Imagine a typical morning--munching on a bowl of cereal, sipping coffee,
dressing for the day, riding to work. Every moment of this common
routine draws on the power of plants, and the centuries of development
that brought wheat, coffee beans, cotton, and rubber--among many
others--into our daily lives.
Remarkable Plants celebrates the wonder and utility of the green
kingdom, taking a detailed look at how plants have shaped our world. It
focuses on eighty key species and richly explores their history,
highlighting their importance and bringing to light surprising stories.
Organized thematically into eight sections, the book starts with
"Transformers" (including rice, beans, olives) and moves through
sections such as "Heal and Harm" (poppy, aloe, strychnos) and "Revered
and Adored" (lotus, frankincense, rose). Each species is introduced with
its common and scientific names and followed by an exploration of its
cultural, historical, botanical, and symbolic associations. Hundreds of
botanical illustrations show full plants as well as highlight
distinctive leaves, blooms, and fruits.
Rooted in one of the world's most important and renowned temples of
greenery, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Remarkable Plants is a
symbiotic balance of science and art that will open readers' eyes to the
deep influence of the natural world on our modern one.
