[David Dickinson]

Thanks Hinterland (for your Echinopsis subdenudata confirmation). Can you recommend any book/identification key for succulents? It is a start finding photos which look like a plant. But then we need more detailed information to narrow things down. With wild flowering plants there are a lot of fielg guides available. Is there anything similar for the collector of succulents that you, or anybody else reading this, know of? Thanks again for your help not only on this occasion but also previously.

[Hinterland1]

There are of course so many books to choose from, but my bible is this (http://amzn.to/29RKH8d). I ID'd your Anacampseros in it. I gather there is a new edition as well (actually a vol.II with additional species and new photographs). Anyway for succulents (not cacti) this is very good indeed-exhaustive, and you'll find what you're looking for. As for that Echinopsis subdenudata and any other plant I suppose in identification one has to accomodate looks of plants growing neglected or under strained conditions as opposed to pampered, exhibition-oriented growing. they're the same plant and yet can look incredibly different. Not having a glasshouse we poor accidental growers must make do with our growing conditions. Look up this E. subdenudata: http://bit.ly/29GryXr

[David Dickinson]

Thanks for the link to "Succulents: The Illustrated Dictionary". I have this and the second volume that you refer to too. Also the book for cactus in the same series too. They are an excellent starting place,  but what I am really looking for is a book which focuses on the differences between species an suggests comparisons with similar species specifying what the identifying features are for a particular species.

A field identification guide for European plants will do this. Looking at the number of petals, stamens etc. Do you know anything about this?

[Hinterland1]

No, sorry, I don't have a book like that. Perhaps someone else could advise?

[Alisdair]

David, It does not have keys, but if you can lay your hands on a copy of The Cactus Family by Edward F Anderson (Timber Press, 2001) you will find a lot of detail about differences between the 1,800 species it describes - including for instance detailed measurements of petals, but not their number. It also has about a thousand colour photos. I luckily found a discounted copy not long after it first came out, but it's since become horrendously expensive.

[David Dickinson]

Thanks Alisdair, See what you mean about the price after a quick search on the internet. Will keep my eyes peeled for a cheaper copy.

[David Dickinson]

Using such books as Hinterland suggests, once you have an idea as to what family a cactus might be this http://cactiguide.com/ is very useful for looking into things in more detail.

Does MGS have a useful links page? If not, it might be an idea, though such pages can be frustrating as URLs change quite often and therefore the page needs regular updating.

[David Dickinson]

There is also an equally exhaustive succulent version here http://www.succulentguide.com/