Rumphius' Orchids


Book Description

A 17th century Dutch naturalist, Rumphius was the first person to describe tropical orchids in a Western language. The original seven volume work, the 'Ambonese Herbal', describes 36 species found on the island of Ambon, plus another 12 uncertified species.




Orchid Biology VIII


Book Description

This is the eighth volume in a 25-year-old series that has become the cornerstone review publication of orchid science. It presents authoritative reviews on different areas of orchid science and historical accounts by major orchid authorities, providing information for botanists, orchid scientists, and growers.




Intercultural Exchange in Southeast Asia


Book Description

At the dawn of European colonialism, the Southeast Asian region encompassed some of the most diverse and influential cultures in early modern history. The circulation of people, commodities, ideas and beliefs along the key trading routes, from the eastern edge of the Mughal empire to the southern Chinese border, stimulated some of the great cultural and political achievements of the age. This volume highlights the multifarious dimensions of exchange in eight fascinating case studies written by leading experts from the fields of History, Anthropology, Musicology and Art History. Intercultural Exchange in Southeast Asia explores religious change at both ends of the social spectrum, examining the factors which led to or impeded the conversion of kings to new faiths, as well as those which affected the conversion of the marginal communities of mercenaries and renegades. The artistic and cultural refashioning of new religions such as Christianity to suit local needs and sensibilities is highlighted in the Philippines, Siam, Vietnam and the Malay world while detailed analyses of scientific exchanges in maritime southeast Asia highlight the role of local agents, especially women, in the transmission of knowledge and beliefs. The articulation and cultural expression of power relations is addressed in chapters on colonial urban design and the use of music in diplomatic exchanges. This book utilises rare and unpublished sources to shed new light on the processes, strategies, and consequences of exchanges between cultures, societies and individuals and will be essential reading for those interested in the cultural and political origins of modern Asia.




Orchids as Aphrodisiac, Medicine or Food


Book Description

Did you know that Vanilla was formerly served as aphrodisiac by Cassanova and Madam Pompadour, and Elizabeth I loved its flavor? This is the first book that provides a complete worldwide coverage of orchids being employed as aphrodisiacs, medicine or charms and food. Opening with an in-depth historical account of orchids (orchis Greek testicle), the author describes how the Theory of Signatures influenced ancient herbalists to regard terrestrial orchid tubers as aphrodisiacs. Doctors and apothecaries promoted it during the Renaissance. Usage of orchids in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Indian Ayurvedic Medicine; by Tibetan yogins and Amchi healers for longevity pills, tonics and aphrodisiacs; by Africans to prepare 'health promoting' chikanda or as survival food when lost in the Australian bush are some highlights of the book. Early settlers in America and the East Indies often relied on native remedies and employment of orchids for such needs is described. Also covered are the search for medicinal compounds by scientists, attempts to prove the orchid's efficacy by experiment and the worry of conservationists.




Micropropagation of Orchids


Book Description

Divided into three volumes, Micropropagation of Orchids Third Edition retains the exhaustive list of micropropagation protocols for many genera and updates each section to include new and/or revised information about: Culture media and vessels Techniques and procedures for both orchids which were previously cultured and for those which were not Plant hormones and growth regulators Media components Methods for tissue decontamination Historical information Procedures for the cultivation for plantlets which have been removed from flasks Sources of light and illumination methods Written by two globally acknowledged experts in the field, the third edition of this definitive text on the micropropagation of orchids is a detailed and comprehensive collection of procedures and methods for multiplying orchids, including organ, tissue, and cell culture techniques in vitro and is intended for researchers in plant science and propagation, professional and amateur orchid growers, and plant breeding professionals. Much of the general information about techniques and procedures can be applied to plants other than orchids.




Micropropagation of Orchids


Book Description

This greatly expanded and updated edition of a classic reference work comprises two volumes offering a compendium of methods for multiplying orchids through micropropagation. A detailed collection of procedures and methods for multiplying orchids, including organ, tissue, and cell culture techniques in vitro Presents classic techniques that have been in the forefront of orchid propagation since they were first developed in 1949 Detailed procedures are appended with tables and complete recipes for a large number of culture media Includes many illustrations, chemical formulas, historical vignettes, and seldom seen illustrations of people, orchids, apparatus and tools “... an excellent resource like its predecessor, ...both informative and captivating, and served as a reminder of why we go to such extremes in our quest to propagate these plants.” American Orchid Society, 2009 “...in the sense of its universal value and importance, this Second Edition will undoubtedly be considered a classic, if only because it will serve as a sole and invaluable resource on the subject.” Plant Science Bulletin, 2009




Medicinal Orchids of Asia


Book Description

This unique book brings together a wealth of data on the botanical, ethno-medicinal and pharmacological aspects of over 500 species of Asian medicinal orchids. It starts off by explaining the role and limitations of complimentary and herbal medicines, and how traditional Asian medicine differs from Western, “scientific” medicine. The different Asian medical traditions are described, as well as their modes of preparing herbal remedies. The core of the book presents individual medicinal orchid species arranged by genera. Each species is identified by its official botanical name, synonyms, and local names. Its distribution, habitat and flowering season, uses and pharmacology are described. An overview sums up the research findings on all species within each genus. Clinical observations are discussed whenever available, and possible therapeutic applications are highlighted. The book closes with chapters on the conservation of medicinal orchids and on the role of randomized clinical trials.




Orchid Biology: Reviews and Perspectives X


Book Description

As stated many times before the purpose of Orchid Biology, Reviews and Perspectives (OB) is to present reviews on all aspects of orchids. The aim is not to balance every volume, but to make a balanced and wide ranging presentation of orchids in the series as a whole. The chapters in this, the last volume of the series, range over a number of topics which were not covered before. Singapore is justly famed for its orchids. They can be seen on arrival (or dep- ture) in its modern, highly efficient and comfortable Changi Airport and on the way from it to town. Vanda Miss Joaquim, the first hybrid to come from Singapore became its National Flower. This natural hybrid can be seen on its currency, stamps, and public and private decorations. Many excellent breeders, starting with Prof. Eric Holttum who bred the first man made hybrid (Spathoglottis Primrose), produced numerous magnificent hybrids and won countless awards in Singapore and elsewhere. These hybrids served to enrich the country’s orchid mystique. In the opening chapter of this volume Dr. Teoh Eng Soon (Western style: Eng Soon Teoh), himself a prize winning orchid breeder, grower and author writes about some of the breeders who contributed to the Singapore orchid fame. Prof. Hans Fitting was one of the best known plant physiologists of his time. As a young man he studied the effects of pollen on orchid flowers.




The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans


Book Description

A Science Friday Best Science Book of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year A Library Journal Best Science and Technology Book of the Year A Tampa Bay Times Best Book of the Year A stunning history of seashells and the animals that make them that "will have you marveling at nature…Barnett’s account remarkably spirals out, appropriately, to become a much larger story about the sea, about global history and about environmental crises and preservation" (John Williams, New York Times Book Review). Seashells have been the most coveted and collected of nature’s creations since the dawn of humanity. They were money before coins, jewelry before gems, art before canvas. In The Sound of the Sea, acclaimed environmental author Cynthia Barnett blends cultural history and science to trace our long love affair with seashells and the hidden lives of the mollusks that make them. Spiraling out from the great cities of shell that once rose in North America to the warming waters of the Maldives and the slave castles of Ghana, Barnett has created an unforgettable history of our world through an examination of the unassuming seashell. She begins with their childhood wonder, unwinds surprising histories like the origin of Shell Oil as a family business importing exotic shells, and charts what shells and the soft animals that build them are telling scientists about our warming, acidifying seas. From the eerie calls of early shell trumpets to the evolutionary miracle of spines and spires and the modern science of carbon capture inspired by shell, Barnett circles to her central point of listening to nature’s wisdom—and acting on what seashells have to say about taking care of each other and our world.




The Life of Governor Joan Gideon Loten (1710-1789)


Book Description

Details Loten's personal history and his professional career as a servant of the Dutch East Indies Company. It contains an inventory of his natural history drawings in the London Natural History Museum and Teylers Museum at Haarlem -- a valuable treasure of eighteenth-century natural history of Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Loten's writings, quoted extensively in this biography, cover early-eighteenth-century narrow-minded, provincial Utrecht in the Dutch Republic, the exotic Dutch East Indies, and cosmopolitan London in the latter part of the century.