Synopsis
They describe the importance of bamboos to South American landscapes and cultures, explaining how jungles of guadua and thickets of Chusquea host communities of small animals and how human societies use bamboos for housing, furniture, basketry, food, soil conservation, and musical instruments. Exploring the possibilities of cultivated bamboo, the authors also note its value in some regions as a timber resource.
From the Author
The beauty and diversity of American bamboos revealedBamboos grow here in the Americas. In writing "American Bamboos," we wanted to make people aware of that wonderful fact. We wanted to share our knowledge of the beauty and diversity of the native bamboos of Latin America (where hundreds of species grow in humid rain forests, high cold mountains, and even deserts) and the United States (where one hardy survivor hangs on); and how the people of the Americas use and relate to their bamboos. The greatest strength of our book, we believe, is the graphics. Our foremost pleasure in writing "American Bamboos" was the opportunity to canvass 20,000 color slides of bamboos in the Smithsonian Institution and our own personal collections, and pick out the very best ones - the _creme de la creme_ - to share with the public. The Smithsonian Institution Press did a great job in presenting our precious photos, as well as the outstanding line drawings of Smithsonian artist Alice Tangerini. The American Bamboo Society and its Florida Caribbean Chapter gave outstanding support to our book project from the beginning, and enabled us to have lots of color illustrations and distribute them throughout the book as appropriate. Their stipends also made the book more affordable. We cannot thank them enough and hope that other horticultural organizations will follow their lead in supporting publications that are both beautiful in themselves, and scientifically accurate.
