An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms - Hardcover

Robert Lee Riffle; Paul Craft

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0881925586 ISBN 13: 9780881925586

Publisher: Timber Press, 2003

Synopsis

Cowritten by the author of the award-winning "The Tropical Look", "An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms" offers a definitive account of palms that may be grown in the garden and landscape. Because palms are often underutilized as a result of their unfamiliarity - even to tropical gardeners - Robert Lee Riffle and Paul Craft have exhaustively documented every genus in the palm family. Approximately 890 species are described in detail, including cold hardiness, water needs, height, and any special requirements. Generously illustrated with more than 900 photos, this volume is as valuable as an identification guide as it is a practical handbook. It even contains photos of several palm species that have never before appeared in a general encyclopedia. Interesting snippets of history, ethnobotany, and biology inform the text and make this a lively catalog of these remarkable plants.

About this title

Review:

This book would be a valuable reference to anyone with a non-academic interest in palms. It also should provide several hours of casual browsing for any palm enthusiast. -- Howard Wadell Tropical Fern and Exotic Plant Society Newsletter 20030422 An in-depth study and is a must have for all interested in these plants... An excellent book for those who live in areas where palms are grown. -- John E. Bryan Gardening Newsletter 20030506 No book can have everything but this book has almost everything, including some of the most poetic descriptions I've ever read. -- Clear Englebert Hawaii Herald Tribune 20030506 A valuable reference to anyone with an non-academic interest in palms. It also should provide several hours of casual browsing for any palm enthusiast. Tropical Fern and Exotic Plant Society Newsletter 20030506 A readable, colourful and reasonably-priced book that provides a ready reference to most palms found in cultivation and will certainly set the standard for many years to come. Garden (Peterborough) 20030522 Far and away the most comprehensive book now available on palms. -- R. Cox California Garden 20030523 Bravo! Finally, there is a book with easy reference on the palms of the world. The photography is superb, detailing the intricate leaves and stem structure. The text is crisp, clear, and very readable... This book is highly recommended. -- Nik Malik Zainal Abidin Garden Asia Magazine 20030727 Cause for celebration among tropical gardeners. -- Clear Englebert FungShway.com 20030624 This book is a "must-have" for anyone who loves palms. -- Susan Knorr Fairchild Tropical Garden 20030708 Highly useful for beginning and advanced gardeners, Cultivated Palms is a great value and the best current popular palm encyclopedia. -- Jeff Stevens Southeastern Palms 20030721 This book will be useful to palm fanciers everywhere. -- Charles Reynolds Lakeland Ledger 20030714 The ultimate book on palms. -- Don Davis Lynchburg News and Advance 20030709 It is clearly the best popular account of palms to date. Palms 20030820 You'll drool. Garden Design 20030903 It's a rare encyclopedia that can double as a coffee table book ... this book has almost everything, including some of the most poetic descriptions I've ever read. -- Clear Englebert Kona Outdoor Circle Newsletter 20030717 This ultimate, expansive resource on cultivated palms will guide horticulturists with all levels of expertise. -- S. C. Awe Choice 20030911 This definitive account of tropical, subtropical, and even temperate (down to 5 degrees F) landscape and garden palms ... is well suited to the amateur or professional grower SciTech Book News 20030912 This ultimate, expansive resource on cultivated palms will guide horticulturists with all levels of expertise ... Highly recommended. -- S. C. Awe Choice 20030930 An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms deserves a place on everyone's bookshelf or coffee table, and should be seriously considered by anybody who has a love of plants. -- Daryl O'Connor Palms and Cycads Forum 20030301 Tops in specialized plant books. Avant Gardener 20030709 No gardener or landscaper who reads this book should ever again lose a palm solely because of lack of horticultural information. Biology Digest 20031229 Contains a great deal of information that will be of value to botanists, horticulturists and gardeners wishing to know more about this extensive and economically very important plant family. Plantsman 20030929 As a horticultural librarian, I am constantly looking for good books on palms, and I can tell you that this book is at the top of the list. Not only is it useful, accurate, and authoritative, but the authors' poetic language brought life to the book. -- Laurie Hannah American Gardener 20040609 Palm enthusiasts, whether professional or amateur, will find everything there is to know about cultivated palms in this thoroughly researched encyclopedia. -- Elaine Juhl Chicago Botanic Garden 20040623 Palm enthusiasts, whether professional or amateur, will find everything there is to know about cultivated palms presented in this thoroughly researched encyclopedia. Chicago Botanic Garden 20040411

About the Author:

Robert Lee Riffle (1940-2006) was an internationally recognized authority on palms and tropical plants. His landmark book, The Tropical Look: An Encyclopedia of Dramatic Landscape Plants (1998), won an American Horticultural Society Book Award, as did An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms (2003), which he co-wrote with Paul Craft. For 25 years Bob was a strong presence online, answering questions and encouraging gardeners in their endeavors via postings on garden and plant message boards. He generously shared his extensive knowledge gently and with wit as the moderator of the International Palm Society's active PalmTalk message board. Bob was an accomplished pianist, a gifted photographer, and an enthusiastic film buff. He had finished writing the manuscript for the Timber Press Pocket Guide to Palms when he passed away unexpectedly. Paul Craft trained as a chemist and is vice president of the International Palm Society. A resident of Florida, he was the founding president of the Palm Beach Palm and Cycad Society and also a palm nurseryman. He is currently active in efforts to promote palm conservation.

About this edition

• Publisher: Timber Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0881925586
• ISBN 13: 9780881925586
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 528