Review by Choice Review
Barthlott and colleagues (Univ. of Bonn, Germany), active scholars in the field of carnivorous plants, have updated, translated, and reissued their 2004 work originally published in German. It includes a comprehensive list of 630 carnivorous species, with detailed descriptions from key species on their mechanisms for attracting, trapping, and digesting an assortment of prey to obtain essential nutrients for their growth in limited nutrient sites. Particularly fascinating is the historical perspective of early descriptions of carnivorous plants (i.e., Roger Bacon's reputed "Voynich Code" and others by Linnaeus and Darwin) to the most current theories on lineages through molecular genetic analyses. The chapters on the plant habitats and diversity are notable for the extensive world coverage; also included is a short chapter on noncarnivorous insect-trapping plants. Relatively short, detailed chapters covering each carnivorous plant family, as well as the liverworts and fungi, follow. The book is beautifully photographed and reproduced; it is not overly technical but has extensive references to the primary literature. Includes suggested plants and cultivating tips for beginning collectors. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through faculty. T. P. Owen Jr. Connecticut College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Bridging the realms of popular science and gardening, four botanists at the top of their form have compiled a definitive guide to the more than 600 bewitching species of carnivorous plants the sum total recognized to date. The pooled knowledge and expertise of the authors embrace a diversity of talent, for example, Rudiger Seine trains astronauts in Cologne, and Inge Theisen delves into the molecular genetics of bladderworts at the University of Bonn. The resulting work's admirable scope paints a sweeping portrait of carnivorous plants, describing their habitats and worldwide geographical distribution, showing the processes by which prey are trapped and digested, and explaining just how carnivory evolved. Information on growing and propagating precedes plant listings by family and genus. Additionally, the book's illustrations are otherworldly, with photographs of eye-catching species in the wild and in cultivation as well as images from electron micrographs. A final list provides an overview that will help when purchasing plants, presenting valid plant names together with synonyms and popular hybrids.--Joyce, Alice Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
A curious world, indeed, is brilliantly described in this definitive guide. Expert botanists with wide renown, Barthlott, Stefan Porembski, Rudiger Seine, and Inge Theisen have compiled the first comprehensive listing of all 630 known species of so-called flowers of evil. They detail the plants' biology, diversity, and cultivation. Over 150 color and black-and-white illustrations and two maps illuminate the exotic and beautiful world of plant carnivory. Chapters cover their habitats around the world, biogeography, variety of attracting and trapping mechanisms, prey, and digestion and nutrient uptake systems. The authors discuss the evolution of carnivory, conservation, and requirements for growing these bizarre plants. Sections on the ten families of carnivorous plants and the animal-trapping mosses and fungi open with essays, informed both by historical understanding and by recent scholarship. A full list of carnivorous plants is supplied, A-to-Z by name of species, with the year they were first described and distribution information. A glossary, bibliography, index, and list of carnivorous plant societies and sources close this fine volume. Highly recommended for all gardening or reference collections.-Donna L. Davey, Tamiment Lib., New York Univ. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
