Flowers of Turkey: A Photo Guide, Gerhard Pils, Eigenverlag G. Pils, Austria (2006); 448 pp, 4153 color photos, hardcover; publisher's price: approx. $130; Amazon price: NA.
I suspect that my garden contains more plants from Turkey than any other country in the world, with the notable exception of America of course. The climate in much of Turkey (especially the interior) is a close correlative to the climate in Western America. But the Turkish flora is unbelievably rich and diverse. A great number of Turkish plants have come into cultivation over the last few decades thanks to Jim and Jenny Archibald and a host of Czech seed collectors. The bounty never seems to have an end.
There is a monumental, multivolume (and extremely expensive) Flora of Turkey published at Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh. And there are a few handbooks here and there. But this is the first really expansive, really encyclopaedic picture book I have seen thus far on the rich flora of this crucial area of Western Asia.
A great many plants I grow are represented, and many, many more that I do not grow yet. Even though 4153 species are represented, many were never photographed as the author was asked to leave the country as his work was not sanctioned. The salty paragraphs in the introduction make for fascinating reading and realization that botany can still be edgy and controversial politically!
Aside from the useful essays in front, the text consists of very condensed keys to the photographs with altitudes and some geographical and ecological notes that are actually surprisingly useful despite their brevity.
The pictures are small (only a bit more than 2x3"), but of high quality reproduction and many details highlighted that are useful for identification.
Any keen gardener who lives in a cold temperate climate (which is to say most rock gardeners) will find this an extremely useful book to obtain and own. It should be in every good botanical library. Copies can be purchased from Jelitto Seed company (where I got mine in person) or try and contact the author directly at gerhardpils@yahoo.de.
Panayoti Kelaidis has served as President of NARGS Rocky Mountain Chapter and twice on the NARGS Board of Directors. He maintains extensive rock gardens at his Denver home and has collected seed for alpines on five continents.