Cycads of the World. 1993. (Reprint 1994). illus.(line drawgs. & col. photogr.). 312 p. gr8vo. Hardcover.

Cycads superficially resemble palms and are often misidentified as such. However, cycads are actually a unique assemblage of primitive plants
that have been around for at least 250 million years. Because of their great antiquity they have been described as living fossils and the
coelacanths of the plant world.

Cycads were an important source of food for the dinosaurs and, despite their toxicity, they may have been prepared for food and valued by
many cultures.Today they may be regarded as relicts, still widely distributed but diminished in diversity and persisting only in small disjunct
communities.They have become highly sought after for gardens, both private and public, and their present status as endangered plants has
engendered an upsurge of interest in their conservation.

With Cycads of the World David Jones has achieved that difficult task of writing a scientifically accurate text which is both easy
to read and to understand.The book covers all living species in their 11 genera. It has over 250 colour photographs, many descriptive line
drawings, identification keys, distribution maps and 16 fine old colour engravings previously hidden away in antique volumes. David records
the prehistory and history of cycads and their economic importance. He provides detailed information on their cultivation, biology
and propagation.The book will appeal to gardeners, landscape architects, horticulturalists, botanists, conservationists and curious general
readers alike.