Many Succulent plant enthusiasts love a good book almost as much as the plants they grow in their collections. Any book that provides a comprehensive overview of a subject (Pachyforms, Agaves, Stapeliads, etc.) is especially exciting, holding the potential to be the standard reference for many years to come. The hobby has been blessed with many such books of late, covering plant groups like Aloes, Bushman Candles, and more. The Timber Press Guide to Succulent Plants of the World clearly aims to be one of these must have reference books.
The book fills a unique niche. Rather than covering every known species in any single family or category, it provides a broad, and somewhat deep, overview of the range of succulent plant species that are likely to interest enthusiasts. It is not too technical, nor too focused on the beginner. As such, this book will expand the knowledge base for a beginner, but also make interesting reading for the most knowledgeable grower. All succulent plant lovers will no doubt enjoy the wonderful photos.
The book is organized in a straight forward way and features many photos of a wide range of species in cultivation and habitat. The book begins with an overview of the range of habitat types that support succulents. Chapter 2 focuses on succulents in cultivation and propagation techniques, providing a good generalized overview of things like soil mixes, drainage, light requirements and propagation.
Plant descriptions are grouped into 30 categories based on a mixture of taxonomy and physical shape. For example, one section is dedicated to Aloes, while another, Succulent Trees and Pachy-cauls, covers the range of families and genera that share this growth form.
The photos are worthy of comment. There are many of high quality, thanks to a range of well-traveled contributors. There are too many to mention all here, but a few include Susan Carter (who provided photos of many Somali species in habitat – a real treat), Brian Kemble (Madagascan habitat photos), and Rob Skillin (habitat pictures from Namibia, Socotra, South Africa, and elsewhere).
It's nice to see high quality habitat photos of popular species such as Calibanus hookeri, Fouquieria fasciculata, and rare ones like Adenia ballyi included in a publication like this. Even in the age of Google image search, it's not easy finding such descriptive and well composed habitat pictures of plants such as these and it's a real treat to find them here.
There are a few mistakes. For example, a stunning Euphorbia (pg 118) from the Yemeni mainland is labeled E. spiralis, which is in fact a very different species from Socotra. (Oddly enough, the true E. spiralis is rarely spiral shaped and is a much less imposing plant) The 2 Commiphora species described on page 241(C. dinteri and C. wildii) appear to both be pictures of C. saxicola. Another error worth mentioning involves the popular bulb, Boophone disticha. The often seen misspelling, ”Boophane” is repeated in the book.
I couldn't help feeling that a bit more species-specific commentary on cultivation requirements would help growers who are lured into purchasing hard to grow plants after seeing the wonderful photos in the book. One example that jumped out involves Adenium socotranum, which is notoriously hard to grow well if it lacks the required year-round heat and humidity. The book mentions that “in areas of suitable light (it) is best treated as a winter grower” While this is not entirely wrong, at least in Southern California, if taken literally, this advice would lead many a promising seedling to an early demise.
The book itself has a solid feel. The paper stock is a heavy enough weight to not feel cheap and the color reproduction on the photos seems quite good.
Overall, this is a substantial book for a reasonable price. It's an enjoyable read and would make an excellent addition to the library of longtime hobbyists, newcomers to the hobby, as well as local affiliate clubs. The $49.95 price is a bargain.
