An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms
I am constantly looking for good books on palms, and I can tell you that this book is at the top of the list.
American Gardener
Cowritten by the author of the award-winning The Tropical Look, An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms offers a definitive account of palms that may be grown in the garden and landscape. Because palms are often underutilized as a result of their unfamiliarity — even to tropical gardeners — Robert Lee Riffle and Paul Craft have exhaustively documented every genus in the palm family. Approximately 890 species are described in detail, including cold hardiness, water needs, height, and any special requirements. Generously illustrated with more than 900 photos, this volume is as valuable as an identification guide as it is a practical handbook. It even contains photos of several palm species that have never before appeared in a general encyclopedia. Interesting snippets of history, ethnobotany, and biology inform the text and make this a lively catalog of these remarkable plants.
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 528 pp.
- Book dimensions: 8½ x 11 in. (215 x 280 mm.)
- Images: 929 color photos, 1 b/w photo, 2 line drawings
- ISBN-10: 0881925586
- ISBN-13: 9780881925586
Media reviews
"As a horticultural librarian, I am constantly looking for good books on palms, and I can tell you that this book is at the top of the list. Not only is it useful, accurate, and authoritative, but the authors' poetic language brought life to the book."
—Laurie Hannah, American Gardener
"You'll drool."
—Garden Design
"Palm enthusiasts, whether professional or amateur, will find everything there is to know about cultivated palms presented in this thoroughly researched encyclopedia."
—Chicago Botanic Garden
"Contains a great deal of information that will be of value to botanists, horticulturists and gardeners wishing to know more about this extensive and economically very important plant family."
—Plantsman
"It is clearly the best popular account of palms to date."
—Palms
"Bravo! Finally, there is a book with easy reference on the palms of the world. The photography is superb, detailing the intricate leaves and stem structure. The text is crisp, clear, and very readable ... This book is highly recommended."
—Nik Malik Zainal Abidin, Garden Asia Magazine
"This book will be useful to palm fanciers everywhere."
—Charles Reynolds, Lakeland Ledger
"The ultimate book on palms."
—Don Davis, Lynchburg News and Advance
"This book is a "must-have" for anyone who loves palms."
—Susan Knorr, Fairchild Tropical Garden
"Far and away the most comprehensive book now available on palms."
—R. Cox, California Garden
"An in-depth study and is a must have for all interested in these plants ... An excellent book for those who live in areas where palms are grown."
—John E. Bryan, Gardening Newsletter
"A valuable reference to anyone with an non-academic interest in palms. It also should provide several hours of casual browsing for any palm enthusiast."
—Tropical Fern and Exotic Plant Society Newsletter
"An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms deserves a place on everyone's bookshelf or coffee table, and should be seriously considered by anybody who has a love of plants."
—Daryl O'Connor, Palms and Cycads Forum
"This ultimate, expansive resource on cultivated palms will guide horticulturists with all levels of expertise ... Highly recommended."
—S. C. Awe, Choice
"This ultimate, expansive resource on cultivated palms will guide horticulturists with all levels of expertise."
—S. C. Awe, Choice
"Palm enthusiasts, whether professional or amateur, will find everything there is to know about cultivated palms in this thoroughly researched encyclopedia."
—Elaine Juhl, Chicago Botanic Garden
"No gardener or landscaper who reads this book should ever again lose a palm solely because of lack of horticultural information."
—Biology Digest
"This definitive account of tropical, subtropical, and even temperate (down to 5 degrees F) landscape and garden palms ... is well suited to the amateur or professional grower"
—SciTech Book News
"Highly useful for beginning and advanced gardeners, Cultivated Palms is a great value and the best current popular palm encyclopedia."
—Jeff Stevens, Southeastern Palms
"It's a rare encyclopedia that can double as a coffee table book ... this book has almost everything, including some of the most poetic descriptions I've ever read."
—Clear Englebert, Kona Outdoor Circle Newsletter
"Tops in specialized plant books."
—Avant Gardener
"Cause for celebration among tropical gardeners."
—Clear Englebert, FungShway.com
"A readable, colourful and reasonably-priced book that provides a ready reference to most palms found in cultivation and will certainly set the standard for many years to come."
—Garden (Peterborough)
"No book can have everything but this book has almost everything, including some of the most poetic descriptions I've ever read."
—Clear Englebert, Hawaii Herald Tribune
"This book would be a valuable reference to anyone with a non-academic interest in palms. It also should provide several hours of casual browsing for any palm enthusiast."
—Howard Wadell, Tropical Fern and Exotic Plant Society Newsletter
About the authors
Robert Lee Riffle
Robert Lee Riffle (1940–2006) was an internationally recognized authority on palms and tropical plants. His landmark book, The Tropical Look: An Encyclopedia of Dramatic Landscape Plants (1998), won an American Horticultural Society Book Award, as did An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms (2003), which he co-wrote with Paul Craft.
Paul Craft
Paul Craft trained as a chemist and is vice president of the International Palm Society. A resident of Florida, he was the founding president of the Palm Beach Palm and Cycad Society and also a palm nurseryman. He is currently active in efforts to promote palm conservation.
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