Showing 1–12 of 40 results
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A Guide to Orchids of Laos
Artist/Author: Gale, Stephan W, Pankaj Kumar, Thatsaphone Phaxaysombath$40.00 Add to cartLaos is a landlocked country that lies at the heart of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot, one of the world’s most biodiverse and most threatened eco-regions. Until a few decades ago, virtually the entire country was clothed in tropical lowland and montane forest, a natural heritage that had enriched its culture and economy from its birth in the 14th century as the Land of a Million Elephants and the White Parasol. But local, regional and global demand for timber, wildlife, agricultural products and mineral resources has drastically modified the landscape of the Lower Mekong Basin. Protecting remaining tracts of intact natural forest to ensure ecological resilience and conserve biodiversity has become correspondingly important.
Appreciating the intricate beauty and documenting the astonishing richness of life in Laos’ natural areas are vital parts of this process, and to study the country’s orchids is an exercise in both. To date, 683 orchid species have been recorded in Laos, accounting for more than 13% of its known flora, and this list will undoubtedly grow. This handy guide book to these amazing plants provides succinct descriptions and full colour photographs to a selection of 125 native species, introducing the reader to the key morphological and ecological features that distinguish them. Variously specialised to practically all habitats, orchids have the power to captivate curious minds, unveil the workings of evolution and serve as a flagship for conservation in Laos and the wider region.
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Into the Orchid House: In Search of Beauty
Artist/Author: Breeden, Stanley, Kaisa Breeden and Bruce Gray$45.00 Add to cartHigh on the hills of the Atherton Tablelands in far north Queensland stands a glasshouse built by orchid expert Bruce Gray. Whether from the cloud forests of South America, the Himalayan Mountains of India, the mangroves of the Philippines, the rocky outcrops of Madagascar or the dense rainforests of New Guinea, tropical species thrive here.
Award-winning photographers Stanley and Kaisa Breeden capture the plants in rich, detailed images. Specialising in macro photography using natural light, the Breedens produce masterful floral portraits, exquisite in detail and colour. Step into the orchid house to discover this extraordinary and diverse world.
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Orchid Pollinators of Victoria (Fourth Edition)
Artist/Author: Kuiter, Rudie H$115.00 Add to cartThere is so much to learn about the world of orchids and the role which insects play in the pollination of such highly evolved plants. Orchids and insects are constantly under attack by the human race – ruining their environment – clearing and burning habitats, and the overuse of insecticides. Without the wasps, bees and flies we would not exist and they should be valued like all other wild creatures for the protection of habitats, and realise the importance of their diversity. To observe the pollinators in action it is essential to have a good understanding of nature, be familiar with the insects, and be very patient. The intriguing role insects play in orchid pollination is documented in Orchid Pollinators of Victoria. With more than 1,300 superb images it will give the insects the appreciation they deserve, even if they may bite or sting.
Over 100 additional mages were added for this fourth edition.
The book comes with a small, 19-page supplement that systematically treats the insects themselves in more detail, as these details became increasingly obscured as new editions of this book became larger.
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A Guide to Dendrobium of Australia
Artist/Author: Adams, Peter B.$35.00 Add to cartDendrobium species are attractive, conspicuous and numerous along the entire eastern coast of Australia, and are popular plants for culture and breeding of colourful hybrids. In contrast to the other books in the series so far, where a selection of species was made, all Australian species and their variants (around 80) are included. There is a full spectrum of plant form from some of the smallest mat-forming dendrobiums to the largest in the genus, being over two metres tall and several metres across. The unusual and rarer species of Cape York Peninsula and central Queensland are uncommon in collections and seldom seen, requiring travel to remote places. Some of the most striking Dendrobium habitats are illustrated.
There have been a number of approaches to the classification of Dendrobium and related genera over the past 30 years. Classification and nomenclature are always evolving as new information becomes available. Genera Orchidacearum Volume 6 (2014) included evidence from morphology, DNA and all other areas of study and provided an international consensus for Dendrobium, bringing a long-awaited degree of stability to the genus. This book follows the Genera Orchidacearum Vol. 6 approach and the Kew Monocot Checklist, and considers all available published evidence on the genus. An identification key to the sections is provided, and species are arranged in a checklist according to sections.
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Orchid Pollinators of Victoria 2: Nectar-Rewarding Leek Orchids and their Allies
Artist/Author: Kuiter, Rudie H$50.00 Add to cartThe terrestrial orchids of Victoria are reputed to attract pollinators by deception and the highly specialised strategies used were well covered in Orchid Pollinators of Victoria, 4th edition. The nectar-rewarding orchid pollinators received only basic treatment and are elaborated on in this companion volume. Initial observations indicated different aspects to orchid-insect relationships and this deserved more attention. Orchids that have food-rewards attract a greater variety of visitors, but these include non-pollinating or pollinia-robbing insects. To compensate for losses a large number of flowers are needed on the same plant, but these are often cross-pollinated and geitonogamy is common. The various strategies have evolved from adapting to environmental changes to sustain populations, each of which producing ample viable seeds for eventually some to become adult plants. Nectariferous orchids may be the least specialised of the Victorian taxa, readily adapting to changes that occur at a natural rate, but they are far from being safe. Habitats in the few areas left since colonisation are changing too quickly, and deteriorating at an alarming rate. Destruction of ecosystems continues, critically reducing the suitable orchid habitats by clearing and logging. This is accelerated by prescribed burning and many of the endangered species are driven to extinction.
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Victoria’s Cryptic Orchids
Artist/Author: Kuiter, Rudie H$96.00 Add to cartVictoria’s Cryptic Orchids is a comprehensive guide to selected terrestrial genera and comprises species that usually blend in exceptionally well with their surroundings. It includes the Beard, Elbow, Onion, Midge, Duck, Horned, Tongue, Fringed Hare, Mosquito, Gnat, Bird and Helmet Orchids. As their vernacular name implies, flowers feature unusual looks and may have an intriguing insect-like appearance. Their looks serve to go unnoticed, but they emit a special scent for their specific pollinators to find them. Flowering times of the various species are in tune with the flying times of their particular insect pollinators, combined with best suited environmental conditions. Most Victorian orchids flower only briefly during a specific time of a season, but at any time of the year a particular cryptic orchid may be in flower.
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Victoria’s Summer Orchids
Artist/Author: Kuiter, Rudie H$96.00 Add to cartThe colourful terrestrial orchids of Victoria flower from Spring over Summer. We can admire the many yellow or purple blooms of the Diuris from late Spring, whilst the mostly pink Dipodium hyacinth-orchids are Summer flowering. The magnificent blue, pink or yellow coloured Thelymitra sun-orchids show over Spring and Summer, and with numerous flowers on a spike the Prasophyllum leek-orchids from Spring to the end of Summer.
This book is an extensively illustrated guide covering nearly 100 taxa with about 1150 images. It compliments the books Victoria’s Cryptic Orchids, Victoria’s Spider Orchids, Victoria’s Small Caladenias and Victoria’s Greenhoods and Rustyhoods – and completes the series. -
The Book of Orchids: A Life-size Guide to Six Hundred Species from Around the World
Artist/Author: Christenhusz, Maarten, Marck Chase and Tom Mirenda.$60.00 Add to cartOne 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 is 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.
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Orchid: A Cultural History
Artist/Author: Endersby, Jim.$72.00 Add to cartAt once delicate, exotic, and elegant, orchids are beloved for their singular, instantly recognizable beauty. Found in nearly every climate, the many species of orchids have carried symbolic weight in countless cultures over time. The ancient Greeks associated them with fertility and thought that a parent who ingested the orchid root could determine the gender of a child. During the Victorian era, orchids became deeply associated with romance and seduction. And in twentieth century hard-boiled detective stories, they transformed into symbols of decadence, secrecy, and cunning. What is it about the orchid that has enthralled the imagination for so many centuries? And why do they still provoke so much wonder? To answer, Jim Endersby offers a unique cultural history of this captivating family of plants. Following the stories of orchids throughout history, Endersby divides our attraction to them into four key themes: science, empire, sex, and death. He explore how these have shaped orchids and how orchids, in return, have shaped our own investigations and associations. When it comes to empire, for instance, orchids are a prime example of the exotic riches sought by Europeans as they shaped their plans for colonization. Endersby also reveals how Charles Darwin s theory of evolution became intimately entangled with the story of the orchid as he investigated their methods of cross-pollination. As Endersby shows, orchids perhaps because of their extraordinarily diverse colors, shapes, and sizes have also bloomed repeatedly in films, novels, plays, and poems, from Shakespeare to science fiction, from hard-boiled thrillers to elaborate modernist novels. Featuring many gorgeous illustrations from the collection of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Orchid: A Cultural History tells, for the first time, the extraordinary story of orchids and our prolific interest in them. It is a tale sure to enchant not only gardeners and plant collectors, but anyone curious about the flower s obsessive hold on the imagination in history, cinema, literature, and more.
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Orchids in South Africa: a gardener’s guide.
Artist/Author: Venter, Hendrik.$55.00 Add to cartThis handy guide shows new and existing growers how to care for their orchid plants. Learn how to treat, water and feed your orchids, how much shade or light they need, and how you need to grow, maintain and propagate them to prosper and flower regularly. Many species are discussed in detail, and the accompanying photographs of the species and a selection of popular hybrids will help you identify the different kinds, and also show you what other species you may be able to grow in the conditions you are able to provide. Also contains chapters on Orchids and their history; Basic botanical information on orchids; General growing information, and Re potting and dividing of orchids. Growing orchids is a fascinating and satisfying hobby.
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Orchids of Margaret River and Australia’s southwest capes.
Artist/Author: Scott, Jane.$20.00 Add to cartA wonderful introduction to 130 native orchids of the Margaret River and southwest capes region of Western Australia. Full of clear colour photographs, this book will aid in identifying orchids found not only in this region, but also the International Biodiversity Hotspot. Each species is illustrated by at least one photograph and details are provided on appearance, habitat, distribution and flowering times.
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Orchids of the Hunter Region
Artist/Author: Burton, Elisabeth.$40.00 Add to cartOver 150 orchid species were found while collecting orchid specimens from the Hunter Region for the herbarium at the Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney. This book is a pictorial guide to those orchids, with information about identifying features and flowering times.
Elisabeth Burton has been a life-long naturalist; a botanist, bushwalker, photographer and bush regenerator. Over the last ten years her interest in botany has been focused on Australian native orchids.
