Orchids and Their Conservation
The insatiable demand for exotic new species of the charismatic and horticulturally desirable orchid has resulted in its overcollection and endangerment in natural habitats. Koopowitz (Univ. of California, Irvine), a leading orchid horticulturist and conservation biologist and also associate editor of Orchid Digest, seeks to educate orchid growers, as well as the general public, on the need to protect orchid species. The first part of this book includes a comprehensive overview of orchid botany, ecology, and ethnobotany perhaps the most thorough treatment of this particular topic in orchid literature. The remainder is devoted to specific strategies for conserving orchids, with an emphasis on ex situ methods (e.g., commercial propagation and cultivation in private and public collections). Updating H.W. Pritchard's Modern Methods of Orchid Conservation (1990), this volume is highly recommended for public and academic libraries and is a requisite for all horticultural libraries. Brian Lym, City Coll. of San Francisco Lib.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.