Loran M. Whitelock. The Cycads. Timber Press. 2002.

Rare plant lovers will find B>The Cycadsto be a fascinating book. These plants lived during the time of the dinosaurs and are frequently found fossils. Until Whitelock's book, there has been no definitive work on this plant group.

If you shop in a local garden center, you are likely to see at least one type of cycad being sold as a "bonsai". You may even have mistaken it for being a palm plant. Let's take a look at the contents of B>The Cycadswhich will greatly broaden your understanding of these plants.

The book begins with a discussion of both the past and present distribution of the Cycad order of plants. We currently know of eleven genera within this plant order.. A detailed chart showing the plant order, suborder, families, subfamilies, tribes, subtribes, and genera is shown on page 13. Most people don't know of more than one or two plant genera called "Cycads".

Taxonomists group plants into orders, etc. by making careful study of their morphological features. These features include the stems, roots, leaves, reproductive structures, and seeds of the plant being studied. One unique feature of cycads is that they have both male and female cones.

Cycads grown either as houseplants or in the garden require five important elements. They need warmth, thus making them a houseplant in the north, well-drained soil, and bright sunlight of sufficient daily duration, good quality water and good fertilizing. Leaves quickly reveal fertilizer problems.

Cycads have pests like any other plant. Weevils and termites are known to destroy their stems and seeds. Leaves may be attacked by scale insects, mealybugs, aphids, spider mites, caterpillars, and other insects. Fungus or bacteria may destroy roots.

Cycad lovers can grow these plants from seed, offsets and cuttings, or by tissue culture. Information on each of these methods is found in the chapter on propagation. Cycads, like many plants, are disappearing from their native environment. Therefore, it is important that all means of cultivation be used to meet the growing demand for these plants.

Chapter 7, entitled "Cycads in Human Activities," reveals many fascinating ways these plants have been used past and present. They have been used as starch and as beverages. Unfortunately, recent studies show that cycad consumption may be extremely dangerous to both humans and animals because the poisons contained in the plant contribute to liver damage and even cancer.

The longest chapter in the book presents all the species of cycads currently known. This chapter assumes you know the scientific name for the plant. The information given on each species includes when it was discovered, its history as a cultivated plant, and special notes on its cultivation.

Recommendation

The Cycads was awarded the 2003 Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title Award. Therefore, I won't presume to give a personal opinion other than to say that the book is quite readable even for a hobbyist collector. The colored photographs make one wish they lived where these plants grew naturally.