4 comments about The Dendrobiums.

1. A very good book for the serious student of the subject.
   For the dendrobium grower of an advanced status the "notes on the species" is rather thin, i.e. that section could have been enlarged.To fill some gaps, perhaps just a simplified list of species with name,origin and C, Int. or W might have helped. But in conjunction with other literature on dendrobiums, it is a great font of knowledge.
   Thanks.



2. Howard Wood's The Dendrobiums is a massive volume, numbering xxiii+ 847 pp. + 117 pp of photographs - approximately 1000 pp. at the hefty retail price of $150 USD. This volume covers quite a range of topics and certainly is the most comprehensive available volume on the tribe Dendrobieae. Unfortunately, I do not think the volume to be worth the price, even at the substantial discounts at which it is presently available. In brief, the numerous typographic (including type setting) errors are very distracting and speak for a need for a careful and thorough edit. More importantly, I found this volume to be based too frequently on personal opinion and conjecture, without adequate development of his opinions and conclusions. For example, the author says he is not trying to make taxonomic changes, while in places he makes them, usually with little explanation. The sections on numerical taxonomy and DNA analysis are particularly incomplete, leaning heavily upon Yukawa's research, and in general the writing on the evolution and ecology of the tribe is not very insightful. Figures appear without adequate captions or explanation. The sections on plant and flower anatomy and the regional/country floras are useful, and the regional floras are available nowhere else except in a comprehensive university or museum library. Citations and references are fully given in the extensive bibliography. The photographs are mostly from Wood's own collection, as are the cultural notes. For the amateur grower, the cultural notes are likely to be less than helpful, since by Wood's own admission they are based upon his experience only - and all rather discouraging, since he found so many species to be unsustainable in cultivation. In brief, the major flaw of this volume is its comprehensiveness. There is something for everyone, but not enough detail to satisfy virtually anyone. Wood's work is a step in the right direction, but given his note concerning how much work is needed, points to how far we have to go to get something better. On balance, as a grower I found the photos of species not to be found anywhere else to be the most useful element in this volume; as a scientist, I found the citations and references to be most useful. However, the combination as it is represented in this book is not very satisfactory. I find the two volumes by Baker and Baker and Lavarack et al., combined with Jay Pfahl's species encyclopedia on the internet, to constitute a more useful set of resources for this subject than The Dendrobiums.



3. For this book Howard Wood, has been awarded the Engler Silver Medal for 2006 for a work in systematics, given by the Inernational Association for Plant Taxonomy, publisher of the journal Taxon.
   
   Anne C. Wood



4. The book is about three inches thick! Why? Because the type are way too big. You can read the text three feet away. If this book were to be lay-out in half the font size as in a typical book. This book would have been about an inch thick or less. It is way too pricey and not enough photos, amateurishly illustrations. Leave the trees where they are so the Dendrobiums can grow-on.

No comments about Wild Orchids of the Northeastern United States: A Field and Study Guide to the Orchids Growing Wild in New England, New York, and Adjacent Pennsylvania and New Jersey (Comstock Books).

No comments about The Little Book of Orchids (Little Book of . . .).

No comments about Complete Guide to Orchids (Miracle Gro).

1 comments about Miniature Orchids and How to Grow Them.

1. Truly, a fine book, but I doubt it's for beginners. After a brief (30 page) culture and environment description and introduction, there's a list of the miniature orchids you can (possibly) grow...but here is the crux of the problem. The plants are described, but it seems as if the descriptions are simply being quoted from some unknown source; mostly there are no culture descriptions. Most orchids aren't all that cheap, and most growers like to do research on what they're going to buy. Temperature, humidity, resting period, etc are all important...and unless you can do a search on some of these true rarities, the money (and the search time) will be simply wasted. There's simply nothing about them other than the descriptions.

3 comments about Fragrant Orchids: A Guide to Selecting, Growing, and Enjoying.

1. Frowine lists a multitude of orchids within this book that have been observed to be fragrant either through first hand knowledge or word of mouth. For many of the orchids, he lists some of the basics such as fragrance (i.e. what it smells like), distribution, and some cultivation information. The cultivation information isn't very detailed, but this is a book about fragrance and cultivation information can be found in other books and on the web. For me, the most useful section of the book is the appendices. There are 6 appendices and they are all great:
   
   A) Orchids by Ease of Culture
   B) Orchids by Light Requirements
   C) Orchids by Nighttime Temperature Preference
   D) Orchids by Intensity of Fragrance (my favorite, also describes the fragrance)
   E) Orchids by Time of Fragrance
   F) Orchids by Season of Bloom



2. The book teaches to cultivate some easily orchids found at especialized stores.
   The photos need to have more ligth, many are dark; its a book indicated only for beginners.
   It was not that waited.



3. I read and enjoyed "Orchids for Dummies" another book by Steven Frowine which actually helped give me the courage to get started in the wonderful hobby of growing orchids, so when I saw the "Fragrant Orchids" book by the same author I picked it up confident that it would help me learn more about these extraordinary plants.
   I was not disappointed. After a brief couple of chapters entitled "Fragrant Fact and Fancys" and "The Basics of Growing", the book is divided into informative chapters on orchid "alliances", each one profusely illustrated with life like photographs. Everything from pronunciation to recommended potting medium is covered for over 100 fragrant orchids.
   I found the extensive appendices offered by the author to be very helpful. Here the species are sorted in to several useful categories that range from "Ease of Use" to "Time of Fragrance". This book has certainly help deepen my knowledge and love for the beautiful and now fragrant orchids.

4 comments about Orchid Species Culture: Oncidium/Odontoglossum Alliance.

1. I love Baker's books on orchid species culture. It's all the information that experts are always haranguing beginners to learn about species: "Know where it comes from! Learn its preferred temperatures! Lowlands or alpine!" Alas most beginners haven't a clue where to look for this kind of information other than the same old reference books that keep reprinting the same old outdated and sometimes outright wrong stuff. Use this in conjunction with Harry Zelenko's Oncidium book for easy identification, and you're all set to grow any oncidium alliance species that might come your way.



2. ...when you're of the belief that it's important to try and recreate the environment a plant came from in order to successfully grow an orchid, well, this book has it all...terribly interesting, the varied micro climates each species has...



3. This bulky volume contains a stunning amount of gathered information about (micro-)climate, habitat, distribution, flowering time, sizes and colors of plant parts about virtually every Oncidium alliance botanical species that exists, updated to present taxonomical insights. A wealth of knowledge for every grower or breeder that likes to try his/her hands on some Oncidium alliance botanicals. An amazing achievement of the authors and a very valuable posession!



4. This book is for the serious student of orchids, whether neophyte or experienced grower. It covers 87 genera in the Oncidium/Odontoglossum alliance, and provides a wealth of cultural information, based on the genus' origin and habitat. If a grower knows the altitude, day and night temperature fluctuations, humidity, rainfall patterns, light requirements, etc., of a plant, (s)he stands a much better chance of growing (and blooming) it successfully.
   
   In addition to providing all of this information, the book gives plant size and type, whether the plant has a stem or pseudobulb, describes the leaves, inflorescence, and flowers, including size, number of flowers per inflorescence, and whether or not they are fragrant.
   
   There is a discussion at the beginning of Cultural Recommendations in "captivity": light, temperatures, humidity, watering requirements, fertilizer, rest periods, growing media, cultural problems, etc.
   
   This is not a picture book. The only pictures are the eight on the dust jacket. But there is invaluable information between the covers for the person who wants to excel at growing and blooming orchids.

4 comments about Orchids as House Plants.

1. There's a large section here on growing orchids under artificial lights including home-made set ups and commercially available light stands and wardian cases. The book needs a resource listing as to where to purchase the light stands and recommendations on how to build your own. Half of the book lists generalizations of the different orchid families and how to care for them, but even that is only touched upon. The author goes into detail on the description of the flowers and leaves, but not much info on the care. An example of this is "bright light, warm temperatures, and plenty of water and humidity" to describe the care of Ascocentrum orchids. This doesn't tell us how much is needed which I think is important since "warm" can be anywhere from 50-90 degrees.



2. After doing research on the internet and libraries, my questions were not answered until I read this book. Wanting instant gratification I went directly to the index which gave me the areas to read that I needed. The book explains how to pot, water and fertilize quickly with less anxiety. It gives pictures of many orchids, their colors, sizes and needs. I recommend this book highly and my next purchase is a deep purple Denrrobium phalaenopsis.



3. Good book, optimum status, author is well knowed and always attendible.
   Only more color photos could be better.



4. I bought this book for my mom who recently received a beautiful orchid plant. Anyone who has seen an orchid knows COLOR is one of the important factors in an orchid and to see the pictures in this book illustrated in B/W is a huge disappointment. The price was right but the product wasn't.

5 comments about Dendrobium and Its Relatives.

1. Having grown orchids for more than 20 years, this book is outstanding in it's treatment of the genus Dendrobium. There are lots of superb features which are helpful the novice and the scientist. Particularly useful are the tables denoting geographic distribution, sectional division of like-groups of Dendrobs, and individual color-plates with information on hundreds of plants.

   Must have for any serious grower. Can be a great coffee table book as well. Why did I just by one for a gift?... James Roberts --- Roberts Orchids




2. This book really help me to identify Dendrobium species and its relative like Epigenium and Flickengeria, almost all popular Dendrobium species from India, S.E Asia and some Pacific island included. Good color plate and description about plant origins and distribution. A must have book for Orchid lover.



3. I am an avid Dendrobium orchid grower.

   Absolutely love this book, there are few orchids books around that go this indepth into any genera of orchid keeping. It's good to see a detailed book which give plenty of cultural information on each species. I particularly liked the descriptions of the natural growing environments, it helps me with their cultural requirements so I can grow them in my glass house.

   This one is a most own book for any Dendrobium grower or any orchid show judge.




4. This is a really great authoritive book with plenty of information on the genus and a lot of informative pictures. At my opinion, it is the most best organised book on the Dendrobiums presently on market.



5. Approximately 415 types Denrobiums are described. At each type it is described where they grow and under which circumstances they must be grown.

No comments about The Orchid: From the Archives of the Royal Horticultural Society.