And this would not be a complete review without a mention of the lavish and fabulous illustrations provided by Lucille Clerc. Plant, leaves, flowers, seeds, people using or harvesting - it's all covered and wonderfully done. The book is lively, entertaining and educational and the author's personal comments and witty asides, often made me laugh out loud. It is a credit to his skill and dedication that every fact-filled sentence is rich in information about each chosen plant, be it ethnobotanical, economic, folklore, myth, history, religion, culinary or etymology - not a word is wasted... Lucille Clerc's astonishingly beautiful, vibrantly coloured illustrations are an absolute delight, summing up the key points about each plant perfectly - you will find humour in these too... It would make a fabulous gift, yet contains enough facts to be of benefit to students of plant sciences, it is also a must have for anyone who guides at a public garden or has an interest in the relationship between plants and people in the past, present and future Following Around the World in 80 Trees , I’ve taken another trip across the globe. In Around the World in 80 Plants, I’ve tried to bring to life the science of plants by revealing how their worlds are intricately entwined with our own history, culture and folklore. And for tree aficionados, perhaps you’ll be pleased to know that about a quarter of the species are trees, which after all, are plants too – just big and woody!

Ik kijk nu vol bewondering naar de ogenschijnlijk eenvoudige paardenbloem (Taraxacum officinale) die in Estland wordt gevierd met een heus paardenbloemenfestival. Maar ook over de aardappel, tomaat en banaan heb ik weer wat bijgeleerd. Mijn smaakpapillen werden geprikkeld door koffie, vanille, saffraan en gember. En ik maakte voor het eerst kennis met iboga en asafoetiola. Jonathan Drori takes a trip across the globe, bringing to life the science of plants by revealing how their worlds are intricately entwined with our own history, culture and folklore. From the seemingly familiar tomato and dandelion to the eerie mandrake and Spanish "moss" of Louisiana, each of these stories is full of surprises. BuyIn his follow-up to the bestselling Around the World in 80 Trees, Jonathan Drori takes another trip across the globe, bringing to life the science of plants by revealing how their worlds are intricately entwined with our own history, culture and folklore. From the seemingly familiar tomato and dandelion to the eerie mandrake and Spanish ‘moss’ of Louisiana, each of these stories is full of surprises. Some have a troubling past, while others have ignited human creativity or enabled whole civilizations to flourish. With a colourful cast of characters all brought to life by illustrator Lucille Clerc, this is a botanical journey of beauty and brilliance.

Most of the included plants make an economic or cultural contribution to humankind, such as sugar cane, henna, wormwood, or yerba mate. Others, such as sphagnum moss or saguaro cactus, anchor an ecosystem . A few plants are simply botanically remarkable, such as Welwitschia growing in the harsh Angolan desert. It survives by collecting moisture from fog and Charles Darwin described it as the “platypus of the plant world” because it exhibits traits from both cone-bearing and flowering plants. Dandelion - the latex/white sap has been used to manufacture rubber tires since World War II and a specific variety of Russian dandelion gives high yield. US manufacturers are investigating and apparently there are dandelion latex tires available in Europe. Product restrictions: We are unable to ship seeds, plants, bulbs, inflammable products, food and beverages outside of the United Kingdom Xmas Delivery Dates IX и X веков, «снотворную губку» с мандрагорой, болиголовом, опиумом и другими травами держали под носом больного. Современные эксперименты показали, что попытки утолить боль исключительно ингаляциями неэффективны, а крики пациентов могли в итоге начать ассоциироваться с самим растением.»A beautiful celebration of the plants and flowers that surround us and a quiet call to arms for change This charming and beautifully illustrated book takes readers on a voyage of discovery, exploring the many ingenious and surprising uses for plants in modern science and throughout history