Contains information on succulents from 47 families and 161 genera, and a further 8 families are shortly mentioned. Thus, a total of over 2000 species and 500 infraspecific taxa are covered. The families Didiereaceae, Fouquieriaceae and Nolanceae are treated in their entirety - Portulacaceae with nearly all species. Euphorbia, with some 700 species, is the largest genus described.
From the reviews: "This is now the fourth volume that has appeared of the six projected volumes of the Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants. ! having put together and coordinated this book is a major achievement which deserves the highest commendation. It is likely that this account will serve as an important reference work for many of these groups for a long time to come. ! an essential and attractive component of any up-to-date reference collection." (Peter V. Bruyns, Plant Systematics and Evolution, Vol. 237 (3-4), 2003) "It is now the turn of an impressive and ponderous volume devoted to succulent dicotyledonous plants, edited by Urs Eggli. ! The appeal of the volume is further enhanced by the presence of several more genera either popular or challenging in cultivation ! with emphasis obviously placed on their succulent and caudiciform species." (Cactus & Co., Vol. 6 (4), 2002)