The Carnivorous Plants

by Francis Ernest Lloyd

Discusses the habitats, leaf forms, digestion, and behavior of some four hundred fifty species of animal-eating plants, including fungi. Bibliogs

352 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Read Ng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a 1940's botanical text book, because that is exactly what it is. This was written back in 1942.

It is a good source reference book. Just what the curious part of my mind was looking for. It is not a page turner, but I was not expecting it to be one. I just wanted a good adult introduction. I am so used to modern internet search engines that is was a big throw back. Well, I got the info I was looking for so it met my needs.

Have a GoodReads.

[J.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having grown carnivorous plants off and on for 25 or so years and having acquired many of the more recent books on them I have seen this book referenced repeatedly in the others. Published in 1942, this was one of the first to specifically tackle the subject and to describe the plants in some detail. At that time the plants were not generally grown by many people and therefore this book is more of an attempt to describe the taxonomy of the many plants that supplement their growth by capturing insects. It describes items such as leaf and flower structure and some of the experiments that confirmed their carnivory. In some places it even briefly mentions the habitat in which the plants grow, but it is not a guide for cultivation of these plants. As such, general readers seeking advice on cultivation might be better served by Peter D'Amato's excellent The Savage Garden or perhaps Barry Rice's Growing Carnivorous Plants. On the other hand, botanists and those seeking a more primary source of information on the early studies of these plants may find this one useful. Another book which in some ways attempts to cover both areas, although on a more limited scope, is Donald Schnell's Carnivorous Plants of the United States and Canada.

[Carol Collins]

1942, first edition