[Taxacom] New book: The Dendrobiums [Orchidaceae]

[freirefierro]

Dear all,

A colleague from the Philadelphia Botanical Club and a Research  
Associate of Botany at the Academy of Natural Sciences,  Dr. Howard  
Wood, has recently published the book The Dendrobiums.

The preface, written by Jeffrey J. Wood states "The scope of  
information on Dendrobium contained within the covers of this  
impressive volume is truly comprehensive. Hardly a stone has been  
left unturned. Subjects discussed include, among many others,  
morphology; anatomy; ethnobotany; pollination and breeding systems;  
ecology; phytogeography; molecular systematics and evolution;  
taxonomy and nomenclature, including a discussion of earlier  
classifications, such as those of Kraenzlin and Schlechter; and  
cultivation. Further chapters provide a geographical survey, which  
includes lists of species present throughout the distribution, and a  
synopsis of all recognized sections and segregate genera such as   
Epigeneium and Flickingeria. The text is complemented by a color  
photoatlas showing approximately 450 species."

Dr. Wood, a retired psychiatrist, has grown orchids for 50 years,  
specializing in Dendrobium species since 1978. Changes in residence  
required four successive greenhouses for their care and provided a  
variety of cultural settings. Since childhood the author has also had  
a keen interest in photography, and he has made slides of each  
blooming plant, numbering in the thousands. With a background in  
nature study and medicine, he became interested in the biology,  
evolution, and distribution of the Dendrobiums and made five trips to  
their habitats in Asia, Australia, the associated islands, and the  
South Pacific. He retired from medical practice in 1989 with the  
major goal of writing this book. He has published approximately 20  
"spinoff" papers in the process.

Most of the images in the photoatlas were taken by the author,  
displaying floral features from angles to aid identification. In  
addition, borrowed photos enabled coverage of every section in  
Dendrobium and allied genera.

This book, with an ISBN 3-906166-38-4, is available through: Timber  
Press (www.timberpress.com), 133 SW 2nd Ave, Suite 450, Portland, OR  
97204-3527 (the Americas); Amazon.com; and Koeltz Scientific Books  
(www.koeltz.com), PO Box 1360, 61462 Koenigstein, Germany.

******
Alina Freire-Fierro
Collection Manager
Herbarium PH, Botany Deptartment
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
19th and Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19103
U.S.A.
***
Tel: 1-215-299-1157
freirefierro at ansp.org
http://www.ansp.org/research/opportunities/jessup_mchenry.php
http://espanol.groups.yahoo.com/group/Anunciosbotanicos/