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A guide to 600 species of orchid from all over the world, with stunning life-size images. Complete with taxonomic and phylogenic details. *Also appeared in January Buyer's Notes*
About the author
Maarten Christenhusz is a botanist who has worked for the Finnish Museum of Natural History and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He is deputy editor of the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.
Mark Chase is a senior research scientist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He co-edited Genera Orchidacearum and has contributed to more than 500 publications on plant science.
Tom Mirenda is the Director of Horticulture, Education and Outreach at the Hawaii Tropical Botanic Garden and the former Orchid Collection Specialist at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington. He frequently lectures on orchid ecology and conservation in the US and abroad, and is a columnist for Orchids, the magazine of the American Orchid Society.
Summary
One of every seven flowering plants on earth is an orchid. Some are stunningly over the top; others almost inconspicuous. The Orchidaceae is the second most widely geographically distributed family, after the grasses, yet remains one of the least understood. This book will profile 600 species, representing the remarkable and unexpected diversity and complexity in the taxonomy and phylogeny of these beguiling plants, and the extraordinary means they have evolved in order to ensure the attraction of pollinators. Each species will be photographed to capture its delicate detail, and shown life-size, giving a strong visual theme to the book, and each is accompanied by text offering an in-depth species profile.
Additional text
"In this ambitious book, the authors invite you to journey with them around the world and see orchids for the marvels of nature they truly are."
