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Now available. The fabulous range of books from Stewart Mcpherson.

To order any book, simply email at orders@captiveexotics.com and an invoice will be sent.

Pitcher Plants of the Old World Volume One and Volume Two

Pitcher plants include the largest and most spectacular of all carnivorous plants. So-called because they produce highly specialised foliage that takes the form of hollow, water-filled “pitchers”, these extraordinary plants lure and prey upon arthropods and other small animals. The pitcher plants of the Old World also trap the largest prey of all carnivorous plants, including on rare occasions, vertebrates as large as frogs, mice and even rats. This two volume work examines both genera of Old World pitcher plants (Nepenthes and Cephalotus) and documents the ecology and natural diversity of every known species for the first time and in unparalleled detail…

Pitcher Plants of the Old World Volume Two comprises Nepenthes of the Philippines, Nepenthes of Sumatra and Java, Nepenthes of Sulawesi, Nepenthes of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, Nepenthes of the Outlying Areas, Nepenthes Hybrids, Cephalotus follicularis, Habitat Loss and the Threat of Extinction and Cultivation and Horticulture, Appendix, Glossary, Bibliography, Index.

This 1399 page work contains 751 spectacular images. 120 species of Nepenthes, plus 5 incompletely diagnosed taxa are recognised, along with Cephalotus follicularis. Several of the species documented in this work have been discovered only very recently and, in many cases, the photographs presented in this work are among the first to be published. Examples include N. argentii, N. attenboroughii, N. bellii, N. bokorensis, N. burkei, N. copelandii, N. danseri, N. deaniana, N. gracillima, N. kampotiana, N. klossii, N. kongkandana, N. mantalingajanensis, N. masoalensis, N. micramphora, N. mindanaoensis, N. mira, N. naga, N. paniculata, N. papuana, N. peltata, N. pilosa, N. pitopangii, N. surigaoensis, N. tenax, N. tenuis, N. tomoriana, N. sp. Trang, N. sp. Phanga Nga, N. sp. Sulawesi, N. sp. Misool and N. sp. Papua. A newly discovered taxon from the Philippines, Nepenthes micramphora V.Heinrich, S.McPherson, Gronemeyer & Amoroso, is formally described in the Appendix and introduced here for the first time.

Pitcher Plants of the Old World is a focused study that provides a unique examination of this fascinating and very beautiful group of plants.
LIMITED EDITION – Only 1,400 first edition copies printed – order your copy now!
$90 Australian plus postage  per volume, order now at orders@captiveexotics.com
Pitcher Plants of the Americas (soft cover only)
Pitcher plants are the largest and most beautiful of the world’s carnivorous plants and are viewed with fascination as objects of natural history and natural beauty by people of all ages, nationalities, and vocational callings. Pitcher Plants of the Americas is intended for a broad audience, and accordingly has been written in substantive yet accessible language, that is enhanced through the use of spectacular, high-quality color images and diagrams. The result is a visually beautiful yet informative study that provides the first complete, detailed overview of the systematics, biology, ecology, biogeography, conservation, and horticulture of the five genera of American pitcher plants (s.l.) , including three genera of true pitcher plants (Darlingtonia, Heliamphora, and Sarracenia) and two genera of carnivorous tank bromeliads (Brocchinia and Catopsis) .

Pitcher Plants of the Americas is up-to-date, comprehensive, focused, well illustrated, and visually beautiful. It is technically written yet is accessible to specialist and non-specialist audiences and will be a valued source of information, reference book, and spectacular overview of the group that will appeal to botanists, naturalists, ecologists, biogeographers, resource managers, conservationists, horticulturists, and gardeners-among others!

The introductory chapters of this work outline the taxonomic content and groupings (by trapping methods) of carnivorous plants and briefly review the taxonomy, biology, evolutionary history, and biogeography of the American pitcher plants. The following five chapters are devoted to individual genera of the American pitcher plants and examine in detail the anatomy, habitat, ecology, trapping process, and distribution of each genus and each member species as well as many naturally occurring hybrids and selected cultivars.

The concluding chapters of Pitcher Plants of the Americas summarize the current conservational status of each family of American pitcher plants in terms of the nature and extent of habitat loss and the resulting threat of extinction, and the study closes by considering the various successful conservation approaches and initiatives which are helping to secure a bright future for these rare plants.

The strengths of this book include (1) its uniquely detailed systematic coverage of the five genera and their member species, hybrids, and cultivars; (2) the first and only comprehensive, systematic coverage of the genus Heliamphora; (3) the full-color format and 200+ spectacular photographs used to document each taxon and cultivar covered; (4) the very first published images of several species and varieties in their natural habitat; and (5) descriptions and photographs of thirty currently unnamed and largely undocumented phenotypic variants of Sarracenia.

Cost: $60 AU (soft cover)  plus postage   Order now at : orders@captiveexotics.com

Glistening Carnivores – the sticky-leaved insect-eating plants
The seven genera of sticky-leaved insect-eating plants are uniquely beautiful and captivate the interest of all who behold them. Each produces shimmering leaves lined with glistening droplets of glue that attract, trap and kill insects and other small animals. Complimented by 279 spectacular images, this work examines all seven genera of sticky-leaved insect-eating plants (Byblis, Drosera, Drosophyllum, Ibicella, Pinguicula, Roridula and Triphyophyllum) and documents their wild ecology and natural diversity in full detail and in many cases, for the very first time.
Cost: $70 AU plus postage

The first chapter of Glistening Carnivores focuses on the research of Charles Darwin and the implications of his findings relating to the carnivorous plants of the world. The next chapter, entitled The Sticky-Leaved Insect-Eating Plants, identifies all of the known sticky-leaved insect-eating plants and discusses their classification. The following chapters entitled The Evolution of the Sticky-Leaved Insect-Eating Plantsand Mutualistic Arthropods respectively handle the evolution of the seven genera and the known relationships with arthropod partners involving these plants.

Each of the following seven chapters then individually focus on one genus of sticky-leaved insect-eating plants. Each genus is considered in terms of its taxonomy, botanical history, morphology and ecology. In the following chapter, entitled Habitat Loss and the Threat of Extinction, the book then moves to consider the conservational status and future outlook for these remarkable plants and examines their place in the 21st century in the context of changing landscapes across the world. The final chapter, entitled Cultivation and Horticulture considers the cultivation of the sticky-leaved insect-eating plants with recommendations of responsible and ethical nurseries where the reader may acquire responsibly and legally produced sticky-leaved insect-eating plants to grow and study at home.
Glistening Carnivores is the first and only study of the sticky-leaved insect-eating plants and represents an unparallel source of information on the subject. The strengths of this book undoubtedly include (1) its uniquely detailed content; (2) the 279 spectacular figures including breath taking images and useful distribution maps and (3) the very first published images of dozens of species of sticky-leaved insect-eating plants.

Glistening Carnivores is up-to-date, uniquely detailed, focused, and visually beautiful. It is technically written yet is accessible to specialist and non-specialist audiences and will be a valued source of information for all interested in the sticky-leaved insect-eating plants and carnivorous plants in general!