Have
you encountered the following scenarios?
First scenario:
You are looking for a plant but you do not know its scientific
or common name. After an attempt to describe a plant to its most
minute detail, the nurseryman still cannot grabble which plant
you are referring to?
Another
one:
You know the scientific name of a plant. Unfortunately, this plant
doesn't have a common name. You blurted out some Latin to the
Pasar Malam vendor, wet market florist or Hokkien-speaking nurseryman,
and all you get is a blank stare?
How
you wish you had the picture of the plant on hand right?
Finally,
the first extensive pictorial directory on the common plants of
Singapore has surfaced. According to its title, it supposed to
cover at least 1001 garden plants that can be found here. (I haven't
attempted to verify the total number of entries. I think I will
fall asleep before I finish counting them. Talk about counting
sheep!)
The
book's publication is kind of late, but better than never. And
you can easily grab a copy just about anywhere. You can borrow
it from the public library or purchase a copy from the local plant
nursery or any large bookstore. Priced at less than 20 bucks,
you get a directory of plants whose pictures are all in full colour.
Where on Earth can you get such good deal?
Forget
about lengthy taxonomic descriptions and boring line drawings.
This book goes by the popular saying, "A picture tells a thousand
words." Armed with colorful pictures, all you need to do is to
flash the picture of the garden plant you are looking for at a
plant dealer and he will instantly know what you wanted.
Not
forgetting that the book just weighs a forgiving 850 grams, with
dimensions of 210 mm by 149 mm, it fits easily into a carrier
bag and you need not have to worry that you will get a backache
after carrying it during any lengthy nursery trip. For those plant
lovers with cars, you may just want to get a copy of this book
and stuff it somewhere in the car like what you did with your
indispensable Singapore Street Directory! You never know when
you need it.
This
book is not about just convenience and its rock-bottom price tag.
For those who want to learn more, the book provides the scientific
name; local names, if any; its place of origin as well as symbols
to convey each plant's characteristics and needs. Take your time
to browse through the book to look for a plant that's suitable
for your home's or garden's conditions.
With
indices of scientific and common names, one can easily find the
plant he is looking for. If not, simply flip through pages in
the various broad plant categories that the book adopts to classify
the numerous plants - Climbers, Ferns & Allies, Shrubs, Cycads
& Palms and Trees.
As
with all publications, none should be expected to be perfect.
I can easily pick out a few inaccuracies here and there, like
on page 123, there is no Episcia known by the name of Episcia
'Yellow'. I only know that there is a similar plant known as Episcia
'Tropical Topaz'. Some may criticize and ask how useful can a
description get if we are given a name like Aglaonema cultivar?
I have no complains about the quality of the pictures since none
are pixellated and at most, a handful are blurry. But one can
still make out how the plant looks like. Most importantly, do
not be disappointed if you cannot find your favourite plant in
this bible. A slight excess of 1001 plants is just only a tiny
population of the entire Plant Kingdom!
I
would rate this book four stars out of a maximum of five. It is
a must have for all Singapore plant lovers.
Book
Details:
Price:
About SGD 18.00
Format: Paperback, 500 pages
Dimensions: 210 mm by 149 mm
First Published: 2003, Singapore, 1st Edition
ISBN: 9810492685
Chapter Headings:
Contents
Acknowledgements
How to use this book
Climbers
Ferns & Allies
Shrubs
Cycads & Palms
Trees
Index to Scientific Names
Index to Common Names
