For many people, the story of Charles Darwin goes like this: he ventured
to the Galapagos Islands on the Beagle, was inspired by the
biodiversity of the birds he saw there, and immediately returned home to
write his theory of evolution. But this simplified narrative is
inaccurate and lacking: it leaves out a major part of Darwin's legacy.
He published On the Origin of Species nearly thirty years after his
voyages. And much of his life was spent experimenting with and observing
plants.
Darwin was a brilliant and revolutionary botanist whose observations and
theories were far ahead of his time. With Darwin's Most Wonderful
Plants, biologist and gardening expert Ken Thompson restores this
important aspect of Darwin's biography while also delighting in the
botanical world that captivated the famous scientist. Thompson traces
how well Darwin's discoveries have held up, revealing that many are
remarkably long-lasting. Some findings are only now being confirmed and
extended by high-tech modern research, while some have been corrected
through recent analysis.
We learn from Thompson how Darwin used plants to shape his most famous
theory and then later how he used that theory to further push the
boundaries of botanical knowledge. We also get to look over Darwin's
shoulder as he labors, learning more about his approach to research and
his astonishing capacity for hard work. Darwin's genius was to see the
wonder and the significance in the ordinary and mundane, in the things
that most people wouldn't look at twice.
Both Thompson and Darwin share a love for our most wonderful plants and
the remarkable secrets they can unlock. This book will instill that same
joy in casual gardeners and botany aficionados alike.
