Book Description

Pictorial Guide is a new and comprehensive photographic atlas with nearly 1000 new color photographs illustrating most of the wild species of Passiflora known to science. Bursting with a wealth of images of exotic species taken in the wild as well as those that most gardeners are likely to encounter in the horticultural trade, this book showcases elegant blossoms of these fantastic tropical vines, shrubs, and trees and captures the imagination with spectacular colors, dramatic forms, and amazing variations. Comprehensive and scientifically accurate, this survey of the genus Passiflora is the first reference book on passionflowers published in more than 15 years and the only pictorial reference guide of its kind. The splendor of more than 280 wild passionflower species as they appear in nature, as well as 11 hybrids, represents the culmination of the author's 30-year fascination with this exotic genus and his more than 120 trips to Costa Rica and Ecuador observing and collecting the vines. Simple to use, the species are arranged alphabetically. The geographic range is given for every species, based on the latest verified identifications from world databases. At least one flower is shown for each entry, and very importantly, unlike other guides, a photograph of a leaf or often a fruit is shown. The author's special accumulated knowledge of which specific butterfly feeds on which kind of plant is shared through notes under the respective host plants. A colorful appendix to the coevolved Heliconius butterflies rounds out the volume. The author Ronald Boender is an expert on passionflower butterflies and a pioneer in breeding and exhibiting butterflies. In 1988 he developed and opened the first commercial butterfly farm and public exhibition in the Americas, called Butterfly World, in Coconut Creek, near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Quickly becoming a renowned expert on growing passionflowers, he developed the largest collection of species and has contributed much knowledge, not only to horticulture, but also the scientific understanding of the relationship between the vines and the butterflies. In 1990 he founded the Passiflora Society International (PSI), and until recent years was president and prime mover. Through his lifelong interest in nature photography, he started a collection of passionflower photos which has grown now into this pictorial atlas. Completed by renowned Passiflora authority, Ronald Boender, together with John MacDougal, Ph.D., and John Vanderplank, Ph.D. comprehensively highlights the breadth and beauty of the species occurring in the wild. Lavish contributions by 27 other photographers expand the photographic atlas to other climates, including cool-loving Andean species. Readers will delight in exploring page after page of amazing and intricate flowers and leaves of every color and form. This beautiful informational guide will be instructive and engaging to all readers -- gardeners, hobbyists, and scientists alike. This is a wonderful gift for any nature lover or gardener or anyone interested in tropical plants or nature photography.