The Cactus Family

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 776 pages
• Published by: Timber Press, Incorporated March 16, 2001
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0881924989
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0881924985
• Book Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 1.7 inches
• Weighs: 6.5 pounds

From Booklist
The strange spiny spectacle of cactus plants comes under close and expert scrutiny in this study of great breadth and fascinating detail. Amateur growers and scholars alike will be able to delve into Anderson's treatise and come away with increased understanding of the nearly two thousand species comprising an extraordinary family of New World succulents. On a practical level, Anderson is an eminently inviting writer who delivers intriguing descriptions of the characteristics that set these plants apart. He also presents brief but brilliant surveys of ethnobotany and conservation issues. While more than 1,000 photographs overall illustrate the extraordinary diversity and gorgeous flowers of cacti, the main section--an alphabetically arranged reference--will arguably rank as the definitive work readers will use to examine and identify cactus genera, species, and subspecies. Alice Joyce
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Review
"For over eight decades these definitive records ( the publication, The Cactacae) have been the authority on the plant family Catacae. Edward Anderson's The Cactus Family is now the hallmark publication."Bruce Asakawa, Garden Compass, November 2001 (Garden Compass )

"The real meat of this large, scholarly work is contained in its encyclopedic treatment of the 125 genera of cacti. [The photographs] are superb and will entice many avid collectors." David Salman, American Gardener, September/October 2001 (American Gardener )

"This is a very thorough treatment of the subject there's little more you could learn about cacti after reading this book A book like this enriches our knowledge and may encourage people's interest in growing unusual plants."American Gardener, May/June 2002 (American Gardener )

"For over eight decades these definitive records ( the publication, The Cactacae) have been the authority on the plant family Catacae. Edward Anderson's The Cactus Family is now the hallmark publication."—Bruce Asakawa, Garden Compass, November 2001 (Bruce Asakawa Garden Compass )

"The real meat of this large, scholarly work is contained in its encyclopedic treatment of the 125 genera of cacti. [The photographs] are superb and will entice many avid collectors." David Salman, American Gardener, September/October 2001 (David Salman American Gardener )

"This is a very thorough treatment of the subject – there's little more you could learn about cacti after reading this book A book like this enriches our knowledge and may encourage people's interest in growing unusual plants."—American Gardener, May/June 2002 (American Gardener )

BUY THIS BOOK! Buy it now. . . . It is by far the best cactus book now in print. -- Myron Kimnach, Cactus & Succulent Society of America Journal, March/April 2001

Everything you ever wanted to know about any kind of cactus . . . The saguaro of books. -- Michael Clancy, The Arizona Republic, April 18, 2001

I believe that this book is a monumental accomplishment and that there is nothing else like it. -- Richard Stone, The Horticultural Society of New York Library

It will long be valued as a source book [Anderson] has left us a monument that merits high praise. -- Gordon Rowley, The Garden, September 2001

This book is a monumental accomplishment. -- Choice, July 2001

[The photographs] are superb and will entice many avid collectors. -- David Salman, The American Gardener, September 2001

[This book] . . . should reside on the shelf of every serious cactus enthusiast. -- Arthur C. Gobson, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Volume 77, No. 1, March 2002

Reader Reviews
Between 1919 and 1923, a landmark publication in four volumes, The Cactaceae, was published by the Carnegie Institution. It remains a landmark publication in the world's literature on cacti. Edward F. Anderson has produced a massive one volume encyclopedic work, which expands and extends the work of Carnegie Institution. This marvelous resource has been well worth waiting for as it is based on Anderson's forty-five years of research on cacti. The unique attributes of cacti are discussed in five chapters. Cacti occur naturally and are native to what is called "The New World." Only one species of native cacti is found in tropical Africa. In all other countries of the world where cacti are present, their existence is owed to the early explorers who carried cacti back to Europe on their ships and to birds that dispersed cactus seeds throughout the world. Cacti as food, both for humans and animals, is addressed along with the medicinal uses of cacti. Cacti have long been used for ceremonial and religious purposes by indigenous peoples of the New World and as a source of dyes, especially the beautiful red cochineal dye. A chapter on cacti cultivation has been contributed by Roger Brown. For those interested in growing cacti in their homes and gardens, Brown's advice on containers, potting and repotting, air circulation and ventilation, pests, pesticides, and propagation is a valuable bonus to this specialized encyclopedia. Pages 105 through 681 contain over 1,000 stunning color photographs (many photographed by Anderson), which are overwhelming in their portrayal of both the beauty and the idiosyncratic nature of cacti. Examples of the photographic artistry found within these glossy pages range from close-up snapshots of cactus flowers and large photographs of intriguing oddities. It will be difficult for cacti enthusiasts to wean themselves from this prodigious book, which weighs almost ten pounds. The appendices, glossary and indexes are superb. The eight-page double-column international bibliography is comprehensive, spanning over two centuries of research on cacti (the earliest citation is dated 1760 and the latest references are from 2001). This is truly a state-of-the-art source. This splendid work stands alone and at the top of its genre.