Books about Endemic from Amazon.com

Bird watching is an international pastime and Ethiopia and Eritrea are some of the most spectacular places in the world for this sport. For the first time, the thirty endemic birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea are brought together in one volume for easy reference. An illustration of each bird and a distribution map accompany a brief description of each species. Information on habitat, distribution, behaviour, breeding, threats and IUCN category is also included to assist the keen observer. An introductory chapter and a complete list of all known localities for every species make this an invaluable reference guide for both amateur and professional bird-watchers in Ethiopia and Eritrea. In the field or in the library the full colour photographs of this volume will both spark interest and answer questions about some of the most beautiful birds in the world..
Price: $15.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

With its active fault systems, complex landforms, and myriad natural habitats, southern California boasts a rich and dynamic geologic environment This abundantly illustrated volume at last provides an up-to-date, authoritative, and accessible resource for students and general readers interested in southern California's geology and native plants. Covering an extensive area, north from San Diego to Yosemite in the Sierra Nevada and east to the Mojave and Colorado deserts, its unique, comprehensive approach brings together for the first time the basic principles of geology, the story of plate tectonics, in-depth discussion of the geology of many specific locales within the region, and information on identifying southern California's native plants..
Price: $75.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Growing native plants is becoming a popular practice in HawaiiÂ’s gardens, hotels and park landscapes The book has a durable cover, lies flat and is a one-stop reference work for scientists and nursery owners, conservationists and backyard gardeners alike. It contains an extensive, thoroughly researched entry for each of the 1,191 true existing native Hawaiian plant species. For each entry there is a species description, information on provenance, growing methods, germination rates, pest and disease control and most importantly, directions for outplanting. Included are more than 400 high-quality color images and a forward by renowned botanist Sir Ghillean Prance, former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and current scientific director of the Eden Project..
Price: $44.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This comprehensive volume is designed as a practical handbook for marine biologists, divers, shell collectors, students and naturalists Covering 10 species of the endemic Australian genera Zoila and Umbilia, "Australia's Spectacular Cowries" offers an impressive collation of information on the variation, distribution, habitats, living and fossil history of these popular and beautiful marine animals. Most of the species in these groups are characterised by extreme variability in shell form and colour pattern.

With photographs of over 600 shell specimens, each of the known variations of every species is illustrated in full colour. The book also includes detailed distribution maps and more then 250 photographs of the animals in their natural habitats. "Australia's Spectacular Cowries" is a concise, easy-to-read guide to these endemic Australian cowries..
Price: $125.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

A comprehensive look at the wide variety of flowering plants and ferns found in Hawaii's wild providing simple but scientifically up-to-date information on their origins and evolutionary relationships. The book includes almost 200 color photographs for most of the species featured in the book and directions to convenient locations to observe them. Dr. Bohm stresses throughout the book that readers, hikers and novice biologists need to be aware of the sensitivity of native plants to habitat destruction and the devastating impact of the invasion of alien species..
Price: $22.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This is an extraordinary book, filled with beautiful full-color illustrations of some of the world's most unusual plants. It transports readers to a band of ancient and remote islands located a thousand miles off the coast of Africa. These islands, the Seychelles, have been geologically isolated for more than seventy million years. They include the only islands in the world that are formed of granite. In their long isolation, the native flora of these thirty-two granitic islands remained untouched until the late eighteenth century. Since then, however, inroads have been made in their natural environment by human settlement, by the introduction of cinnamon and its rapid spread over many of the islands, and by present-day tourism. Slowly these fragile plants have been overrun and many are now endangered.

Most of the plants first described one hundred years ago are still found today, but many are becoming increasingly rare. Some cling to existence with only a few specimens to be found, often in remote locations. In 1985 the Oxford University Biological Expedition to the Seychelles studied the vegetation on several of the islands. Rosemary Wise, the department's artist, was asked to accompany the expedition. She became alarmed that the rapidly disappearing species might go unrecorded and made it her mission for the next ten years to paint all of the endemic flora in their natural habitat. She has written an accompanying text (with a contribution by Malcolm Coe) to describe this unique flora.

The Seychelles are home to plant species found nowhere else. Perhaps the most famous is the "double coconut" (Lodoicea maldivica), a photogenic tree that has become synonymous with the islands. The illustration of this unique palm, like all of the illustrations contained in the book, was painted from firsthand observation. The large format, superb printing, and informative descriptions of A Fragile Eden allow the reader to appreciate the author's obvious passion for these plants. The book will appeal to a wide audience, including professional botanists, ecologically-minded travelers, and anyone who enjoys tropical plants or botanical art..
Price: $26.98 [Notify me when price goes down.]

With some 6,000 species of plants, Texas has extraordinary botanical wealth and diversity Learning to identify plants is the first step in understanding their vital role in nature, and many field guides have been published for that purpose. But to fully appreciate how Texas's native plants have sustained people and animals from prehistoric times to the present, you need Remarkable Plants of Texas.

In this intriguing book, Matt Warnock Turner explores the little-known facts--be they archaeological, historical, material, medicinal, culinary, or cultural--behind our familiar botanical landscape. In sixty-five entries that cover over eighty of our most common native plants from trees, shrubs, and wildflowers to grasses, cacti, vines, and aquatics, he traces our vast array of connections with plants. Turner looks at how people have used plants for food, shelter, medicine, and economic subsistence; how plants have figured in the historical record and in Texas folklore; how plants nourish wildlife; and how some plants have unusual ecological or biological characteristics. Illustrated with over one hundred color photos and organized for easy reference, Remarkable Plants of Texas can function as a guide to individual species as well as an enjoyable natural history of our most fascinating native plants.

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Price: $19.77 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Horticulturist and gardening columnist Heidi Bornhorst provides practical advice for growing 75 plants-33 of them new to this edition A section on basic techniques includes growing plants from cuttings or seeds, air-layering, grafting, watering, xeriscaping, transplanting, fertilizing, pruning, and water gardening. Sections on ground covers, grasses and sedges, shrubs, vines, trees, and ferns explain the care and use of individual plants and describe each plant's importance in Hawaiian culture. Photos illustrate the features of the plants and their use in the landscape.
Price: $14.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]