Secrets of Namaqualand Succulents Book

[Apicra]

Florent Grenier's book with a forward by Steven Hammer

A new book mostly about South African succulents has been announced for self-publication this autumn. It is the English translation of Florent Grenier's "Secrets of Namaqualand Succulents" (previously available only in French), see: https://namaqualand-succulents.com/ . The book will include bulbs and geophytes e.g. Irids and Oxalis, as well as smaller species of succulents: Mesembs, Crassulaceae, Euphorbias, etc. The area covered is wider than the title suggests - plants from the Richtersveld, Sandveld, Knersvlakte, Bokkeveld and Cederberg are all represented. Florent has contributed here to this Forum in the past e.g. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=163550&p=241398#p241260.

Whilst I haven't seen a physical copy of this book (only a pdf file), undoubtedly the greatest strength is the multitude of plant pictures. These feature many rarities and some discovered by the author, such as Tylecodon florentii van Jaarsv. and undescribed geophytic Pelargoniums. Everyone who has travelled to Namaqualand looking for plants will want a copy, yet it is an unusual book. Although there is little advice about cultivation, growers will learn much that is helpful from the ecological stories about these specialised plants and how they have adapted to their environments. Many new observations made personally by the author are reported for the first time, particularly about pollination and pollinators. 

This book is offered at three prices. People paying more than the basic price will be making a useful contribution towards future plant research, since Florent has no regular income to finance trips to South Africa.

Best wishes,
Derek Tribble

P.S. Can you identify the species illustrated in the Photo Gallery on the web site?

[Terry S.]

I have looked through and commented on the English translation for Florent and I think that this should be an interesting book for anyone who grows succulents and geophytes from the dryer parts of western South Africa. It certainly takes a different approach and really concentrates on aspects of ecology of the plants covering climate, rock types, ecosystems, pollinators, etc. If you want to learn about how your favourite plants grow and survive in the wild, this is the book. Florent has spent a long time researching aspects of plants in Namaqualand and has acquired photographs of a wide range of species. It would be difficult to find photographs of many of these species on-line. I wish that I had had this sort of background information when I first started visiting Namaqualand and its surrounds.

[Aiko]

Looks very interesting. I hope this book will be available to flip through at ELK. I always like to go through a book before actually buying. Maybe if a PDF with a few pages could be made available on the website.

[Jim_Mercer]

Looks very interesting. I hope this book will be available to flip through at ELK. I always like to go through a book before actually buying. Maybe if a PDF with a few pages could be made available on the website.

A few pages have been made available as a preview on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/cap.succulente ... =3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/cap.succulente ... =3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/cap.succulente ... =3&theater

[FlorentG]

Thank you so much Derek and Terry for the kind review, and Jim for giving the links to some of the previews of the book.
I'm very excited to see this book come out, especially as it's a self-edited undertaking involving a skilled graphic designer, Catherine Arthur (as an excellent translator, well known to the British community) and I, not forgetting Steven Hammer for the foreword and all the help received from a team of reviewers/proofreaders.
This book is the result of 4 years dedicated to studying Namaqualand, involving 20 months of fieldwork in rather rudimentary conditions. My aim is to blend photography with information on the natural history of succulents and geophytes, some of which is exclusive (own unpublished research), and most of which has never been treated in an accessible form in a book dealing with Namaqualand succulents.
Best wishes,
Florent

[juster]

It really sounds an marvellous book and it's so interesting to read something of the background and the fieldwork that has gone into it. Thank you Florent!

[Terry S.]

Aiko - as I understand it, the book will initially only be available from the writer/publisher. So it is unlikely to be at the ELK unless you can persuade a friend to bring a copy for you to see.

[FlorentG]

Indeed Terry, unless there is a group order; in this case I can manage to have a pick-up point at ELK (visitors would be free to flick through it) where I can arrange to also have some extra books available.

I have updated the website and added some previews: https://namaqualand-succulents.com/free-preview/

The book will only be available through the editor (i.e. me!) for the first 4-6 months. I have to arrange everything myself, including distribution, hence the lack of time to be involved straight away with book shops. When things settle down a bit, I should then start supplying book shops.

Best wishes,
Florent G.