Tropica: Exotic Color Cyclopedia Of Exotic Plants And Trees From Tropics
Horticulture Garden Design Botanical Reference Nature Photography Environmental Science Plant Identification Tropical Gardening
Tropica: Exotic Color Cyclopedia Of Exotic Plants And Trees From Tropics is the 1978 first-edition “bible” that serious collectors and landscape designers reach for when they need to identify or verify a tropical treasure. A.B. Graf’s 812-page hardback packs more than 7,000 color photographs—each crisp, life-size, and botanically labeled—so you can spot the exact cultivar of heliconia, bromeliad, or rare palm you saw on vacation. Unlike later reprints that trimmed pages or switched to lower-resolution images, this Roehrs first printing retains the original Japanese-engraved plates, giving foliage and bloom colors a depth modern digital presses still struggle to match.
Beyond the photos, Graf’s concise cultural notes tell you hardiness zone, soil preference, water schedule, and mature dimensions in both metric and imperial, so gardeners from Key West to coastal California can decide at a glance whether a tree will outgrow a courtyard or survive a brief chill. A 200-page quick-key index cross-references Latin, English, and common Asian names, turning frantic “what-is-this-plant” moments into five-second look-ups. Landscape architects routinely keep the volume in the truck cab; a single flip often answers client questions faster than scrolling through phone apps with spotty reception.
For collectors, the 1978 first edition is the one to own: thick laminated boards, sewn signatures that stay open flat on a potting bench, and end-paper maps showing pre-climate-change range data now prized by researchers. Condition notes on this copy—light exterior scuffing and occasional foxing on early pages—are typical for a reference that spent decades in active greenhouse consultation, yet every photo plate remains bright and the binding is tight. It’s a used book with honest wear, priced far below pristine dealer copies, yet still sturdy enough for daily horticultural duty.
Whether you’re outfitting a conservatory, sourcing conversation pieces for an Airbnb patio, or curating a rare-plant Instagram feed, owning the original Tropica puts authoritative identification and care data at your fingertips while doubling as a stunning coffee-table art book. Demand for first editions has risen steadily as tropical gardening surges; grabbing a clean, complete copy now ensures you have the definitive visual encyclopedia before prices climb even higher.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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