Plants

The complete introduction to finding, identifying and using mushrooms and other fungi in New Zealand. Enter and explore the fascinating world of fungi. In this practical and up-to-date guide, forager and fungus enthusiast Liv Sisson shares her top tips and takes the reader on a journey to discover the unique and diverse fungi Aotearoa has to offer. Discover how to...

An essential guide to foraging in New Zealand. New Zealand is full of incredible, edible wild foods - fruit, fungi and seaweed; berries, herbs and more - you only need to know where to look and how to do it safely. Foraging New Zealand is the ultimate guide to unearthing more than 250 of our tastiest wild plants. Packed with...

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is a graceful and illuminating study of the wisdom of the natural world, bringing together the knowledge of modern science with the teachings of Indigenous cultures. At its heart, the book explores the interconnectedness between humans and nature, offering profound insights on how this relationship can foster a deeper ecological consciousness. As a botanist...

Discover the rich world of New Zealand's wild edible plants with this comprehensive guide. In this comprehensive companion to the best-selling A Field Guide to the Native Edible Plants of New Zealand, Andrew Crowe explores the rich culinary world of Aotearoa's non-native plants - the so-called 'weeds'. From miner's lettuce to watercress, taro to acorns, this go-to, illustrated handbook offers...

In the heart of both urban and rural landscapes, there lies a bounty of food waiting to be discovered, if only one knows where to look. Foraging offers a wealth of benefits: it is healthy, economical, and sustainable. Yet, perhaps the most delightful aspect is the sheer joy of uncovering edible treasures in the world around us. The Forager's Treasury...

The instant #1 Sunday Times bestseller From award-winning writer Nigel Slater comes a new and exquisitely written collection of notes, memoirs, stories, and small moments of joy. 'Nigel Slater’s prose is the rarest delicacy of all: exquisite yet effortless, filled with heart, tenderness, yearning and humour' - Elizabeth Day For years, Nigel Slater has kept notebooks of curiosities and wonderings,...

In The Drunken Botanist, bestselling author Amy Stewart delves into the captivating world of botany and booze, revealing the surprising plants behind our favourite spirits. From the humble grain of rice that gives rise to sake, to the agave plant that creates tequila, and the sugarcane that becomes rum, Stewart explores how an astonishing variety of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits,...

Before you step into the jungle, there are a few things you need to know... Join scientist Dr Rosa Vásquez Espinoza as she uncovers one of the most unexplored regions on the planet. Dr Rosa is no stranger to the Amazon. Growing up with the rainforest as her back garden, she learnt the lessons of the rainforest from her grandmother,...

The smash-hit Sunday Times bestseller now reinvented as a spectacular visual journey through the wondrous and alien world of fungi. The smash-hit Sunday Times bestseller now illustrated with over 100 spectacular full-colour images, showcasing this wondrous and wildly various lifeform as never before. 'Dazzling, vibrant, vision-changing' - Robert Macfarlane Winner of the Royal Society Science Book Prize 2021 Winner of...

This new re-written edition of the best-selling NZ classic Which Native Tree? now includes comprehensive ecological information on the tree and its environment. As well as the known uses of each tree, from food and medicine to dyes, perfume, honey, bootlaces, fire-making, and timber, it also explains how to grow each tree in your own garden. This new ecological edition...

An ecological field guide to New Zealand's native forests. In one volume, it provides identification for a range of common plants (including trees and shrubs, vines and epiphytes, ground plants, fungi, mosses, and liverworts) and animals (birds, reptiles, insects, and mammals). It also offers insights into the interactions between them: the role of birds in the life cycle of plants,...

An inspirational and beautifully illustrated book that tells the stories of 80 plants from around the globe. In 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...

One of those books that you want everyone to have already read — Sunday Telegraph Everyone interested in the natural world will enjoy The Secret Life of Trees. I found myself reading out whole chunks to friends — The Times, Books of the Year What is a tree? As this celebration of the trees shows, they are our countryside; our...

World-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist Christian Rätsch provides the latest scientific updates to this classic work on psychoactive flora by two eminent researchers. Numerous new and rare colour photographs complement the completely revised and updated text. The book explores the uses of hallucinogenic plants in shamanic rituals throughout the world. It is cross-referenced by plant, illness, preparation, season of collection, and...

Which Native Forest Plant? by Andrew Crowe is a best-selling classic that provides comprehensive information on the identification, ecology, and uses of New Zealand's native plants. Use Andrew Crowe's unique leaf key to confidently identify the shrubs, climbers, perching plants, and groundcovers of New Zealand's native forest. Colour photographs of leaves and associated creatures, graphics depicting plant shape and height,...

The Hidden Life of Trees (Illustrated Edition) by Peter Wohlleben is a mesmerising journey that delves into the intricate lives of trees, unveiling the unseen and unheard ways in which these majestic giants communicate and interact with their environment. This new edition, enriched with awe-inspiring illustrations, takes readers into the heart of forests with vivid imagery and insightful revelations about...

Discover the enchanting and profoundly illuminating world of forests in The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. This international bestseller offers a transformative exploration into the secret life of trees, revealing the complex and interdependent social networks they form. Drawing upon pioneering scientific research, Wohlleben unravels the intricate relationships within the forest, where trees act like human families—nurturing, communicating,...

Native Plants of Aotearoa is an accessible, handsomely illustrated guide to the commonly encountered native plant species of Aotearoa New Zealand. Part of the new Te Papa Te Taiao Nature Series, this guide offers a widely appealing introduction to the unique flora of the region.

An exuberant tale of craftsmanship for nature lovers and rugged outdoor types everywhere. Robert Penn cut down an ash tree to see how many things could be made from it. After all, ash is the tree we have made the greatest and most varied use of over the course of human history. Journeying from Wales across Europe and Ireland to...

Identifying native trees and other common plants of New Zealand's native forest can be fun for all the family with this pictorial guide. Match leaves, flowers, seeds, berries and bark against beautiful, life-sized photographs for fast, accurate identification. Written by one of New Zealand's foremost writers on native plants, The Life-Size Guide to Native Trees offers a new opportunity to...

A rich collection of poetry that celebrates the beauty and symbolism of flowers. This exquisite book is a revised and updated edition of a classic collection which contains over 50 poems accompanied by beautiful illustrations of a range of different flowers. From verses celebrating the beginning of spring with the emergence of the snowdrops, daffodils, and bluebells, to poems that...

A bestselling guide to identifying New Zealand's native ferns by expert Andrew Crowe. Use Andrew Crowe's unique frond key to identify New Zealand native ferns. Contains colour photographs of ferns and the creatures that depend on them. Graphics give fern shape and height, and distribution maps show where you may find them in the New Zealand bush. Discover the uses...

From bestselling author Michael Pollan comes a radical challenge to how we think about drugs. Of all the many things humans rely on plants for, surely the most curious is our use of them to change consciousness—to stimulate, calm, or completely alter the qualities of our mental experience. In This Is Your Mind On Plants, Michael Pollan explores three very...

Pip Williams, a retired pharmacist living in Northland, has spent his life observing and recording the use by local Maori of native plants for medicinal purposes. Te Rongoa Maori brings together his observations on 43 New Zealand plants and the health problems they were used to treat, colourfully interspersed with anecdotal evidence and beautifully illustrated with watercolours and engravings. Much...

Joseph Banks' Florilegium chronicles the journey of Joseph Banks, who accompanied Captain Cook on his first voyage around the world from 1768 to 1771. As a gifted and wealthy young naturalist, Banks collected exotic flora from locations such as Madeira, Brazil, Tierra del Fuego, the Society Islands, New Zealand, Australia, and Java. He brought back over 1,300 species that had...

Intimate in size yet quietly breathtaking in scope, this graceful gift book will forever change how you think, and how you feel, about trees. In poetically sparse scientific observations, renowned conservation biologist Gretchen Daily narrates the evolution, impact, and natural wonder of trees. Alongside photographs by Chuck Katz, the text and images form a quiet and moving meditation on The...

Why do buttercups glow when held beneath your chin? Why are bluebells known as fairy phones? Why are foxgloves sometimes given the ominous name 'Deadman's Bellows'? And what is the true meaning of a rose? Often forgotten but always intriguing, humans have given meanings and stories to plants and flowers for thousands of years. From myths of Ancient Greek Gods...

The ultimate photographic collection of the most historic trees on the planet. Uncover remarkable trees from around the world, many of which have borne witness to key moments in history or reached a scale and age that have allowed them to become a part of history themselves. “[A] rich history … it contains some of the most extraordinary tales of...

Lab Girl is an enthralling memoir that beautifully intertwines the personal and professional life of acclaimed geobiologist Hope Jahren. It is a profound tale of passion, perseverance, and the unyielding pursuit of knowledge. From a young age, Jahren was fascinated by science, often playing in her father's laboratory, which laid the groundwork for her illustrious career. The book meticulously details...

A beautiful work of nature-writing, memoir and storytelling that will change the way we think about the natural world, from food grower Claire Ratinon. A powerful work of memoir and storytelling that will change the way we think about the natural world. Like many diasporic people of colour, Claire Ratinon grew up feeling cut off from the natural world. She...

The only book to explain the science behind gardening practice in a simple and visually accessible way. Exploding myths and offering research-backed advice, this book provides a shortcut to decades of gardening experience by explaining the science behind how a garden grows. Why does my cherry tree blossom but never fruit? What's the most effective slug deterrent? Could I breed...

Botanic... Mycologic... Fantastic! Comprehensive, accessible, and lavishly illustrated, this is an essential and timely guide to the world's key plant and fungus species. Written by specialist experts, Plants & Fungi is an illustrated exploration of the world's most fascinating species, many of which are highly valued for their ecological, economic, and cultural importance. Covering all of the main groups -...

The follow-up to the international bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees, offering compelling insights into the lungs of our planet and the fragility of our intertwined futures. ‘Eye-opening ... The Power of Trees reminds us that trees are not the slow learners when it comes to climate change - we are.’ - Danielle Clode Trees can survive without humans, but...

An intuitive oracle to help you connect with the Divine plant kingdom Offers 40 full-colour cards, including 10 shamanic healing cards and 30 plant spirit cards such as Astragalus, Calendula, Mugwort, and Violet. Explains how to use the cards and offers guidance on connecting with each plant’s Divine spirit and intelligence. Offers spiritual practices and channelled plant spirit prayers to...

Befriend the mysterious and wise guardians of our woodlands using the green witchcraft of the Forest Magic Deck. Whether you live deep in the woods or in the centre of a city, this whimsical set of oracle cards—each featuring a magical plant, from trees to flowers—will guide you to a more grounded state of connection with the Earth. An accompanying...

For centuries, we have harnessed the ancient wisdom of botanical healing, with plants used for a multitude of remedies that nurture both body and soul. Kew: The Apothecary's Garden is a fascinating exploration of nature's pharmacy and the healing power of plants. It covers soothing plants like hops, chamomile, and valerian, invigorating ones such as guarana, maca, and ginseng, as...

Connect to the enchanted mystery of trees, plants, and forests as you engage in green witchcraft, rituals, spell work, and seasonal magic crafted by the bestselling author of Practical Magic, Nikki Van De Car. Forest Magic is a guide to befriending the mysterious and wise guardians of our woodlands. Ancient and wise, trees and plants watch over us—sheltering us and...

Read the tarot in a lush new way through the lens of flowers and their mythology with this intricately illustrated deck. The world of tarot cards and that of flowers, with their thousands of symbols and meanings, meet in a unique and precious deck. The archetypes of the Major Arcana take on a new life, reflecting the vast array of...

Renowned herbalist Amy Blackthorn shows readers how to bring plant spirits into their daily spiritual practice with therapeutic access, subconscious learning, and divining skills that help them understand plant spirits on a deeper level. Blackthorn's Botanical Magic showed a new generation of witches how scent affects people, whether they understand it or not. In Blackthorn's Book of Sacred Plant Magic,...

Shortlisted for The Wainwright Prize for Illustrated Books Shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature's Christopher Bland Prize Trees in Winter by Richard Shimell is a wonderful, beautiful book. ANGELA HARDING A thing of beauty. CLARE BALDING A wonderfully honest, evocative, inspiring book about a life transformed and enriched by nature and by art. SARAH WATERS Trees in Winter is...

No matter where you live, natural resources are all around you. These pieces of nature hold inherent properties—and inherent magic—that could be useful to you, and they are often hiding in plain sight. In this book, divided into chapters by season, you'll find: Tips for foraging correctly, mindfully, and sustainably Instructions for teas, balms, decoctions, and other herbal remedies made...

Words from the Hedge is a passionate evocation of the history, beauty, and importance of our hedgerows, written by a craftsman who has been laying hedges for almost three decades and has the scars to prove it. Hedges are as old as civilisation and as emblematic of the British countryside as chalk streams, hay meadows, and oak trees. Yet, unlike...

Following the incredible Botanicum, Katie Scott returns with a companion activity book. Bursting with fascinating facts and puzzles, this book offers hours of entertainment to artists and nature lovers. Beautiful and inspiring, the myriad activities in this book challenge the reader to discover something new and use their imagination to draw, decorate, and design on every pull-out page.

An insightful, personal, and timely exploration into the wonderful world of seeds. In What We Sow, Jennifer Jewell brings readers on an insightful, year-long journey exploring the outsize impact of one of nature's smallest manifestations—the simple seed. She examines our skewed notions of where "organic" seeds are grown and sourced, reveals how giant multinational agribusiness has refined and patented the...

Become the best plant parent you can be Houseplant hysteria is here to stay. For new and seasoned plant owners alike, Houseplants & Succulents For Dummies is the ideal resource on plant care, growing cycles, unique plant varieties, and all the essentials you need to know about your rooted friends. Ensure that your sprouts grow and thrive, with tons of...

Start your journey to flourishing with wisdom from nature. With the same soothing and sage insights from his beloved online channels where he is known as Garden Marcus, Marcus Bridgewater invites us all to journal on growth and transformation inspired by nature. Using the central metaphor of a tree, Bridgewater explores how to undergo personal transformation in our minds (the...

An oracle deck that opens an ancient portal into the energy and healing power that connects the stars above us and the plants growing from the earth. As above, so below... Deepen your connection to the soul of nature—the anima mundi—with this 55-card oracle deck that alchemizes the ancient healing power of plants and the wisdom of astrology. Since ancient...

Wattles of Victoria and Tasmania by Alan Gibb, Arthur Court, Neville Walsh, and Daniel J. Murphy explores some of the most vibrant plants in the southern Australian bush. With their iconic yellow blooms particularly visible in late winter and spring, wattles (Acacia) are a striking feature of the landscape. As the largest genus of flowering plant in Australia, wattles are...

Trees of Eastern North America covers 825 species, making it the most comprehensive, best illustrated, and easiest-to-use field guide of its kind. This book presents all the native and naturalized trees of the eastern United States and Canada, reaching as far west as the Great Plains. It includes species unique to tropical and subtropical Florida and northernmost Canada. The guide...

Playing cards for nature lovers! Celebrate trees from around the world: Meet the world's most impressive trees, from the tallest (Hyperion, a Californian coastal redwood, a whopping 116m) to the oldest (Methuselah, a Great Basin bristlecone pine that is a mind-bending 4,855 years old). A simple card game for all the family: As well as all your family favourites, these...

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Tree explores the forms, uses, and alliances of this living object's entanglement with humanity, from antiquity to the present. Trees tower over us and yet fade into the background. Their lifespan outstrips ours, and yet their wisdom remains inscrutable, treasured up in the...

Discover the wonders at the centre of our planet's ecosystem. In ten short and accessible essays, science and nature writer Carolyn Fry takes us on an awe-inspiring journey of the Earth's lungs. From what makes a plant a tree and the incredible impact of forests, to how trees are under attack and what we can do to save them, this...

A sort of history of the world in ten iconic trees from around the world including the eucalyptus, the Baobab and the oak. A beautiful and moving account of our relationship with trees. 'A poetically-written testimony of our own deep relationship with the natural world, and of nature's own resilience.' Ben Goldsmith Imagine if you could hear the trees speak....

Do trees talk to one another? Can a plant use up the oxygen in a room while you sleep? What is a native plant and what is a weed? Are some plants truly immortal? Through 50 beautifully crafted essays, former director of preeminent botanic gardens and self-confessed plant punk Tim Entwisle shines a gentle light on everyday questions about plants...

The Long, Long Life of Trees is a lyrical tribute to the diversity of trees, their physical beauty, their special characteristics and uses, and their ever-evolving meanings. Since the beginnings of history, trees have served humankind in countless useful ways. However, our relationship with trees has many dimensions beyond mere practicality. Trees are so entwined with human experience that diverse...

Forests are restless. Any time a tree dies or a new one sprouts, the forest that includes it has shifted. When new trees sprout in the same direction, the whole forest begins to migrate, sometimes at astonishing rates. Today, however, an array of obstacles—humans felling trees by the billions, invasive pests transported through global trade—threaten to overwhelm these vital movements....

The Arctic Guide presents the traveller and naturalist with a portable, authoritative guide to the flora and fauna of the Earth's northernmost region. Featuring superb colour illustrations, this one-of-a-kind book covers the complete spectrum of wildlife—more than 800 species of plants, fishes, butterflies, birds, and mammals—that inhabit the Arctic's polar deserts, tundra, taiga, sea ice, and oceans. It can be...

This is the only mushrooming book that will introduce you safely and with confidence to the not-so-underground hobby of mushroom hunting and gathering. Gathering edible wild food is a lovely way to forge a connection to the earth. Mushrooms are the ultimate local food source; they grow literally everywhere, from mountains and woodlands to urban and suburban parks to your...

A celebratory compendium of nature's weirdest and most wonderful fungi, with gorgeously illustrated profiles of notable mushrooms and information on foraging, understanding, and appreciating these magnificent living things. For amateur mycologists and experienced foragers alike, this delightful guide acts as a welcome to the wonderful world of mushrooms. From the most common and recognizable varieties frequently found in your supermarket...

RHS Staff Pick of the Year 2021 Spectator Gardening Book of the Year 2021 'A refreshingly insightful history of plant introductions.' - Roy Lancaster Travel the world with extraordinary tales of the botanical discoveries that have shaped empires, built (and destroyed) economies, revolutionised medicine, and advanced our understanding of science. Circling the globe from Australia's Botany Bay to the Tibetan...

In The Accidental Countryside, author and naturalist Stephen Moss embarks on a journey of discovery through Britain, exploring the hidden corners where wildlife survives against the odds. From Shetland's Iron Age stone structures to London's most modern skyscrapers, and from lowly railway cuttings to ornate stately gardens, Moss reveals the unlikely oases where wildlife thrives in areas originally created for...

We've become used to thinking of plants as things for us to use: as food, tools, resources, or just as an attractive background to our own lives. But it's time to change our minds. New research shows that plants can think, plan - and may even have memories. We share our planet with beings whose potential we have only glimpsed....

An indispensable illustrated source of information for hundreds of species of North American trees This authoritative reference on native and non-native trees of North America, by Smithsonian veteran W. John Kress, provides an unprecedented appraisal of more than 325 common species. More than a field guide, it includes: over 300 range maps and 3,000 photographs of leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds,...

A radical proposal for healing the relationship between humans and forests through responsible, sustainable use of local and regional wood in home building. American homes are typically made of lumber and plywood delivered by a global system of ruthless extraction, or of concrete and steel, which are even worse for the planet. Wood is often the most sustainable material for...

A fascinating exploration of the natural history of scent and human perceptions of fragrance from the viewpoint of plant and pollinator Plants have long harnessed the chemical characteristics of aromatic compounds to shape the world around them. Frankincense resin from the genus Boswellia seals injured tissues and protects trees from invading pathogens. Jasmine produces a molecule called linalool that attracts...

Rowan is the first in-depth natural and cultural history of this much-loved plant, sometimes called mountain ash or dogberry. Through myth, medicine, literature, land art, and contemporary rewilding, Oliver Southall uncovers the many meanings of this singular reddish fruit shrub: a potent symbol of nostalgia on the one hand and of environmental activism on the other. Taking the reader on...

Since the beginning of humanity's existence, plants have provided us with everything we need for our survival—they sustain us with air to breathe, food to eat, materials to make clothes and shelter with, and medicine to treat and prevent disease. Their beauty can also enhance our mood and provide spiritual and emotional nourishment. Western science has 'discovered' and named innumerable...

The Hedgerow Apothecary Forager's Card Deck by Christine Iverson unveils the fascinating properties of 52 common wild plants. Discover where to find these plants and how to harness their powers with this beautiful and informative deck. Foraging is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with nature and partake in a rich tradition of herbalists and their remedies. This deck features clear,...

Quietly elegant flowers dressed in simple white and green, snowdrops look too fragile to cope with wintry weather. They are, however, very resilient and are treasured by gardeners for their ability to flower early in the horticultural year. In Snowdrop, Gail Harland explores how they have been used by non-gardeners too, as symbols of purity and of hope and consolation....

A richly illustrated guide to lichens and their biology. Existing at the margins of life, lichens are the result of symbiotic relationships between fungi and photosynthesising partners in the form of algae or cyanobacteria. Comprising more than twenty thousand species, lichens are pioneers in diverse ecosystems, colonising virtually any surface and growing at almost any altitude. Found in rainforests, polar...

In wild Tasmania, there are trees whose direct ancestors lived with dinosaurs. Many of those alive today are thousands of years old, and some have been growing for ten millennia or more. They are mostly hard to reach, hidden in forest valleys or on remote mountains, survivors of human greed and fire. Prize-winning nature writer Andrew Darby takes us on...

'A joy to read ... mind-expanding' Book of the Week, Guardian 'A bold and brave paean to our planet's ligneous, leafy kingdom' Telegraph 'An impressive exploration and dazzling insight into the lives of plants' Reaction Book Digest What is it like to be a plant? It's not a question we might think to contemplate, even though many of us live...

Learn how to find tasty and eco-friendly food in the wild. As consumerism and a meat-heavy, processed diet become the norm, and the world's population continues to grow at an exponential rate, more and more people are looking toward a more sustainable path for food. Authors Douglas Boudreau and Mykel Hawke believe that the future of food lies in the...

The epitome of floral beauty, orchids have long fostered works of art, tales of adventure, and scientific discovery. Tenacious plant hunters have traversed continents to collect rare specimens; naturalists and shoguns have marvelled at orchids' seductive architecture; royalty and the smart set have adorned themselves with their allure. In Orchid Muse, historian and home grower Erica Hannickel gathers these bold...

In a handy portable format, Native Plants of the Sydney Region is the ideal companion for anyone who wants to put names to the plants they see in the bush. Covering an area from Newcastle to Nowra, and westwards to the Great Dividing Range, it contains plant species from remote areas as well as those common in remnant suburban bushland....

In Mystical Mushrooms, explore the magical properties, mythological connections, and symbolic qualities of ever-intriguing fungi. Go for a walk in the woods on any given summer day and you may find yourself surrounded by fungi galore as they lay nestled among the ferns and trees. After a rainstorm, peek out in your backyard and you may see tiny spores sprouting...

Foraging for mushrooms is a meditative and rewarding escape. Even if readers aren't ready to head out into the woods, this enchanting visual guide is a welcome introduction to 25 easily identifiable species, organised by location and use. Author Jess Starwood has led hundreds of foraging trips, sharing her knowledge of nature with students. This, her first book, is a...

Play Cards and Learn About Mushrooms! Anyone who enjoys nature, plant life, and foraging will love these striking cards for playing your favourite games or to use as flash cards. Inspired by Adventure Publications' famous Mushroom Identification Guides, this gorgeous deck features full-colour photographs of North America's most common and important wild mushrooms to know. From popular edible species like...

A magnificently illustrated guide to the bryophyte species found across the world. Bryophytes are a highly diverse group of plants found in nearly all parts of the world and across a range of habitats. The term 'bryophyte' describes plants of three closely related lineages: the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Ancient in their makeup, bryophytes disperse by spores rather than seeds...

"Some plants are inherently rare, while others become rare through our actions." Rare Plants explores what makes the world's most uncommon plants so exceptional, and by what means they have become so scarce. From highlands to jungles, many of our most extraordinary plants are vanishing at shocking rates, and this exquisitely illustrated book explores 40 of these mysterious species. Featuring...