Book Review: A Guide to the Carnivorous Plants of Singapore

A Guide to the Carnivorous Plants of Singapore

A Guide to the Carnivorous Plants of Singapore is a small book by the Singapore Science Center. Somewhat strangely, it was largely paid for by BP. Yes, that BP.

Overall, this is a very thorough and compact book. Singapore is naturally home to two genera of carnivorous plant - Nepenthes and Utricularia - and this book covers both, as well as some plants, such as Dionaea, which have been naturalized in areas of Singapore. This book is so thorough, in fact, (and Sinapore's natural areas so small) that it actually covers a few individual plants in native locations which are aberrations from the norm.

Although I didn't really need the descriptions of how the traps of the various carnivores worked, I did really appreciate this guide for examining Singapore's few species of Nepenthes and Utricularia in depth. Helpful comparative photos of both pitcher stages and species and hybrids of plants would be extremely helpful in the field.

Most places which stock this book sell it for about $20, a price well worth the content.