Book List: Cacti

While many classic titles are out-of-print, they can often be obtained from Barnes & Nobles' extensive network of second-hand dealers. The information in specialist reference books often remains relevant and may not be available elsewhere.

See more books about:

Dry Gardening

Cacti

Postcard Books

Succulent Plants

Webmaster's Choice

Books about Cacti
	The Gardener's Guide to Cactus: The 100 Best Paddles, Barrels, Columns, and Globes by Scott Calhoun Pre-order now. Paperback ISBN-13: 9781604692006 Pub. Date: January 2012 Scott Calhoun is an award-winning garden designer and the author of two previous books, Chasing Wildflowers and Yard Full of Sun, for which he won the American Horticultural Society's book award in 2006. Formerly the "Garden Expert" for Tucson's CBS affiliate, Calhoun now writes a weekly garden design column for The Arizona Daily Star and the Western states plant notes column for Country Gardens magazine. He's also a regular contributor to Sunset and Horticulture magazines. His Web site is zonagardens.com
	500 Cacti: Species and Varieties in Cultivation by Ken Preston-Mafham Hardcover ISBN-13: 9781554072613 Pub. Date: 04/12/2007 500 species from all cactus groups, including cacti, succulents, caudiciforms and euphorbs, alphabetically by genus. Each species has its own page and includes at-a-glance detail on size, distribution, spination, flowering, varieties, growing advice.
Cactus: The Most Beautiful Varieties and how to Keep Them Healthy by Elizabeth Manke Paperback ISBN-13: 9780764112263 Pub. Date: 03/28/2000 Prickly and frequently taking strange shapes, cacti often thrive when given minimal care, and sometimes languish when owners "nurse them to death." This handsomely illustrated book introduces plant growers to the basics of cactus care and cultivation, then presents an alphabetized directory of roughly 50 varieties, from Acanthocalycium to Uebelmannia pectinifera. Shown in stunning photographs, is the magnificent variety of cactus flowers that blossom from the unusual and fascinating shapes of these plants.
	Cacti and Succulents: An Illustrated Guide to the Plants and their Cultivation by Graham Charles Paperback ISBN-13: 9781861268723 Pub. Date: 04/01/2007 An essential guide to cacti and other succulents, featuring 420 color photos and a wealth of information on the plants and their cultivation. Beautifully illustrated and highly accessible, this guide is both an instructive practical manual and a rich source of reference. More than 250 different species or genera and their natural habitats are profiled and illustrated. Topics include: the unique nature of succulents; their natural environment; history, classification, and nomenclature; watering, feeding, general care, and propagation; and pests and diseases.
Crazy About Cacti and Succulents by Ray Rogers & Steve Buchanan Paperback ISBN-13: 9781889538723 Pub. Date: 05/28/2006 Cacti and succulents are among the most bizarre and beautiful plants a gardener can grow, and included here are some of the most remarkable of them all: stapeliads and ceropegias. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has brought together master gardeners from across the country, who show how easy it is to cultivate a collection of cacti and succulents on a windowsill or under artificial lights. They also introduce varieties that are hardy enough to grow outside in most climates. There are chapters on medicinal plants and succulent bonsai, plus advice on how experts groom their plants for competition. Finally, readers can learn how to help save the cacti and succulents that are threatened with extinction in the wild.
	Cacti and Succulents : A Complete Guide to Species, Cultivation and Care by Gideon Smith Hardcover ISBN-13: 9781883052553 Pub. Date: 04/01/2007 Readers will learn about more than 50 species of cacti and more than 10 families of succulents, including their ideal locations, natural habitats, and care and feeding needs, in this complete guide to these captivating plants. Beautiful specimen plants from six garden collections the world over, from Zurich to Phoenix, are detailed in full. Complete descriptions, including color photographs, will help readers identify their plants, and detailed care instructions will help them make sure that their plants thrive, whether they are being grown indoors or outside, in the city or in the country.
Cacti and Succulents: Step-by-Step to Growing Success by Bill Keen Paperback ISBN-13: 9781852232641 Pub. Date: 06/28/1990 Cacti and succulents can offer an original and attractive display throughout the year, and there are an increasing number of beautiful varieties to choose from. This first-timer's manual covers everything from selecting, growing and propagating a range of the most popular types, including flowering cacti, to imaginative ideas for showing them off, both indoors and in the greenhouse and conservatory. Fully illustrated with step-by-step sequences, this is the only book you'll need for year round enjoyment.
	The Complete Book of Cacti and Succulents: The Definitive Practical Guide to Cultivation, Propagation, and Display by Terry Hewitt Paperback ISBN-13: 9780789416575 Pub. Date: 07/28/1997 The Complete Book of Cacti & Succulents features the history, cultivation, and imaginative use of more than 300 plants, in step-by-step color stages. This is a feast of in-depth information and eye-catching photography.
Success with Cacti and Other Succulents by Shirley-Anne Bell Paperback ISBN-13: 9781861084026 Pub. Date: 02/28/2006 Striking to look at, cacti and other succulents make a bold statement in any home or garden. And, as this information-packed, lushly illustrated book explains, they're easy to care for, too. Combining reliable and detailed horticultural information with inspiring ideas for displaying the plants (such as planting them in unusual containers, like old boots or broken pots), this is an irresistible invitation to the joys of growing these fascinating plants. Plus: the extensive alphabetical directory in the back helps readers choose from the vast array of cacti and succulents available, to find the ones best suited for their growing conditions.
	Great Cacti : Ethnobotany and Biogeography by David Yetman Hardcover ISBN-13: 9780816524310 Pub. Date: 11/01/2007 Towering over deserts, arid scrublands, and dry tropical forests, giant cacti grow throughout the Americas, from the United States to Argentina often in rough terrain and on barren, parched soils, places inhospitable to people. But as David Yetman shows, many of these tall plants have contributed significantly to human survival. Drawing on his close association with the Guarij os, Mayos, and Seris of Mexico peoples for whom such cacti have been indispensable to survival he offers surprising evidence of the importance of these plants in human cultures. The Great Cacti reviews the more than one hundred species of columnar cacti, with detailed discussions of some 75 that have been the most beneficial to humans or are most spectacular.
Guides to Individual Genera
	Coryphantha: Cacti of Mexico and Southern USA: 1st Edition by Rob Bregman Hardcover ISBN-13: 9783540223061 Pub. Date: December 2004 This unique reference work presents the first comprehensive taxonomy of all 43 species and 11 subspecies of Coryphantha, with a complete key to the genus. These cacti, which grow in Mexico and southern USA, are characterized by their typical grooved tubercles and large flowers. More than 300 high-quality colour photos show the various cacti and their habitats as well as distribution cards and illustrations explaining the morphological details. The work will be an invaluable reference manual for taxonomists and horticulturalists and also for hobbyists and plant collectors.
Organ Pipe Cactus by David Yetman Paperback ISBN-13: 9780816525416 Pub. Date: 09/15/2006 Distinguished by its slender vertical branches resembling the tubes of a pipe organ, and growing to the imposing height of 15 to more than 30 feet, it's obvious how the organ pipe cactus got its name. In the United States, these spectacular and intriguing plants are found exclusively in a small area of the Sonoran Desert in the southwestern corner of Arizona. Although it is the most common columnar cactus, it's so unusual in the United States that it has a national preserve established to protect it. Chapters explore their ethnobotanical uses, habitat, distribution, and special conditions required for germination, establishment, growth, and survival.
	Peyote: The Divine Cactus by Edward F. Anderson Hardback ISBN-13: 9780816516537 Pub. Date: 10/01/1996 Dry whiskey, Divine herb, Devil s root, Medicine of God, Peyote: for some people, to use it is to hear colors and see sounds. For many Native Americans, it brings an ability to reach out of their physical lives, to communicate with the spirits, and to become complete. Greatly expanded and brought up-to-date from the 1980 edition, these pages describe peyote ceremonies and the users experiences, and also cover the many scientific and legal aspects of using the plant. Well written, informative, comprehensive, and enlightening, the book will be welcomed by counselors, anthropologists, historians, physicians, chemists, lawyers, and observers of the contemporary drug scene, as well as by interested general readers.
Peyote and Other Psychoactive Cacti by Adam Gottlieb, Derek Westlund & Larry Todd Paperback - 2nd Ed. ISBN-13: 9780914171959 Pub. Date: 07/28/1997 Underground classic from the 1970s, rewritten and repackaged with new illustrations. Focuses on obtaining seeds, cloning, grafting, growing cacti, and extracting alkaloids.
	Prickly Pear Cactus Medicine: Treatments for Diabetes, Cholesterol, and the Immune System by Ran Knishinsky Paperback ISBN-13: 9780892811496 Pub. Date: 06/30/2004 The first complete guide to natural healing properties and uses of the prickly pear cactus. Examines the scientific research promoting the cactus as a natural diabetes and cholesterol medication as well as its use in the treatment of obesity, gastrointestinal disorders, skin ailments, and viral infections. Explores the healing uses of prickly pears from the perspective of doctor, chemist, ethnobotanist, cook, and layman. Includes 24 cactus recipes--from Prickly Pear Bread to Cactus Candy.
All About Saguaros : Facts, Lore, Photos by Leo Banks, Arizona Highways Magazine Contributor Paperback ISBN-13: 9781932082913 Pub. Date: 12/31/2008 They're stately, but sometimes amusing, icons of the Old West - huge columns standing with rounded arm held in a seemingly endless number of poses. Meet the giant saguaro cactus, native of the Sonoran Desert, which with a few exceptions is the only place in the world where Carnegiea gigantea grows. The saguaro cactus provides home and food to many desert animals, as well as to peoples of the desert tribes. Discover the stages of the saguaro's long life span and see how it is a protected part of the desert ecology and cultures. Color photographs vividly show this cactus a its grandest and most beautiful and at its most vulnerable.
Guides to Cacti of a Geographical Area
	Left: Cactus of Arizona Field Guide by Nora Mays Bowers, Stan Tekiela & Rick Bowers Paperback ISBN-13: 9781591930686 Pub. Date: 03/28/2008
	Left: Southwest Cacti, Trees and Shrubs by Stephen Whitney & Elizabeth Hart Hardcover ISBN-13: 9781594850165 Pub. Date: 05/01/2006 Right: Cacti of Texas : A Field Guide by A. Powell, James Weedin & Shirley Powell Paperback ISBN-13: 9780896726116 Pub. Date: 04/28/2008
	Texas Cacti : A Field Guide by Brian Loflin & Shirley Loflin Paperback ISBN-13: 9781603441087 Pub. Date: 10/26/2009 Brian and Shirley Loflin present a concise, fully illustrated field guide to more than one hundred of the cacti most often found in Texas and the surrounding region. The book opens with an illustrated introduction to cactus habitat and anatomy. The species are then organized by stem shape, with detailed color photographs, specific identifying features (including spines, flowers, fruits, and seeds) and information about common and scientific names, habitat, flowering season. The photographs, range maps, and icons designating shape, conservation status, and blooming period, along with easy-to-understand descriptions, make this book a quick and friendly guide to cactus identification for botanists, amateur naturalists, and cactus enthusiasts alike.
	Naturalist's Big Bend : An Introduction to the Trees and Shrubs, Wildflowers, Cacti, Mammals, Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians, Fish, and Insects by Roland Wauer & Carl Fleming Hardcover ISBN-13: 9781585441556 Pub. Date: 01/28/2002 In southwest Texas, where the Rio Grande arcs southward into Mexico, lies Big Bend National Park, 708,221 acres of river floodplain, desert, grasslands, and majestic moutains. Naturalist's Big Bend highlights the distinctive plants and animals of the region, such as the century plant, candelilla from which wax is made, the giant dagger yucca, the javelina, the rare Texas lyre snake, the tarantula, and the Big Bend quonker katydid. This comprehensive field guide, revised and completely updated in a new edition, recounts the area's archaeology and history, describes the characteristics and habitats of Big Bend's remarkable variety of plants and animals, and outlines walking and driving tours of the most likely spots for sighting these natural wonders.
	Woody Plants of Utah: A Field Guide with Identification Keys to Native and Naturalized Trees, Shrubs, Vines, and Cacti by Renee Van Buren Pre-Order Now Paperback ISBN-13: 9780874218244 Pub. Date: November 2011 A comprehensive guide that includes a vast range of species and plant communities and employs thorough, original keys. Based primarily on vegetative characteristics, the keys don't require that flowers or other reproductive features be present, like many plant guides. Woody plants are those that have stems that persist above ground. Detailed, illustrated plant descriptions complement the keys and provide additional botanical and environmental information. Supplementary tools include photos, distribution maps, and an illustrated glossary.
Advertisement

Book List: Cacti

Books about Cacti

Guides to Individual Genera

Guides to Cacti of a Geographical Area