Do bromeliads ever harm their hosts? Are they parasites? Can any of them really live on air? How many kinds live in Florida? Are the pretty ones easy to grow in my garden? This is the first book on Florida's bromeliads and will appeal to both scientists and general readers interested in the state and its unique flora. Sixteen of the world's 3400 kinds of bromeliads are found in Florida, along with two natural hybrids. These so-called "air plants" thrive on trees and shrubs as epiphytes, which means they have no roots in soil. They are not parasites, as they use their woody hosts only for mechanical support. Spanish moss and ball moss are found in great numbers throughout the state (and farther north). Most of the rest prefer the warmer climate of the peninsula, many in the cypress swamp forests of south Florida, where they occur so abundantly. This long-awaited book introduces them all, with means of identification, characteristics, distribution maps, and color photographs.

Experts Luther and Benzing show how to identify the species of native bromeliads and reveal how they and the other epiphytic bromeliads pursue their aerial, unconventional, bizarre, or strange lifestyle.

Brilliantly illustrated with more than 100 color images, this straightforward, easy-to-use guide focuses on the most popular species. Kramer has grown each one of the 200 plants featured in the work, in climates as diverse as those found in Illinois, California, and Florida. He writes with clear, practical information that gardeners of any skill level can use.

Florida is home to an entire library of native plants that evolved to thrive in its range of climate regions. Native Plants for Florida Gardens profiles 100 Florida native wildflowers, shrubs, vines and trees that can transform typical Florida landscapes. Striking color photography showcases species and flowering characteristics. With the expertise of the Florida Wildlife Foundation, anyone can create lovely, low-maintenance gardens that will tolerate Florida’s roughest conditions, resist disease, and support biodiversity.

Often growing far above the ground, "air plants" (or epiphytes) defy many of our common perceptions about plants. The majority use their roots only for attachment in the crowns of larger, usually woody plants-or to objects such as rocks and buildings-and derive moisture and nutrients from the atmosphere and by collecting falling debris. Only the mistletoes are true parasites. Epiphytes are not anomalies and there are approximately 28,000 species-about 10 percent of the higher or vascular plants-that grow this way. Many popular houseplants, including numerous aroids, bromeliads, ferns, and orchids, rank among the most familiar examples. In Air Plants, David H. Benzing takes a reader on a tour of the many taxonomic groups to which the epiphytes belong and explains in nontechnical language the anatomical and physiological adaptations that allow these plants to conserve water, thrive without the benefit of soil, and engage in unusual relationships with animals such as frogs and ants. Benzing's comprehensive account covers topics including ecology, evolution, photosynthesis and water relations, mineral nutrition, reproduction, and the nature of the forest canopy as habitat for the free-living and parasitic epiphytes. It also pays special attention to important phenomena such as adaptive trade-offs and leaf economics. Drawing on the author's deep experience with epiphytes and the latest scientific research, this book is accessible to readers unfamiliar with technical botany; it features a lavish illustration program, references, a glossary, and tables.

Presents a guide to Florida's trees, including descriptions of nearly five hundred species, illustrations, and outlines that help to identify specific trees based on their physical characteristics.