Product Description
This book bridges a long-standing gap between obscure references in tropical botany and the gardener's need for an accurate, practical guide with clear photographs. Incorporating the latest advances in plant taxonomy from the definitive text of Dr. Walter Judd, the book is a rare work of scrupulous research --- and magnificent photography --- that will be as useful to the gardener as it is to the botanist. Kirsten Llamas exhaustively documents more than 1400 flowering trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants commonly grown in tropical and subtropical gardens. She provides thorough information on cultivation for each plant, including growth characteristics, light exposure, cold hardiness, invasive tendencies, and unique horticultural features. More than 1500 color photos of magnificent flowering specimens make this book as much a pleasure to browse as it is a resource for research. Sure to appeal to gardeners, landscapers, nurseries, collectors, botany students, florists, and botanical gardens, Tropical Flowering Plants promises to be a staple reference for decades to come.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 14 reviews)

Tropical Flowering Plants

This is an excellent reference book for any plant lover who lives in the sub-tropics. We grow several hundred kinds of tropical plants and I have yet to disagree with anything I've read in the book.
May 30, 2008

Tropical Flowering Plants

This amazing book is a must for people who love tropical flowering plants. The photos are in accurate colour, and the wealth of information is concise, clear, and helpful. It is delightful being able to match my photos to hers.
January 07, 2008

A solid guide to tropical flowering plants

This is a very good book for gardeners who live in a tropical climate, especially those who would like to grow plants that are not ordinarily found in big box plant nurseries.

Cultivation requirements of listed plants are clear and concise, and include warnings as to invasiveness, toxicity of plant materials, and any unusual quirks.

There is also a list of invasive plants, and those that are considered endangered or rare.

I enjoy just sitting and reading through it, each time picking out another plant I would like to have, as if it was a catalog.
August 27, 2007

Perhaps the most gratifying reference-book of its type

This excellent book is not without a few faults--some of which have been brought up in other reviews--but overall this packs a huge amount of information in a beautifully presented volume with gorgeous photography and well-written text. Yes, it's more valuable to the horticulturally-oriented, since it is organized by family rather than genus, and this does limit its easy use to the more studied reader. But nevertheless it is very satisfying to the browser who is unaware of either potential organizational scheme.

Perhaps because Ms. Llamas is South Florida-based, the zone information is sometimes less than accurate, especially as regards tropicals that perform as frost-tender or half-hardy perennials in subtropical areas such as the Gulf States; she doesn't award zone-designations on the a/b half-zone system, a very useful tool in determining hardiness of tropical and subtropical plants; nor is their differentiation between climate adaptations in California or the Desert Southwest as opposed to the humid south/southeast, or truly tropical areas. Nevertheless the zone information is better than in the majority of texts, and in fact it is probably the only successful book I can think of that combines beautiful images, well-written and concise language with at least basic cultivation info, and current scientific nomenclature. She also includes some taxonomical details that really can help identify one plant in comparison to another related species. And here also, the family-grouping scheme is very helpful in comparing related plants, and serves as a valuable learning-tool for budding gardeners, horticulturists and landscape designers/architects.

There's room for improvement: perhaps a two-volume expansion is in order. But I think few will be disappointed with this. Certainly for South Florida there is no finer and more usable book on the subject. And it likely will introduce even seasoned tropical-growers to many new and exciting plants.
July 20, 2007

Tropical Plants

Very comprehensive. Species are grouped by families. Lots of excellent photos. Have bought over 10 books for friends after they saw mine. Highly recommended for anyone interested in tropical plants.
January 05, 2007

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