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Plant History

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Plant Discoveries: A Botanist's Voyage Through Plant Exploration

Sandra Knapp,Sandy Knapp
Botanical paintings and fascinating essays are combined in Plant Discoveries to examine the fascinating history of plants and flowers. Over 20 plant families are profiled including cacti, daffodils, iris, magnolia, poppies, roses, tulips, conifers, hibiscus, palms and waterlilies.

Throughout history, plants have dramatically affected the lives of individuals and society as a whole. Holland's infamous tulip craze is now legend. The 17th century spice trade was so profitable that stevedores who unloaded nutmeg from the boats were obliged to wear coveralls without pockets since only a few nutmegs were worth a fortune.

The natural history of the plants themselves is an engrossing topic. The book suggests that plants take a more active role in their survival than commonly assumed. It discusses how plants have adopted remarkable strategies for survival in a variety of harsh habitats. One such plant is the dead horse arum -- a putrid-smelling plant that adapted to compete with dead birds to attract pollinating carrion flies.

Plants that gardeners now take for granted once could only be found in remote and hostile regionsPlant Discoveries tells the fascinating story of the adventurous botanist explorers who braved disease, slave traders, war, jungles and other dangers to collect plants now commonly grown in our own backyards.

These pages are graced with hundreds of stunning color illustrations selected from the vast collection of botanical paintings archived at the Natural History Museum, London. Plant Discoveries is an exciting voyage of discovery and a must-have volume for lovers of art, botany, and adventure.

Hardcover: 336 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.22 x 11.46 x 10.46

Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd; (September 1, 2003)
In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served.

~~$60.00~~
Sale! $50.20

On sale plant history books

Botanica North America: An Illustrated Guide to Native Plants: Their Botany, Their History, and the Way They Have Shaped Our World

Marjorie Harris
Usually ships in 24 hours Botanica North America is a comprehensive guide covers the native plants of North America and explores each climatic zone with engaging and... [read more]

~~$59.95~~
Sale! $40.77

Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)

Ernst Lehner,Johanna Lehner
Usually ships in 24 hours Comprehensive, profusely illustrated archive by two of the world's foremost collectors of pictorial symbols-and devoted flower enthusiasts. Their pictures, rendered from rare... [read more]

~~$12.95~~
Sale! $10.36

Plants in Garden History

Penelope Hobhouse
Usually ships in 24 hours

~~$29.95~~
Sale! $19.77

Restoring American Gardens: An Encyclopedia of Heirloom Ornamental Plants, 1640-1940

Denise Wiles Adams
Usually ships in 24 hours Today's gardeners have more plants and design ideas to choose from than ever before. But is there something missing in their gardens... [read more]

~~$39.95~~
Sale! $26.37

The English Garden: A Social History

Charles Quest-Ritson
Usually ships in 24 hours

~~$45.00~~
Sale! $29.70

The Tulip

Anna Pavord
Usually ships in 24 hours The Tulip is not a gardening book. It is the story of a flower that has made men mad. Greed, desire, anguish,... [read more]

~~$40.00~~
Sale! $32.00

More plant history books

A Little History of British Gardening

Jenny Uglow Did the Romans have rakes? Did the monks get muddy? This lively history of gardening in Britain takes us on a tour... [read more]

$35.00

Brother Cadfael's Herb Garden: An Illustrated Companion to Medieval Plants and Their Uses

Rob Talbot,Robin Whiteman Brother Cadfael, the enthusiastic gardener and herbalist created by Ellis Peters, was renowned for his great knowledge of plants, especially the exotic... [read more]

$29.95

Fruit: An Illustrated History

Peter Blackburne-Maze Fruit appears in art, mythology, and nearly every religious belief. The uses of fruit are varied: for food, drink, paint pigment, decoration,... [read more]

$60.00

George Forrest Plant Hunter

Brenda McLean
Usually ships in 24 hours This work, published to celebrate the centenary of George Forrest's first setting out for the mountains of Yunnan, brings the man to... [read more]

$59.50

Plants in Garden History

Penelope Hobhouse In this sumptuous survey, Penelope Hobhouse -- distinguished plantswoman, garden designer, and historian -- presents a definitive history of gardens and gardening,... [read more]

$29.99

Plants on the Trail with Lewis and Clark (Lewis & Clark Expedition)

William Munoz,Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Usually ships in 24 hours When Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embarked on their landmark journey of discovery in 1804, President Thomas Jefferson directed them to notice... [read more]

$18.00

The Natural History of Medicinal Plants

Judith Sumner,Mark J. Plotkin,Judith Summer Wild and cultivated plants have provided humans with cures for thousands of years, from aspirin to quinine. Writing for the lay reader,... [read more]

$24.95

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