The Cactus Primer / / Park S. Nobel, Arthur C. Gibson.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter HUP e-dition: Complete eBook Package
• VerfasserIn: Gibson, Arthur C.,; Nobel, Park S.,
• Place / Publishing House: Cambridge, MA : : Harvard University Press, , [2013]; ©1986
• Year of Publication: 2013
• Edition: Reprint 2014
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (286 p.) :; 246 halftones, 99 line illustrations, 12 tables

The Cactus Primer presents the amateur cactophile with an excellent introduction to cactus biology and provides the informed reader with an invaluable summary of the last forty years' research. This book goes far beyond books that instruct readers in the propagation, growth, and care of these plants; addressing matters of more scientific interest, it takes an integrated approach to the presentation of the form, physiology, evolution, and ecology of cacti. The book is unique in that it combines the descriptive morphology and physiology documented in the scientific literature with more general observations found in popular publications on cacti. It provides a new generic classification of the cacti and contains much new information, including data on photosynthesis, heat and cold tolerance, computer modeling of ribs, and the effects of spines. Enhanced by over 400 illustrations and supplemented with an extensive glossary, this book will appeal to cactus enthusiasts interested in the classification and growth of cacti, as well as to plant biologists who use cacti to illustrate desert adaptation and convergent evolution. Written in accessible style, The Cactus Primer is bound to serve a dual function as both an instructive tool and a reference work in cactus biology for years to come.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Preface -- Contents -- 1 The Cactus Plant -- 2 Cacti with Primitive Features -- 3 Succulence -- 4 Gas Exchange and Crassulacean Acid Metabolism -- 5 Areoles and Spines -- 6 Tubercles and Ribs -- 7 Factors Affecting Distribution -- 8 Growth Habits -- 9 Special Chemicals -- 10 Phylogeny and Speciation -- 11 Evolutionary Relationships -- Glossary -- Index