AGRICULTURE

摘要

A curious world, indeed, is brilliantly described in this definitive guide. Expert botanists with wide renown, Barthlott, Stefan Porembski, Rudiger Seine, and Inge Theisen have compiled the first comprehensive listing of all 630 known species of so-called flowers of evil. They detail the plants' biology, diversity, and cultivation. Over 150 color and black-and-white illustrations and two maps illuminate the exotic and beautiful world of plant carnivory. Chapters cover their habitats around the world, biogeography, variety of attracting and trapping mecha- nisms, prey, and digestion and nutrient uptake systems. The authors discuss the evolution of carnivory, conservation, and requirements for growing these bizarre plants. Sections on the ten families of carnivorous plants and the animal-trapping mosses and fungi open with essays, informed both by historical understanding and by recent scholarship. A full list of carnivorous plants is supplied, A-to-Z by name of species, with the year they were first described and distribution information. A glossary, bibliography, index, and list of carnivorous plant societies and sources close this fine volume. Highly recommended for all gardening or reference collections.