Title: Field Guide to Succulents in Southern Africa
Authors: Gideon F. Smith, Neil R. Crouch, Estrela Figueiredo
Imprint: Struik Nature
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Cape Town, South Africa 2017
ISBN 9781775843672 / ISBN 978-1-77-584367-2
Softcover, 15 x21 cm, 464 pages, throughout colour photos
The Field Guide to Succulents in Southern Africa has been updated and considerably expanded as a field guide to 700 succulent plants of the region. Also includes is a range of little known succulents, some, for example, that are not often encountered in cultivation and specialist collections, but that nature lovers may stumble upon in the wild. The devastating impact that invasive alien species have in transforming once pristine natural environments has become increasingly evident. Amongst the now largely unwelcome colonisers, over 80 invasive succulents have been recorded in South Africa. As many as possible of these are included. An increasing awareness has led to indigenous plants being favoured both in domestic gardens and public spaces. In these trends the value of succulents as horticultural subjects has become clear, and these plants increasingly feature among material offered for sale by commercial nurseries. A better understanding of the conservation status of the plants, including all the succulents of South Africa, was facilitated by the completion of a comprehensive Red List for the country's plants in 2009.To draw attention to the need for conserving our precious succulent flora, a number of threatened succulents are included in this book.
FOREWORD
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
What are succulents?
Main types of succulent plants
Conservation alert!
Distribution in southern Africa
Useful succulents
Gardening with succulents
Southern African succulents in world horticulture
Succulent plant families - key features
FAMILY AND SPECIES ACCOUNTS
GLOSSARY
INDEX