The Cactus Primer

Author : Arthur C. Gibson,Park S. Nobel
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 302 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 1986
Category : Nature
ISBN : 067408991X

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The Cactus Primer by Arthur C. Gibson,Park S. Nobel Pdf

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.

Author : Park S. Nobel,Professor of Biology and Associate Director of the UCLA-Doe Laboratory Park S Nobel
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Page : 291 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2002-07-10
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780520231573

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Cacti by Park S. Nobel,Professor of Biology and Associate Director of the UCLA-Doe Laboratory Park S Nobel Pdf

"There is nothing in the world like this book. It should be in every library and on the bookshelves of all those interested in cacti. The book will be an important resource for plant physiology, agronomy, and horticulture classes at both the undergraduate and graduate level."—Bruce Smith, Brigham Young University "Cacti: Biology and Uses is a landmark publication of one of the world's most unique group of plants. Park Nobel, a leading authority on succulent plants, has assembled a collection of contributions that spans a wide range of issues extending from basic systematics, anatomy, physiology and ecology to considerations of conservation and human uses of this diverse group of plants. This nicely-produced and well-illustrated volume provides a resource that will be of great use to a wide range of scientists, practitioners, and enthusiasts of this plant group."—Harold Mooney, Paul S. Achilles Professor of Environmental Biology, Stanford University

Author : Dan Torre
Publisher : Reaktion Books
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2017-05-15
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781780237695

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Cactus by Dan Torre Pdf

Cacti are full of contradictions. Although many are found in the driest and most barren environments on earth, some grow exclusively in the branches of the rainforest canopy. Many species bristle with ferocious-looking spines, while other varieties are perfectly smooth. And while they might strike us as the most austere plants on earth, nearly all of them exhibit remarkable floral displays—some even larger than the plant itself. In Cactus, Dan Torre explores these unique plants as they appear all around the world and throughout art, literature, and popular culture. As Torre shows, cacti have played a prominent role in human history for thousands of years. Some species were revered by ancient civilizations, playing a part in their religious ceremonies; other varieties have been cultivated for their medicinal properties and even as a source of dye, as in the case of the prickly pear cactus and the cochineal insect, the source of red carmine used in everything from food to lipstick. Torre examines how cacti have figured in low-footprint gardens, as iconic features of the landscapes of Westerns, and as a delicious culinary ingredient, from nutritious Nopal pads to alluring Pitaya—or Dragon—fruits. Entertaining and informative, this book will appeal to any of us who have admired these hardy, efficient plants.

Author : Park S. Nobel
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2002-07-10
Category : Nature
ISBN : 0520231570

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Cacti by Park S. Nobel Pdf

"There is nothing in the world like this book. It should be in every library and on the bookshelves of all those interested in cacti. The book will be an important resource for plant physiology, agronomy, and horticulture classes at both the undergraduate and graduate level."—Bruce Smith, Brigham Young University "Cacti: Biology and Uses is a landmark publication of one of the world's most unique group of plants. Park Nobel, a leading authority on succulent plants, has assembled a collection of contributions that spans a wide range of issues extending from basic systematics, anatomy, physiology and ecology to considerations of conservation and human uses of this diverse group of plants. This nicely-produced and well-illustrated volume provides a resource that will be of great use to a wide range of scientists, practitioners, and enthusiasts of this plant group."—Harold Mooney, Paul S. Achilles Professor of Environmental Biology, Stanford University

Author : David Yetman
Publisher : University of Arizona Press
Page : 84 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Nature
ISBN : 0816525412

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The Organ Pipe Cactus by David Yetman Pdf

Distinguished by its slender vertical branches, which resemble the tubes of a pipe organ, and growing to the imposing height of 15 to more than 30 feet, itÕs 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. With a landscape marked by sharp, rocky slopes and daytime highs in the summer reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit, the region is inhospitable for most ordinary life, whether plant or animal. But the organ pipe cactus is far from ordinary. Although it is the most common columnar cactus, it is so unusual in the United States that it is only one of three cacti to have a national preserve established to protect it. In this regard, it joins a select group of plantsÑincluding Joshua trees, redwoods, and sequoiasÑupon which that honor has been conferred. In this beautifully illustrated, large-format book, David Yetman provides an in-depth and comprehensive look at these intriguing and picturesque plants that most Americans will never have the opportunity to see. Chapters explore their ethnobotanical uses, their habitat, their distribution, and special conditions required for their germination, establishment, growth, and survival. Yetman also places the organ pipe in perspective as a member of a genus with at least twenty-three species, ranging from the prostrate Stenocereus eruca of Baja California to the 50-foot high giant S. chacalapensis of the coast of Oaxaca.

Author : David Yetman,Alberto Búrquez,Kevin Hultine,Michael Sanderson
Publisher : University of Arizona Press
Page : 209 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2020-02-25
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780816540044

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The Saguaro Cactus by David Yetman,Alberto Búrquez,Kevin Hultine,Michael Sanderson Pdf

The saguaro, with its great size and characteristic shape—its arms stretching heavenward, its silhouette often resembling a human—has become the emblem of the Sonoran Desert of southwestern Arizona and northwestern Mexico. The largest and tallest cactus in the United States, it is both familiar and an object of fascination and curiosity. This book offers a complete natural history of this enduring and iconic desert plant. Gathering everything from the saguaro’s role in Sonoran Desert ecology to its adaptations to the desert climate and its sacred place in Indigenous culture, this book shares precolonial through current scientific findings. The saguaro is charismatic and readily accessible but also decidedly different from other desert flora. The essays in this book bear witness to our ongoing fascination with the great cactus and the plant’s unusual characteristics, covering the saguaro’s: history of discovery, place in the cactus family, ecology, anatomy and physiology, genetics, and ethnobotany. The Saguaro Cactus offers testimony to the cactus’s prominence as a symbol, the perceptions it inspires, its role in human society, and its importance in desert ecology.

Author : Theodore H. Fleming,Alfonso Valiente-Banuet
Publisher : University of Arizona Press
Page : 386 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2019-05-28
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780816540211

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Columnar Cacti and Their Mutualists by Theodore H. Fleming,Alfonso Valiente-Banuet Pdf

A collection of writings on the ecology, evolution, and conservation of columnar cacti and their vertebrate mutualists, demonstrating that the survival of these cacti depends on animals who pollinate them and disperse their seeds.

Author : David Yetman
Publisher : University of Arizona Press
Page : 316 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Nature
ISBN : 0816524319

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The Great Cacti by David Yetman Pdf

Towering over deserts, arid scrublands, and dry tropical forests, giant cacti grow throughout the Americas, from the United States to ArgentinaÑoften 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. Yetman has been fascinated by columnar cacti for most of his life and now brings years of study and reflection to a wide-ranging and handsomely illustrated book. Drawing on his close association with the Guarij’os, Mayos, and Seris of MexicoÑpeoples for whom such cacti have been indispensable to survivalÑhe 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. Focusing particularly on northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States, Yetman examines the role of each species in human society, describing how cacti have provided food, shelter, medicine, even religiously significant hallucinogens. Taking readers to the exotic sites where these cacti are foundÑfrom sea-level deserts to frigid Andean heightsÑYetman shows that the great cacti have facilitated the development of native culture in hostile environments, yielding their products with no tending necessary. Enhanced by over 300 superb color photos, The Great Cacti is both a personal and scientific overview of sahuesos, soberbios, and other towering flora that flourish where few other plants growÑand that foster human life in otherwise impossible places.

Author : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher : Food & Agriculture Org.
Page : 244 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2018-06-05
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9789251098608

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Crop ecology, cultivation and uses of cactus pear by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Pdf

Cactus plants are precious natural resources that provide nutritious food for people and livestock, especially in dryland areas. Originally published in 1995, this extensively revised edition provides fresh insights into the cactus plant’s genetic resources, physiological traits, soil preferences and vulnerability to pests. It provides invaluable guidance on managing the resource to support food security and offers tips on how to exploit the plant’s culinary qualities.

Author : Jim Willoughby,Sue Willoughby
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 108 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 1998
Category : Cactus
ISBN : OCLC:1288397655

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Cactus Country by Jim Willoughby,Sue Willoughby Pdf

Author : Park S. Nobel
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2003-10-16
Category : Nature
ISBN : 0521543347

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Environmental Biology of Agaves and Cacti by Park S. Nobel Pdf

A comprehensive review of these two interesting and economically important desert succulents.

Author : Monique Simmonds,Victor R. Preedy
Publisher : Academic Press
Page : 796 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2015-10-16
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9780124080645

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Nutritional Composition of Fruit Cultivars by Monique Simmonds,Victor R. Preedy Pdf

Nutritional Composition of Fruit Cultivars provides readers with the latest information on the health related properties of foods, making the documentation of the nutritive value of historical cultivars especially urgent, especially before they are lost and can't be effectively compared to modern cultivars. Because there is considerable diversity and a substantial body of the compositional studies directed towards commercial varieties, this information is useful for identifying traits and features that may be transposed from one variety to another. In addition, compositional and sensory features may also be used for commercialization and to characterize adulteration. Detailed characterization of cultivars can be used to identify "super-foods". Alternatively, unmasked historical cultivars may be the focus of reinvigorated commercial practices. Each chapter in this book has sections on the botanical aspects, the composition of traditional or ancient cultivars, the composition of modern cultivars, a focus on areas of research, the specialty of the communicating author of each chapter, and summary points. Presents the botanical aspects and composition of both traditional and modern plants, including in-depth insight into current research, and overall summary points for each fruit for consistent comparison and ease of reference Provides important information in the consideration of preservation, transference, or re-introduction of historical/traditional cultivars into current crop science Provides details on compositional and sensory parameters, from aroma and taste to micro- and macronutrients Includes data on nutraceuticals and novel components that have proven to impact on, or be important in, food quality, storage, processing, storage, and marketing

Author : Kishan Gopal Ramawat
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 508 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2009-12-16
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783642025501

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Desert Plants by Kishan Gopal Ramawat Pdf

Deserts appear very fascinating during our short visits. However, the lives of plants and animals are very dif?cult under the harsh climatic conditions of high tempe- ture and scant water supply in deserts, sometimes associated with high concent- tions of salt. The editor of this book was born and brought up in the Great Indian Desert, and has spent much of his life studying the growth and metabolism of desert plants. It is very charming on a cool summer evening to sit at the top of a sand dune listening only to blowing air and nothing else. It has been my dream to prepare a volume on desert plants encompassing various aspects of desert plant biology. In this book, I have tried to present functional and useful aspects of the vegetation resources of deserts along with scienti?c input aimed at understanding and impr- ing the utility of these plants. The scant vegetation of deserts supports animal life and provides many useful medicines, timber and fuel wood for humans. Therefore, there are chapters devoted to medicinal plants (Chap. 1), halophytes (Chaps. 13, 14), and fruit plants (Chaps. 17, 20). Desert plants have a unique reproductive biology (Chaps. 9–11), well-adapted eco-physiological and anatomical charact- istics (Chap. 7), and specialised metabolism and survival abilities. These plants are dif?cult to propagate and pose many problems to researchers developing biote- nological approaches for their amelioration (Chaps. 18–20).

Author : J.S.F. Barker,William T. Starmer,Ross J. MacIntyre
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 528 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2013-03-14
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781468487688

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Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics of Drosophila by J.S.F. Barker,William T. Starmer,Ross J. MacIntyre Pdf

Ecological and evolutionary genetics span many disciplines and virtually all levels of biological investigation, from the genetic information itself to the principles governing the complex organization of living things. The ideas and informa tion generated by ecological and evolutionary genetics provide the substance for strong inferences on the origins, changes and patterns of structural and functional organization in bio logical communi ties. It is the coordination of these ideas and thoughts that will provide the answers to many fundamental questions in biology. There is no doubt that Drosophilids provide strong model systems amenable to experimental manipulation and useful for testing pertinent hypotheses in ecological and evolutionary genetics. The chapters in this volume represent efforts to use Drosophila species for such a purpose. The volume consists of a dedication to William B. Heed, followed by four major sections: Ecological Genetics, Habitat Selection, Biochemical Genetics and Molecular Evolution. Each section is introduced by a short statement, and each chapter has an independent summary. The chapters contain the sub stance of talks given at a joint Australia-US workshop held January 5-10, 1989 at the University of New England, New South Wales, Australia. We are indebted to the Division of International Programs of the National Science Foundation (USA) and to the Science and Technology Collaboration Section of the Department of Industry, Technology and Commerce (Australia) for the provi sion of financial support under the US/Australia Science and Technology Agreement. Many people contributed to the preparation of this volume.

Author : Odilo Duarte,Robert Paull
Publisher : CABI
Page : 344 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2015-01-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781780645056

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Exotic Fruits and Nuts of the New World by Odilo Duarte,Robert Paull Pdf

A major reference work on exotic and underutilised fruits and nuts of the New World. While many of these are well known in the local markets and in Spanish-language literature, they have rarely been brought to the attention of the wider English-speaking audience, and as such this book will offer an entirely new resource to those interested in exotic crops.