BOOKSHELF
Works for a nature lover’s library
Field Guide to
Succulents in
Southern Africa
S
outhern Africa is one of
the most succulent-rich
areas in the world. Of
the world's approximately
10 000 succulent species,
nearly half originate in
southern Africa. Worldwide
there is a tremendous active
interest in the succulents of
the region.
So the newly launched book
Field Guide to Succulents in
Southern Africa, by Gideon
Smith, Neil Crouch and
Estrela Figueiredo will be
widely welcomed.
Succulents may be described
as plants which are adapted
to store water in their leaves,
branches or stem bases in
order to be able to survive
long periods without water.
These plants come in all
shapes and sizes, from trees
such as the baobab at more
than 20m tall, to miniature
soil huggers, just a few
millimetres high, which
mimic their pebble-desert
surroundings.
This user-friendly, richly
illustrated field guide features
more than 700 southern
African succulents, focusing
on the most interesting and
commonly encountered
species.
An introduction to families
and their key features will
help readers identify the
relevant plant group, while
concise accounts describing
the plants' diagnostic features,
along with distribution maps,
will enable quick ID of
species.
More than just an ID guide
for plant lovers, this book will
inspire gardeners who are
turning to indigenous, low-
maintenance and waterwise
plants for cultivation.
The book is published by
Penguin Random house and
the recommended price is
R315.
Songs of Love
and War ~ The
Dark Heart of
Bird Behaviour
T
here is a wide
variety of bird
books available,
but this one is somewhat
different in focus: Songs
of Love and War ~ The
Dark Heart of Bird
Behaviour, by Dominic
Couzens (Bloomsbury,
2017), R389.
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