Guide to the Aloes of South Africa (Hardcover)

~ Ben-Erik van Wyk (Author), Gideon Smith (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

These plants are endemic to South Africa but are being used increasingly in Australia because of their decorative shapes and dry-climate toughness. All the 125 southern species are described, giving information on each plant's distinguishing features, flowering period, habitat and distribution, with cultivation notes. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 302 pages
• Publisher: Briza; 1st edition (December 31, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1875093044
• ISBN-13: 978-1875093045
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,978,847 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly outstanding, July 22, 2002

By	Michael V. Newberry (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This is a truly outstanding book for South African Aloe enthusiasts of any level from beginner to expert. The authors recognized an obvious vacuum in the literature on growing, collecting, and conserving South African Aloes, and this work deftly bridges the gap between peer reviewed botanical journals and elementary field guides. The book brings together information on plant characteristics, distribution, habitat, cultivation, uses, name etymology, and endangered status. Each species description occupies 2 facing pages with textual content on the left and 1 or more excellent photos of plants in habitat on the right. The content, format, and style harmonize to make this book hard to lay down. It is well worth its modest ...price. Highly recommended.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book for the aloe person, January 16, 2002

By	Bruce R. Evans (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

A good book for both beginner and expert. It puts the aloes in 10 groups, from Tree Aloes to Grass Aloes with detailed desciptions of most aloes. It does not, however, have aloes from anywhere but South africa...but that is the only falt I can find with it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book but pricey, March 30, 2009

By	Robert Hildebrand "rshildebrand" (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Guide to the Aloes of South Africa (Hardcover)

If you like aloes, then this is your book! Well-written and illustrated. Unfortunately, you might want to find it used as it is fairly costly.