Good book on epiphytes?

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CactusBoss
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Good book on epiphytes?

Post by CactusBoss »

I want a decent book on epiphytes that doesn't cost like $200! I'm obsessed with epiphytic cacti now!
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daiv
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Re: Good book on epiphytes?

Post by daiv »

Man those are hard to come by. The books by Supplie are pretty much just pictures of hybrid flowers - not much there. I recommend this one for Schlums:

http://www.exoticplantbooks.com/detail/?product_id=63" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is also a book called "Cactus of Costa Rica", but is is all in Spanish and not anywhere near as informative as the Christmas Cactus book. Other than that, info on Epiphyllum, Hylocereus, Selenicereus, etc. is really hard to find - mostly in large works like "The Cactaceae", "The Cactus Family", and "Then New Cactus Lexicon" - here too you don't get much beyond the descriptions and hopefully a photo too.

If it wasn't for these all inclusive of the Cactus Family works, I don't know that there would be any source to go to for even more obscure genera like Weberocereus.
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CactusBoss
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Re: Good book on epiphytes?

Post by CactusBoss »

There should be more books on epis cause there seems to be a growing interest in them. This will do for now though, thanks.
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Re: Good book on epiphytes?

Post by phil_SK »

Not books but...

http://www.amjbot.org/content/98/9/1549.full.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://hss.ulb.uni-bonn.de/2011/2703/2703-1.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.researchgate.net/publication ... f30007.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
DaveW
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Re: Good book on epiphytes?

Post by DaveW »

Most books on epiphytes are mainly on Disocactus x Heliocereus hybrids with very little true Epiphyllum blood in their ancestry, though usually wrongly referred to as Epiphyllum's in general literature.

If you want a book on species epiphytes they are hard to find. I would guess the New Cactus Lexicon has the best set of pictures of true epiphytic species, but nothing on their cultivation.

Can only add to Phil's list:-

http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/tre ... ceae.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.ecology.org/ecophoto/articles/Epiphyllum.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.systbot.uzh.ch/static/person ... ruguay.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The following link is probably better than most books other than The New Cactus Lexicon I have seen on the subject, particularly for true Epiphyllum's which have white and initially nocturnal flowers, though they may last into early the following morning and are nothing like the Disocactus x Heliocereus hybrids wrongly called Epiphyllum's.:-

http://www.scribd.com/doc/55652457/The- ... ytic-Cacti" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If it's the so called Epiphyllum hybrids you are interested in rather than true species of epiphytes there are loads of sites on the Web if you Google "Epiphyllum's" and a few books on them also, but then if you want such florists flowers you may as well grow Begonia's! :lol: Can you tell I don't like hybrid cacti?
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Re: Good book on epiphytes?

Post by daiv »

Yes, there seems to be a very small sampling of people that like growing the epiphytic species. I went to an Epi Society meeting in San Diego once. Nice people, but the whole thing was about the hybrids. I understand the appeal of the hybrids, but personally don't have much interest.

So I guess it doesn't pay to publish a book on a subject that has so little interest.
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eduart
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Re: Good book on epiphytes?

Post by eduart »

Hi,
I went to an Epi Society meeting in San Diego once. Nice people, but the whole thing was about the hybrids.
Same for me Daiv. At some stage I was interested in bromeliads, and I was simply put off by the huge interest in hybrids of the bromeliad collectors I met. as opposed to the good species.

So, now only my interest in Tillandsias stays alive...

Cheers,
Eduart
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Re: Good book on epiphytes?

Post by DaveW »

How many rose or begonia growers grow the true species?

We used to have a President in our cactus society, the then NCSS now the BCSS, who as well as a large cactus collection specialised in species begonias and often collected in habitat, so had a large greenhouse full of them. If you are used to the normal hybrid begonias you would have never recognised many as begonias out of flower since they are just as variable as cacti. His name was Maurice Mason and the so called "Iron Cross" begonia is named after him Begonia masoniana:-

http://www.begonias.org/Articles/Vol43/ ... oniana.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It is a pity people devote so much time to hybrids when natural species are so much more interesting and through careless pollination, often passing them off as species by giving them the name of the fruit bearing plant, allow them to pollute the pool of true species available.
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