Tropical Ornamentals: A Guide [Hardcover]

W. Arthur Whistler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2000

This guide covers more than 400 of the most commonly cultivated ornamental plants found in the tropics, identified and beautifully photographed by an expert in tropical botany.The color photographs and accurate descriptions make this book ideal for identifying plants grown in the tropics or cultivated in greenhouses in temperate climates. The characteristics of habit, leaves, flowers, and fruit useful for distinguishing one plant from another are emphasized in the descriptions, which also include discussions of plant relationships, the correct scientific and common names, geographical ranges, any poisonous properties, and other useful and interesting information about each plant.Published at $59.95 Our last copies available at $29.98

Editorial Reviews

Review

Fascinating reading. -- John Van de Water, Newark Star-Ledger, November 5, 2000

Lavishly illustrated. -- Stephanie Kendrick, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, October 20, 2000

No other book comes close to filling the niche that this book fills. -- Clear Englebert, Fungshway.com, November 7, 2000

On nearly every page there's a photograph with information about the genus and species to aid in identifying these plants. -- www.gardenclub.org, November 28, 2000

This book should be on the shelf of all who love tropical plants. -- John E. Bryan, Gardening Newsletter, September 2000

Book Description

More than 400 notable tropical plants cultivated for their ornamental value are featured in this guide enhanced by beautiful photos.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 542 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press, Incorporated (July 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881924482
• ISBN-13: 978-0881924480
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,559,468 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A "must read" for tropical plant growers, September 13, 2000

By 

neeta kangutkar (West Chester, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tropical Ornamentals: A Guide (Hardcover)

This book should be a "must read" for anyone wanting to grow tropical plants.

This was the most comprehensive book about the tropical plants that I have read. It truly covered most of the tropicals that I wanted to look up. Most impressive.Very systematic. Had good information on flowering periods and propagation techniques. More details on growing these plants could enhance this book even more. All in all a very good addition to my tropical plants collection.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tropical Ornamentals A Guide, February 19, 2002

By 

Sheri Ann Richerson "ExoticGardening.com" (Marion, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tropical Ornamentals: A Guide (Hardcover)

For the serious tropical gardener, this is one book you must not be without.

The "Organization Of Information" section of this book I found to be very boring. I did however, immensely enjoy the rest of the book and would highly suggest it to anyone who grows a large majority of tropical plants.

Some of the plants mentioned in the book such as Albizia Lebbeck, I had been unable to find any information on previously. I was quite surprised at the large number of plants mentioned that were not common. There were also some plants they touched on that I was completely unfamiliar with. I thought this was great!

There are color photographs with each plant description and sometimes there is more than one photo showing various varieties of the plant. This is a real plus if you grow most everything from seeds or cuttings and have never seen these plants. There is a total of 458 photographs.

Although each plant only receives a small section, the descriptions do include information such as flowers or fruit, propagation, leaves and plant type. It also gives the common name of the plant and the index allows you to reference each plant by scientific name or common name.

Overall, I found it a highly useful book that will be one of the most used books I have. That's a very high compliment!

The only thing that might have been made it better was to move the explanation section to the back!

I cannot emphasize enough that this is one book you must have on your reference shelf!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A basic reference text for tropical plants, May 27, 2008

By 

linda's books "Linda Abbott Trapp, PhD, autho... (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tropical Ornamentals : A Guide (Paperback)

This is a basic reference text for admirers of tropical plants, and was the inspiration for my Ornamental Plants & Flowers of Tropical Mexico. Limited to plants grown for their appearance rather than utility, and primarily grown in the tropical regions of the world, this reference guide includes more than 400 ornamentals. Photographs of many of the included plants provide detail, supplementing the informative text, which gives identifying descriptions of leaves, flowers, and fruit, if any, as well as basic cultivation and propagation advice. The book's usefulness for identifying plants would be enhanced, however, with full-size photos, in addition to the flower close-up shots. The utility of the book is greatly aided by the index, which cross-references common names, scientific names, and alternative names for these lovely plants.