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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a great book!, August 14, 2001
It looks like this book may be hard to find, but it's worth the extra effort. It is very informative without becoming overly technical, and espouses common sense precaution without crossing the line into hysterical crusading (well...except for a tiny bit of "scare tactics" at the very beginning). Authors John and Delores Alber preface their book some basic recommendations for how to avoid problems, then acknowledge we're human and set out to arm us with information.The first sections focus on basic groundrules. They range from 'use common sense' to "be prepared for emergencies," and the authors makes specific suggestions both for precautionary measures and for emergency response. This is followed by a brief section on how plants are properly named (critical to accurately identifying a plant), a list of common plant toxins & how they damage, and plant selection tables for picking out innocuous plants. Then the focus switches to identifying hazards. The main body of the book is an identification guide to common houseplants and florist flowers focusing on toxicity potential. Plants are organized alphabetically by genus and species, and each entry lists common names as available. Entries include a general description of the plant, an sketch illustration, any noteworthy species or varieties, and an evaluation of its dangers with specific precautionary recommendations and reference listings for further investigation. The index is satisfactorily comprehensive, containing both scientific and widely popular common names. What I really think makes this book stand out is the amount of background the authors provide on their findings. Rather than just say, "Safe," "Unsafe," or "Prosecutable," the Albers tell you who has made the evaluation (often Poison Control), whether it has been researched formally or is simply a compilation of observations, and any reservations they may have concerning the finding. They tell you straight up that they plan on erring on the side of caution, but they give you more than enough information to let YOU make the final call on whether the plant needs to be shunned.
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by Lewis S. Nelson
