By Will Rowlands
This book is a frolic through the landscape of botany and history. It’s a natural for plant geeks but I can see “normal” people enjoying it, too.
It’s an omnibus book in which Carol Gracie samples a rich history of botanists and botanical artists.
Parasitic plants, underground plants, carnivorous plants, plants without chlorophyll, plants without roots, plants that communicate with each other, plants that impersonate the mates of insects. They’re all here.
The Franklinia tree (Franklinia alatamaha), once a native, is now considered extinct in the wild. All trees are descended from trees collected by William Bartram in Pennsylvania. The tree was named after Benjamin Franklin, a friend of John Bartram (William’s father). While considered hard to grow by some, the species can live more than 100 years.
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is named after the red color of its sap. It is common for members of the poppy family (Papaveraceae) to have colored sap. Bloodroot flowers only open on sunny days to conserve pollen for times when pollinators are active.
Have an Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)? Its habit of having flowers directly attached to the main trunk and branches is called cauliflory.
At times I was surprised I knew what she was talking about. At other times I had no clue, and that was even better. Tell me something I don’t know!
You’ll be introduced to terms you’ve never heard, plants you’ve never seen and people you’ve never met. What could be more interesting?
Florapedia – A Brief Compendium of Floral Lore
200 pages, 4.5” × 6.75”
53 black & white illustrations
Hardcover – $16.95
ISBN 9780691211404
Princeton Univ. Press – press.princeton.edu
