to read. With a slightly above average knowledge of botany, I was able to follow along. The pictures and drawings are great to look at and the writing style is fluid. If I had not recieved this as a gift, I would certainly buy it.