Ever wanted to know the genus name for a coconut? Intended for all your research needs, this encyclopedia is a comprehensive collection of information on temperate and tropical fruit and nut crops. Entries are grouped alphabetically by family and then by species, making it easy to find the information you need. Coverage includes palms and cacti as well as vegetable fruits of Solanaceae and Curcurbitacea. This book not only deals with the horticulture of the fruit and nut crops but also discusses the botany, making it a useful tool for anyone from scientists to gardeners and fruit hobbyists.

This is the first comprehensive listing of Amazon fruits from an ethnobotanical perspective. This detailed book covers 50 botanical families, 207 species, in the Amazon including how the people of each region use them. It is lavishly illustrated with high-quality photographs taken by the author, an extensive list of references, and Dr. Smith’s latest, meticulous research. This book should be a foundational work for scholars working in the plant sciences, researchers in ethnobotanical studies, and general interest scholars seeking more detailed information on the latest research by a leading scientist in the Amazon.

It has been recognized that an important factor in improving the viability of rural livelihoods in developing countries is the promotion of sustainable agriculture. As opposed to relying solely on cash crops, this can be more easily achieved through the domestication of various indigenous fruit trees that can be cultivated and owned by smallholder farmers. Through multi-functional and integrated farming systems, these tree crops can support environmental and social sustainability by providing food as well as promoting economic growth. Twenty years ago, little was known about the biology, ecology or the social impact of indigenous fruit tress on rural populations. Since then, new concepts and approaches have been developed, case studies have been produced and the potential and feasibility of their domestication and commercialization has been explored. This focused study on the tropics brings together a comprehensive review of this research.

In this volume, the Amazon and its adjacent rainforest are presented in all their important facets: First, there is the vast river system itself, with its network of white, black, and clear water rivers. The different water qualities have an enormous impact on people, animals and plants. On the other hand, the people who live along this "Rio Mar," the ocean river, are described. They are the Caboclos, the descendants of the European immigrants and the indigenous people, and it is the different indigenous peoples who have mostly settled along the riverbanks, since the rivers here replace the roads and make contact with other people possible in the first place. Although these ethnic groups have been in contact with Western civilization for generations,they have surprisingly preserved a number of remarkable traditions that are described here. The treasure of the Amazon is its plants and animals. Therefore, the most fascinating flowering plants, including numerous medicinal plants, trees, epiphytes and lianas from different habitats are described in detail and illustrated with excellent photographs. Finally, it is the animals, especially in and around the river, that have always fascinated Alexander von Humboldt. Not only is the lifestyle of the legendary pink dolphins, piranhas and tarantulas explained here, but the impressive amphibians, reptiles and mammals of the jungle are also discussed.epiphytes and lianas from different habitats are described in detail and illustrated with excellent photographs. Finally, it is the animals, especially in and around the river, that have always fascinated Alexander von Humboldt. Not only is the lifestyle of the legendary pink dolphins, piranhas and tarantulas explained here, but the impressive amphibians, reptiles and mammals of the jungle are also discussed.epiphytes and lianas from different habitats are described in detail and illustrated with excellent photographs. Finally, it is the animals, especially in and around the river, that have always fascinated Alexander von Humboldt. Not only is the lifestyle of the legendary pink dolphins, piranhas and tarantulas explained here, but the impressive amphibians, reptiles and mammals of the jungle are also discussed. This book is a translation of the original German 1st edition Faszination Amazonas by Lothar Staeck, published by Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature in 2019. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors.

This book explores the degree to which landscapes have been enriched with palms by human activities and the importance of palms for the lives of people in the region today and historically. Palms are a prominent feature of many landscapes in Amazonia, and they are important culturally, economically, and for a variety of ecological roles they play. Humans have been reorganizing the biological furniture in the region since the first hunters and gatherers arrived over 20,000 years ago.