Description:
"Photographing rare orchids drew me into a world of beauty I had never known before," states Béla Kalman, who spent three years photographing more than 6,000 plants for his new book, Rare Orchids. One of the largest families of flowering plants in the world, with more than 20,000 species, orchids are also easily the most diverse, varying widely in size, shape, color, texture, and decorative markings. As this book demonstrates, it's this diversity that largely contributes to their allure, beauty, and mystique. While the 140 gorgeous photos are the stars of the show here, the book also includes accompanying text and interesting essays by orchid enthusiasts. Describing the art of hybridizing, one writer's expertise and passion for the flower is evident: "Similar to a painter with an empty canvas, and using pollinia from one of the largest plant families in existence as a palette, hybridizers combine imagination with botanical skills to bring new colors, shapes, and patterns to life." As beautiful as it is informative, Rare Orchids would be a welcome addition to any orchid enthusiast's library. --Andy Boynton
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