Product Description

Few other plants, with the possible exception of palms, can rival cycads for variety of foliage, size, and form. In spite of such diversity, however, cycads represent an ancient lineage whose fossil history extends over 200 million years. Cycads are tough and durable, not only as survivors but also as ornamental plants of great intrinsic interest. Yet cycads in the wild are all endangered. Whitelock has spent decades studying cycads in their natural habitats around the world and in cultivation. Through his efforts, a well-documented program of propagation has made an increasing variety of cycads available to those who wish to grow and know more about them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #134821 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-11
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 532 pages

From Booklist
As a group, cycads count among the most architectural of plants for gardens, including many species resembling palms. Whitelock's study merits special attention because cycads--an ancient cone-bearing family of plants--are endangered in the wild. Delving into the book promises to increase a gardener's knowledge of the care and cultivation of intriguing specimens distinguished by spiky leaves and dramatic forms, and will help to differentiate species that are cold tolerant and can be grown in temperate conditions from those better suited to subtropical regions. The book's propagation advice should help ensure the conservation of these plants for future generations, while a comprehensive encyclopedia of species offers detailed information to specialists and serious green thumbs. The plant entries overall make up an invaluable resource to generalists, as well, with facts on sun and shade requirements, and traits such as a plant's mature size. A final listing indicates a range of characteristics to help in selecting plants for landscaping and garden design. Alice Joyce
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Loran Whitelock's decades of study of this tropical plant will have much to do with its future ... [His] research will be of value to general readers as well as botanists, landscape architects, and commercial growers."Nancy Moulton, Bloomsbury Review, March 2003 (Bloomsbury Review )

"[The Cycads] provides gardeners with much useful information."Joanne S. Carpender, National Gardener, January 2003 (National Gardener )

"An important resource work ... a very valuable, comprehensive, and readable contribution, which should be in every botany collection."L. G. Kavaljian, Choice, November 2002 (Choice )

Bart Schutzman, The Cycad Newsletter, June 2002
"'The Cycads' is a book that once you own, you will not be able to put down--time and time again."