Book Information needed

[pedersonplants]

The Genus Utricularia: A Taxonomic Monograph (Advances in Legume Systematics) (Paperback)

Has anyone read this book. Is it worth the $98 price for an amateur?

I have CPs of North America, Gardening with Carnivores, Pitcher Plants of the Americas, Barry Rice's book, and The Savage Garden.

 

[rattler]

only if your a Utric nut........trying to read Taylor's monograph from cover to cover will put yah to sleep in short order. it is a reference book like an encyclopedia. not ment to be read like the other books in your collection. ive found it to be a handy book full of good info but im one of those who prefers Utrics to most other CP's. their is no growing info, just descriptions of plants, their habitats and ranges. all pictures are line drawings aswell.

 

[pedersonplants]

I just potted up 5 utricularias . Have some more coming too. I LOVE these plants. There's just something about their tiny flowers blooming in winter that gets my attention.

I need to save a while for that book. Is the information on the various species any different from what I'd find in my other books.

I cannot find U. simplex information right now. Hoping planting it in a sphagnum peat/perlite mixture and hoping for the best.

 

[rattler]

like i said no growing info is in the book. however it states that its habitat is in the more open parts of moist peaty heaths and swamps near sea level. collected in flower in Oct. Nov. and March.

for distribution it says known only from a narrow coastal strip in southwestern Australia......nowhere recorded from more than 40km from the Southern Ocean coast.......most frequently collected in the region of Albany.

 

[jimscott]

At this point I would say no. Why? For the most part you will be given common, easy to grow plants from the genus and the discussion forum and Savage Garden is about all you will need to cultivate them. That book is if you have gotten past the basic plants and want to procure and cultivate as many as you can, including very challenging ones.

 

[rattler]

That book is if you have gotten past the basic plants and want to procure and cultivate as many as you can, including very challenging ones

lol actually not quite Jim.....if you want info on cultivation Pyro or Seandew or a few others are far, far better references than this book for the uncommon/challenging species. Taylors book comes in handy for differentiating between some of the very closely related and appearing species but you will also need a very good hand lens or microscope to help you aswell. its also interesting for ppl such as myself who get a kick out of reading the descriptions of habitats and such of various species when its 50 below out and they have nothing better to do :grin:

its not a required book for a CP nut, infact last i knew Barry Rice didnt even have a copy(he asked where i got mine shortly after his book was published when we were discussing his book). heck i would go after Lowrie's three books before i got Taylors if it was me and were to do it over again(i dont have them yet but want them........)

 

[pedersonplants]

What are the titles for Taylors' book and Lowrie's 3 books? It'd be much easier for me to hunt down books with names and the complete name of the authors.

 

[rattler]

Taylors is the one you mentioned in your first post, "The Genus Utricularia". Allen Lowrie wrote the books "Carnivorous Plants of Australia" which has 3 volumes. the first two are out of print and expensive. i believe the third one is out of print aswell but as of the moment is easier to find and ALOT cheaper than the first 2........once again though it doesnt have growing info but it has color photographs......you have the major books for growing info already any other books you pick up from here on out are going to be more reference type....if you need more growing info than what the books you have contain, the ppl of this forum is your best resource.....