Sexus Botanicus

Sexus Botanicus is a richly illustrated exploration of the astonishing diversity in sexual characteristics and behaviours of plants, from the fig-tree to the sacred lotus.

Why do some plants flower while others do not? What happens during pollination? How can the Haleakala silversword reproduce all alone? In Sexus Botanicus, artist and writer Joanne Anton sheds light on the fertilisation process of plants, relating their origins and their spectacular diversity. While sexuality has long been a source of interest for humans, we sometimes forget its primordial role in evolution. Without sexuality and the genetic union it enables, life would not assume the biodiversity it displays.

Sexus Botanicus introduces readers to a wide range of extraordinary specimens, some very ancient and still with us, and some that are descendants by millions of years. It explores time-travelling plants, from the wedding of a mushroom and an alga 450 million years ago, to the amorous mosses that help maintain the balance of our ecosystems today. Discover the literal flower-power sexual revolution of angiosperms, from their reliance on wind for reproduction to some of their edible ovaries commonly referred to as "fruit".

The book delves into zoophilic plants, including the sexual doings of bumblebees and tomato plants and the mutually beneficial pollination programme between yucca and moths. It examines the games of deception played between plants, insects, and birds, and the improbable plants operating in extreme environments such as deserts and volcanoes. Some, like Australia's Queensland grasstree, utilise conflagration to reproduce.

Hand-illustrated by the author in colour throughout, Sexus Botanicus also includes a full glossary of all relevant terms to introduce readers to the scientific language of plant sex.