Simon & Schuster's Guide to Cacti and Succulents: An Easy-to-Use Field Guide With More Than 350 Full-Color Photographs and Illustrations (Paperback)

by Pizzetti (Author), Stanley Schuler (Editor) "Etymology The name comes from the Greek akantha, spine,and calyx, chalice: scales on the tube and ovary are spiny..." (more)
Key Phrases: ramifies from the base, slender radial spines, ten radial spines, Cultivation Propagation, Backeberg Tribe Cacteae, Baja California (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Fascinating, informative, and user-friendly, Simon & Schuster's Guide to Cacti and Succulents is a stunning reference to an intriguing category of plants. A thorough introduction describes the history of Cactaceae (the largest of the many plant families known as succulents because they store water in their leaves, stems, and roots) and provides general guidelines for their cultivation. Then, each of the more than 300 detailed entries describes an individual species, including its place of origin and ideal conditions for its growth. Full-color photographs enable easy identification of the plants in the field.

Whether for the casual gardener or the serious horticulturist, this beautiful and comprehensive guide will be an invaluable resource.

Language Notes
Text: English, Italian (translation)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (December 15, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671602314
• ISBN-13: 978-0671602314
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #498,986 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #28 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Plants > Cacti & Succulents
  #35 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > By Plant > Cacti

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many entries., July 6, 2004

By	J. Connor "film and book fanatic'." (Palm Desert, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This guide to Cacti and Succulents is one of the greatest field guides that I have ever bought in my giant private collection of field and naturalist guides. As said above, this has numerous species and subspecies entries. I have never seen another cactus field guide with so many listings, mainly of cacti. There are a few succulents, but the cacti are the MAIN part of this book. If you want a guide to local succulents, purchase "Succulents", and "Succulents 2: The Illustrated Dictionary". But, if you are seeking out cacti, whether to plant them in a backyard, or simply find them in the field, this a priority to purchase.
The photographs themselves are beautiful and DO show enough of the plant for field identification. A few of the more familiar species are listed along with common names, but this is not needed for the advanced naturalists it is geared toward. Also recommended: "Cacti: The Illustrated Dictionary."

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Simon & Schuster Guide to Cactus and Succulents, December 17, 2004

By	cactophile (Sonoran desert) - See all my reviews

If I had looked through this book before buying it online I never would have wasted the money on it. Nomenclature is totally out-of-date, temperature guides are just plain wrong, pictures are okay for close up but useless as to identifying overall form and structure. Since so many cactus are mis-identified or misnamed the pics don't help in identification without a more accurate book to cross-reference the plant name with. In terms of coverage of the cactus family this book is woefully inadequate. Entire genuses are omitted and/or only have one plant covered when there are actually dozens of species.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A colorful, descriptive field guide for cacti enthusiasts., June 19, 1997

By A Customer

The Simon & Schuster's Guide To Cacti and Succulents is somewhat misleading as they only describe cacti in their book. However, the compact, full-color field guide is an excellent addition to the novice or expert's bookshelf. The detailed descriptions of the 300 photographed species are especially impressive. An index of principal authors is also noteworthy as it provides a brief biography and list of works of over 50 leading scholars with major influences on cacti since the 17th century. A great find for any cacti enthusiast