Botany for Gardeners. Revised Edition by Brian Capon

2005·0.51 MB·English

by  Review By: Lee Luckeydoo

BOOKREVIEWS
BrianCapon.2005.BotanyforGardeners.RevisedEdition.(ISBN0-88192-655-8,
pbk.).TimberPressInc.133S.WSecondAve,Suite450,Portland,OR97204-
3527,U.S.A.(Orders:www.tnTiberpress.com,[email protected],503-
227-2878,1-800-327-5680,503-227-3070fax).$19.95,240pp.,147color
photos,3colordrawings,Ib/wphoto,53linedrawings,4tables,6"x9".
BolanylorGardenersbyBrianCaponisahandyandwell-writtenbooklorthesewhowishtolearn
moreaboutbotanyandplantecology.Manynaturalistsandgardenersalreadyappreciateplants,but
oltenhaveunansweredquestionsabouttheplantstheyenjoy.Forinstance—whydorootsgrowdown
andshootsgrowup?Howdowaterandnutrientsmo\'ethroughaplant?Whatarcallthepartsola
plantandflower?Howdoplantgrattswork?Whatarcinycorrhizacf'Whatisthepurposeolallthe
differentnutrientsinfertilizer?Theseandsomanyotherbotanicalc|uesiionsareansweredandex-
plainedinthisbook.BotanyforGardenersislavishlypepperedwithcolorphotographsandblackand
whitedi"awingsthatcoordinatewithideasandtopicsbeingdiscussedinthetext.Theseimages,some
olwhicharciromamicroscope,enhancethereadersunderstandingolplantstructureandmake-up.
Therearefivemainsectionsinthebook:growth,organizationofplantstructures,adaptations,
plantfunctionsandreproduction.Eachmainsectionisbrokendownintoreasonablysizedsub-chapters.
Thesectiondiscussingplantgrowthstartswiththebasicsofaplantcellthroughseedgermi-
nationandcontinuesintotheroots,shoots,leafgrowth,andleafmaturity.Thesectiononorganiza-
tiongivesthereaderaninsidelookatstemsandroots,emphasizingtheircellularorganizationand
celltypes.Theadaptationsectionintroducesthereadertoallthewaysthatplantsadapttovarious
environmentalchallenges;amongtheseareclimatevariations,protectionfromanimalbrowsing,
woundhealing,chemicalprotection,andfinallyenhancingaplantsabilitytocompetemandamong
otherplantsforspace,light,water,andnutrients.Thissectionalsoincludesaninterestingdiscussion
aboutplantfoodsources,waterstorage,andbeneficialrelationshipswithlungi.
Thesectiononplantfunctionscoversgrowthresponsestolight,gravity,touch,branching,ad-
ventitiousrootlormation,andthehormonesandenvironmentalconditionsinvolvedinthosefunc-
tions.Mineralnutrientrequirements,waterandmineraluptakeandtransportwithintheplantare
discussed,aswellastheprocessofphotosynthesis.
ThefinalsectioncoveringplantreproductionincludesdiscussionolIlowerparts,pcillination,
pollinationstrategies,Iruittypes,seedlormation,andseeddispersal.Thelinalchapteroltherepro-
ductionsectionincludesaplantgeneticsprimerthatintroducesreaderstothelifecyclesoimosses,
ferns,andfloweringplants.Punnetsquares,andgeneexpression.Someotthevaluabletidbitsin-
cludedthroughoutthechaptersareatablelistingtheoriginsofgardenandmanyagriculturalcrop
plants,distinctdefinitionsandphotographsofspines,thornsandprickles,alistolpoisonoushouse-
holdplants,aprimeronplantgenetics,andanappendixdiscussingplantnamingclassiiication.
BotanyforGardenersnotonlycoverthebasics,butalsocantakeareadermuchdeeperintothe
detailsofphotosynthesisandplantgenetics.Someofthetopicsmaybebeyondwhatanyparticular
readerwouldliketoknow.Theauthordoesagoodjobofpresentingtopicssuchasphotosynthesis,
respirationandgenetics,which,bynaturecanbefrustratingtounderstand.Thephotographsandfig-
ureswillreallyhelpthereaderunderstandwhatisbeingdiscussed;especiall)'itemssuchascellular
organizationorstructuraldevelopmentwhereamicroscopewouldbeneededtoviewandunderstand
thetopicproperly.Whetheryouarelookinglorthatbookthatwillintroduceyoutothebasicsolplant
biology,arelookingtoanswergardeningquestions,orneedabooktohelpyoucreateabotanicalback-
groundtolearntouseanidentificationtext.BotanyforGardenersisthebookloryou'—LeelAiekeydoo,
Herhanum.BoianicaiResearchInstituteofTexas,509PeeanStreet.¥onWorth.TX76102-4060.USA.
SIDA21(3):1951.2005