Maples of the World - by H J Oterdoom & D M Van Gelderen & P C De Jong (Paperback)

About the Book

Every known maple is described, including growth habit, distribution, hardiness, autumn color, propagation, and pests and diseases.

Book Synopsis

The first truly comprehensive treatment of the genus Acer. This is a black-and-white edition.

From the Back Cover

Acer holds a proud place among the largest and most important woody genera. Its significance in both ornamental and economic uses is matched by its taxonomic complexity.

This book represents the fruit of almost two decades of work by its distinguished authors. In 1975, three years before Timber Press published his landmark Japanese Maple, the late J.D Vertrees visited the authors--a nurseryman, a taxonomist/dendrologist and an avid maple collector--in the Netherlands and suggested that they collaborate to produce a definitive work on the genus . The challenge was accepted, and the three, for a time calling themselves the Club of Acerologists, set to work. Any early outline of the book optimistically called for completion and publication within five years.

As the initial work began, it became clear that a massive research effort was required; this took far longer than the author had anticipated. A full nineteen years after its initial conception the much-anticipated book is appearing, the first truly comprehensive treatment of the genus. Among the topics discussed are the history of maple names, maple structure, native habitats and distribution, pests and diseases, propagation, and taxonomy. The hear of the book is the proposed revision of the genus, which combines the exhaustive descriptions of hybrids and cultivars to create the greatest single source of information on maples in any language. The more than 200 color photographs of significant species and cultivars add greatly to the book's usefulness.

Of enormous importance to botanists because of its taxonomic and nomenclatural contributions, as well as for its exhaustive bibliography, Maples of the World is a significant book for horticulturists, landscape architects and designers, growers and gardeners because of the key role maples play in ornamental planting. It is a book which Timber Press takes great pride in publishing.

Review Quotes

"Truly comprehensive." --Booklist

"This long-awaited masterwork has no peer. Virtually every species and named variety of maple known to horticulture is represented here. . . . An invaluable resource that could scarcely be surpassed." --Horticulture

"Maples of the World is probably the most definitive text ever written on the genus Acer. . . . will be essential for nursery managers, botanists, landscape designers, and horticulturists." --American Reference Books Annual

"Magnificent. . . . the greatest single source of information on this subject. . . . essential reading" --Gardens Illustrated

"We have come to expect lavishly illustrated, strongly bound, fairly priced books on horticultural topics from Timber Press, and this work is no exception. The authors bring to the subject vast experience, scholarship, and an obvious love of the plants themselves." --Economic Botany

"The mass of information given in these chapters is impressive." --Garden

"Essential reading for botanists, researchers, and students involved with the maple genus, and a mine of information for maple enthusiasts, horticulturists, gardeners and tree lovers. . . . quite a remarkable value for money." --Arboricultural Journal

"This monumental achievement will serve as the standard reference fro students and fanciers of maples for the next decade, and perhaps even longer." --American Society of Plant Taxonomists Newsletter

"The book was eagerly awaited for many years, and is the first comprehensive work on maples. . . . This scholarly work deserves to be on the bookshelf of every serious student of Acerology." --Hortus

"Indispensable for every horticulturalist, botanist and everybody interested in trees, world of gardens and parks, and nature in general." --Thaiszia

About the Author

Taxonomist and dendrologist P. C. de Jong, formerly on the faculty of the University of Utrecht and curator of the university's seven botanic gardens, is currently in charge of the Experimental Research Station in Boskoop. Dr. de Jong's special areas of interest are the genera Acer, Betula, Euonymus, and Lilium.

Dr. H. J. Oterdoom, F. L. S., a retired thoracic surgeon of international repute, is a passionate collector of maples and former president of the Dutch Dendrology Society.
D. M. van Gelderen is the principal author of several books on trees and shrubs. His family nursery, Firma C. Esveld in Boskoop, is one of the world's great specialist nurseries, famous for its conifers, maples, rhododendrons, and other woody plants. Among the awards D. M. van Gelderen has received in recognition of his contributions to horticulture are the Gold Veitch Memorial Medal of the Royal Horticultural Society and the Dutch Dendrological Society's Silver Doorenbos Medal. In 2000, he was named "Officer in the Order of Oranje Nassau" by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, in recognition of his work for the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society and his contribution to horticultural literature.