Ken Preston-Mafham

The author sets out to show how easy it is to find cacti and succulents in their natural habitat, in addition to illustrating the variation in appearance within many species of cacti. The latter he explains is the reason why so many names have disappeared in recent years as they have been absorbed as synonyms of earlier named species. Based on his own travels through Bolivia; South-West United States including Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and California; and Southern Africa, each of the author’s photographs is accompanied by a brief description of both plant and habitat.

The book is illustrated throughout in full colour with over 170 photographs, and each section opens with a map of the area under consideration. Many of the photographs are of a good size, and include close-ups of plants as well as wider shots showing the terrain. The text is very accessible, almost chatty in style, and the quality of the photographs is excellent, in some cases outstanding.

With a book this size, just 158pp, the coverage is obviously limited, and the range of plants quite narrow, less than 50 genera I counted, some represented by only one example; but it is none the less interesting for this. It all makes for a fascinating study.… (mais)