[.ca] Tropical Ornamentals: A Guide (ISBN 088192475X)

Not for the novice gardener:
I was very disappointed with the purchase of this book. Living on a tropical island I am surrounded by most, if not all of the plants in this guide. I was looking for a book to help me identify plants in my surroundings that I see on a day to day basis. While there are colour photographs with each plant description, it was difficult to recognise plants because the photos tended to focus mainly on the flowering part of the plant. This is especially frustrating when one wants to identify a tree or shrub. The Poinciana, (here it is called Flamboyant) is an unmistakeable tree with flame red floweres and feathery leaves. The photo shows a close detail on the tree's flowers and leaves. I have never actually inspected the floweres of this tree up close, having only seen it's distinctive shape and of course flame red colour in parks and along roadways. Now that I have seen them in this book, I notice that they closely resemble those of a shrub called Barbados Pride! This could lead to confusion with someone who is totally unfamiliar with either plant! The tree would be easier recognized if a picture of the tree itself was included. There is of course a magnificent photo of a Flamboyant on the back cover but I use this as only an example. No other tree or shrub is featured this way. In short this book is completely useless to me in identifying plants. Everything looks familiar but I'm left with the feeling that I'm sure I've seen that plant somewhere but I don't know what it is:-(