This lively examination of the structure, classification, evolution, and ecology of the Orchidaceae will appeal to anyone with an eye for beauty or a bent for natural history. It will provide professional biologists and amateur orchidists alike with a deeper understanding--and a thoroughly new classification--of this, the largest flowering family in the plant kingdom. The book is richly illustrated, with 95 color photographs and 99 line drawings emphasizing orchid morphology. But in the context of serious orchidology, ...
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This lively examination of the structure, classification, evolution, and ecology of the Orchidaceae will appeal to anyone with an eye for beauty or a bent for natural history. It will provide professional biologists and amateur orchidists alike with a deeper understanding--and a thoroughly new classification--of this, the largest flowering family in the plant kingdom. The book is richly illustrated, with 95 color photographs and 99 line drawings emphasizing orchid morphology. But in the context of serious orchidology, aesthetic richness is not a superficial vanity. It is the result of evolutionary processes that demand adaptation and reward diversity, and Dressler's exploration of these mechanisms demonstrates how well the orchids have met the challenge, with over 20,000 species, a geographical range from Sweden to Tierra del Fuego, and, at times, as many as 47 different species on a single tree. But both the orchids' success and their profligate beauty are grounded, in part, in their voluptuary nature, and one of Dressler's most engaging themes is the reproductive adaptations, worthy of a Renaissance courtesan, that orchids use to attract, deceive, and manipulate pollinating insects. The orchid family is actively evolving, providing rich possibilities for comparative study. Yet no one, whether professional or amateur, could reasonably proceed without first addressing Robert Dressler's "The Orchids," Its new classification alone, including pollination biology, phyletic trends, chromosome counts, and generic relationships, will stand as a watershed contribution to the field.
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Seller's Description:
Reader copy. Ex library paperback in plastic sleeve; usual stamps/markings. Covers are creased & page edges little grubby otherwise a good, clean, sound copy. Ready for immediate despatch from UK. 37F*
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Used-Good. Good paperback. Undated later printing. Text clean in tight square binding; some wear to cover with faded spine. Colour & line illustrations.
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Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
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Fair. Connecting readers with great books since 1972. Used textbooks may not include companion materials such as access codes, etc. May have condition issues including wear and notes/highlighting. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Very Good in Very Good jacket. Book Octavo, hardcover, gift note on endpaper else near fine in green boards with VG, lightly edgeworn, green pictorial dj. Culture and care of orchid pamphlet laid in as well as several news articles on orchids. 332 pp. including index. color plates.