THE STRANGLER FIG: and Other Strange Plants

No, the well-received author/illustrator of nature books for early readers hasn't suddenly switched to the lurid thriller medium, as you might think from the title. The only departure from her earlier books is the transfer from fauna to flora; the black and white drawings and the simple to read text are notably lucid, explanatory, and attractive, consistent with her usual standard of excellence in this field. Introduced here are the exotic forms of plant growth which depend on living in conjunction with other forms of life -- the epiphytes, parasites and saprophytes. The distinction in botanical types is clearly explained and exemplified with short descriptions of numerous species ranging from outre to familiar. Chapter headings, and more captions for the illustrations would have been helpful, but these are minor detractions to a very useful book. It seems only fair that the recent Strange Companions in Nature should have a mate. This is certainly it, although both books will live very well on their own.