The Cycads
Gardening Botany Horticulture Reference Nature Science Plants
Timber Press’s 2002 hardcover of The Cycads by Loran M. Whitelock is the single most comprehensive visual reference ever published on these living fossils. At 532 oversized pages, every species and cultivar is shown in sharp studio photographs, distribution maps, and meticulous botanical drawings that make identification instant for collectors, landscape designers, and students. Because cycads grow so slowly, accurate first-hand data on mature frond length, cone size, and cold-hardiness are almost impossible to find elsewhere; Whitelock’s 40 years of field notes fill that gap, turning what is often a “mystery palm” at nurseries into a precisely catalogued investment plant.
Beyond the pictures, the book is structured as a true working manual. Each genus entry lists soil pH, drought tolerance, and exact light requirements, followed by step-by-step seed germination tables and pest treatments tested in major botanical gardens. The extensive bibliography cross-references every modern scientific paper up to 2002, so readers can chase the latest taxonomy without hunting obscure journals. For hobbyists who want to propagate rare Encephalartos or Ceratozamia, the clonal-offset diagrams alone can save hundreds of dollars in trial-and-error losses.
Collectors prize this first edition because it was printed in small numbers and never re-issued in the same high-quality laminated boards and dust jacket. The copy offered here remains tight and unmarked; only light foxing on the inside covers and cosmetic water marks to the outer margins from page 175 onward keep it from being graded fine—no stuck leaves, no musty odor, and no underlining that would reduce its scientific value. For a university library, conservatory, or serious home gardener, this is the authoritative cycad bible at a fraction of the $300–$400 that sealed new copies now command.
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