The Carnivorous Plants
Gardening Botany Nature Reference Environmental Science Hobbies & Crafts Biology Outdoor Activities
First published in 1976, Francis Ernest Lloyd’s The Carnivorous Plants remains the most complete single-volume field guide to the world’s “botanical hunters.” Written by the Canadian botanist who first mapped the digestive glands of Venus flytraps, this 352-page, fully illustrated reference still outranks newer coffee-table titles for depth, accuracy, and practical cultivation advice. Every major trapping family—Droseraceae, Nepenthaceae, Sarraceniaceae, Lentibulariaceae, and the lesser-known Cephalotaceae—is examined in plain English, making the book equally useful to high-school science projects, adult hobbyists refining their greenhouse techniques, and naturalists identifying plants in the wild.
What sets Lloyd’s book apart is the marriage of rigorous science with hands-on guidance. Page after page of crisp line drawings and black-and-white photographs show exactly where to look for nectar “landing strips,” trigger-hair counts, and the subtle color shifts that distinguish hybrid pitcher plants. Growth charts, soil recipes, dormancy timetables, and seed-collecting checklists are laid out in easy-scan tables, so readers can propagate sundews or build a backyard bog garden without wading through academic jargon. A special final chapter on conservation status—radical for the mid-70s—anticipates today’s legal protections and gives ethical collection protocols still quoted by international field societies.
Collectors prize the 1976 paperback for its compact trim size: the book slips into a day-pack beside a plant press, yet opens flat for quick consultation in humid greenhouses. This copy is clean and tight, with unmarked pages and only light edge-foxing that does not penetrate the generous margins—ideal for note-taking or field sketching. Whether you’re a young adult assembling a 4-H display, a weekend gardener designing a patio terrarium, or an educator building a STEM curriculum on ecological adaptation, owning Lloyd’s classic puts the authoritative “last word” on carnivorous plants within arm’s reach.
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