Remarkable Plants

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A glorious celebration of the beauty, diversity, importance and sheer wonder of plants, with exquisite illustrations from the collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Plants are truly remarkable: even with all our modern technological prowess they still feed, clothe and shelter us, help transport us and cure us. Helen and William Bynum are expert guides to the rich histories, significance and uses of over 80 key species from around the world, exploring our relationship with them, both utilitarian and aesthetic, and their myriad benefits and cultural resonances.

In portraits that combine vivid cultural and historical narrative with a firm scientific basis – starting with the crops that were fundamental to the development of cultures and civilizations, and those that enliven our diet, such as saffron and chilli peppers – the authors reveal plants that have helped to create our material world, as well as those that are used medicinally or are revered for symbolic reasons, including the tulip, the rose and the lotus. For anyone interested in the natural world and the extraordinary diversity of flora around us, this elegantly illustrated book, published in association with the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, will be an inspiration and a delight.
Extent: 240 pp
Format: Quarterbound (no jacket)
Illustrations: 205
Publication date: 2023-07-06
Size: 22.2 x 16.8 cm
ISBN: 9780500026427
Introduction
1. Transformers
2. Taste
3. Heal and Harm
4. Technology and Power
5. Cash Crops
6. Landscapes
7. Revered and Adored
8. Wonders of Nature

Press Reviews

This beautifully illustrated, insightful and well-pitched book will make the ideal gift for plant-obsessed readers
The English Garden

An accessible introduction to the field of economic botany … stands as a rewarding artefact in its own right, emanating the authors’ quintessentially human passion for plants and their uses
Gardens Illustrated

With 205 exquisite illustrations, this book is beautiful … From rice to rhubarb and aloe to indigo, these plants make life work. And this book is one you should buy
The Field

The book is blessed with the fine design and production values we expect from this publisher
Daily Telegraph

About the Authors

William and Helen Bynum are historians of science and medicine and also have a particular interest in gardening and plants and their importance in human culture and society. They have written or edited numerous books, including Great Discoveries in Medicine and Botanical Sketches, both published by Thames & Hudson.

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