The Wild Orchids of Hong Kong
by Barretto, Gloria; Cribb, Phillip & Gale, Stephen
- New
- Hardcover
- Condition
- New/New
- ISBN 10
- 9838121363
- ISBN 13
- 9789838121361
- Seller
-
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Kota Kinabalu, 2011. Very well illustrated, large thick octavo, pp xviii, 697, a very good new copy in a dustwrapper which is very slightly bumped on the corners. Please note that this book weighs 2.5 kilos, so extra shipping costs will be needed. [The cultivation and medicinal use of orchids are Chinese traditions that date back millennia, but scientific documentation of southeast Chinas native orchids commenced with the establishment of European trade bases at Macau in the 16th Century and at Guangzhou in the 18th Century. João de Loureiro, a Portuguese missionary, collected Pecteilis susannae and Spiranthes sinensis during his visit to these enclaves from 1779-1782 and John Damper Parks, a collector for the Horticultural Society of London, sent back specimens of Coelogyne fimbriata and Robiquetia succisa from the region in the 1820s. The earliest survey of orchids on Hong Kong Island is attributed to Dr. Clarke Abel, naturalist aboard HMS Alceste during Lord Amhersts ill-fated diplomatic mission to the court of the Qing Dynasty in 1816, when he botanised the lower slopes of what was to become known as Mt. Victoria. The island was formally ceded to the United Kingdom following the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, and the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories were added to the colony in 1860 and 1898 respectively. A century of exploration ensued: over 40 new orchids were named from plants collected within the territory, and even in the short period that has elapsed since its return to Chinese rule, Hong Kongs narrow valleys and precipitous summits have continued to yield novelties. Collabium chinense and Vanilla shenzhenica were added to the list of native orchids as recently as 1998. In total, 126 species and varieties representing all five orchid subfamilies have been recorded from Hong Kong, a staggering figure given its diminutive size. Hong Kongs landscape has changed dramatically throughout its history, and emphasis is increasingly placed on developing an understanding of the plants ecology in order to ensure their persistence for future generations. This book provides descriptions and discusses the discovery of all the native species, and the conservation status of each is assessed. Every species is illustrated with a line drawing, and almost all are depicted in photographs taken in Hong Kong. This book brings to fruition the work of lifelong Hong Kong resident and countrywoman Gloria Barretto (1916-2007). Gloria acquired her knowledge of botany and orchid taxonomy under the informal tuition of Professor Shiu-ying Hu, and worked at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden from 1971 until 2003. Every evening after work, she crouched over her microscope, utilising makeshift dissecting equipment, working with her collection of books, reams of data, photographs and notes, and, guided by her international network of experts, produced draft descriptions for the orchids of Hong Kong. It was always her intention that this would lead to the publication of a comprehensive account of all the native orchids, a task left to her co-authors and an aspiration now realized posthumously.]. Cloth. New/New.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Mike Park Ltd (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 007079
- Title
- The Wild Orchids of Hong Kong
- Author
- Barretto, Gloria; Cribb, Phillip & Gale, Stephen
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- New
- Jacket Condition
- New
- ISBN 10
- 9838121363
- ISBN 13
- 9789838121361
- Publisher
- Natural History Publications (borneo)
- Place of Publication
- Kota Kinabalu
- Date Published
- 2011
- Keywords
- ORCHIDS. ORCHIDACEAE.GOODYERA.PERISTYLUS.HABENARIA. LIPARIS. CYMBIDIUM. COELOGYNE. DENDROBIUM. BULBOPHYLLUM. CLEISOSTOMA.
- Bookseller catalogs
- Orchids;
Terms of Sale
Mike Park Ltd
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About the Seller
Mike Park Ltd
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London, Greater London
About Mike Park Ltd
For the last forty seven years we have been specialist in gardening, botanical and natural history books, but other subjects are stocked, also. Our website can be found at mikeparkbooks.com. Interesting catalogues of newly-acquired stock are issued three times a year. Please contact us to go on our mailing list. Our full listings can be viewed on our website at mikeparkbooks.com.
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- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Dustwrapper
- Also known as book jacket, dust cover, or dust wrapper, a dust jacket is a protective and decorative cover for a book that is...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
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