Plants

Discover the secrets and beauty of the world’s rarest trees in this fantastic book filled with more than 300 colour photographs. Did you know that the resin of the dragon tree was so prized that it was used and traded as medicine by the Roman Empire? Or that the Bornean ironwood is one of the only timbers dense enough to...

Now in paperback, an enduring survey of the venerable trees. Since the pine tree is able to sprout after forest fires, on mountainsides, and in semi-desert climes, it is no surprise that the ever-resilient tree signifies longevity, wisdom, and immortality. From the pine cone staffs carried by the worshippers of Bacchus in the classical world to their role in the...

Approximately eight percent of all the Earth's flowering species are orchids. Known for their beautiful flowers, delicate forms, and sweet fragrances, orchids are unlike any other flower. Orchids have been contemplated by philosophers, celebrated by artists, and cultivated or even eaten by millions. They occupy our thoughts, stories, greenhouses, supermarkets, and homes. Orchid surveys all of this and more as...

Mistletoes are fascinating, diverse, colourful, and ecologically important plants, found in most parts of Western Australia. Mistletoes of Western Australia is a guide to their identification, ecology, conservation, biogeography, and evolution, including how they cope with fire. The book explores the relevance of mistletoes to the biodiversity of the communities in which they live, providing information on their hosts and...

Mistletoes are an enigmatic group of plants. Lacking roots and depending on other plants for their livelihood, they have inspired a range of beliefs throughout the world. Some people regard them as being endowed with magical properties, others as destructive weeds that devalue native habitats, and still others as beautiful native plants that support wildlife. This second edition of Mistletoes...

Plants of the Victorian High Country allows walkers with little botanical knowledge to identify plants they are likely to encounter along the popular tracks of Victoria's High Country. This Second Edition has been revised and expanded to describe 133 plants from the montane, sub-alpine and alpine zones, categorising them into five easily distinguished groups: herbs, daisy herbs, low woody shrubs,...

This comprehensive guide describes the 582 species of wild orchids that occur in NSW and the ACT. This region covers the richest area for wild orchids in Australia and includes over 500 species of seasonal ground orchids and 62 species of evergreen tree and rock orchids. Orchids found in this region include the tallest, heaviest, smallest flowered, most numerous flowered,...

Forage is a beautifully illustrated celebration of edible plants that can be found throughout the world. Anybody can enjoy the increasingly popular back-to-nature activity of foraging. In some countries, these plants are now forgotten as food, but in others, they are still celebrated for their value as nutritious, delicious ingredients. Cooking with wild plants is increasingly being adopted by mainstream...

The only comprehensive photographic guide to the ferns, clubmosses, quillworts and horsetails of Britain. This is a comprehensive, lavishly illustrated and user-friendly photographic identification guide to the fifty-seven ferns and seventeen other pteridophytes that occur in Britain. It is the perfect companion for botanists, naturalists, professional ecologists and anyone else with an interest in this fascinating group of non-flowering vascular...

Designed to fit into the backpack of bushwalkers, students, botanists, field ecologists, and foresters, Eucalypts of the Sydney Region describes the most common eucalypt species found in the Sydney region (from Newcastle to Nowra and west beyond Katoomba). Each species description comes with a distribution map, line drawings of buds and fruit, a coloured photograph of the bark, and a...

Charles Darwin is best known for his work on the evolution of animals, but a large part of his contribution to the natural sciences is in fact focused on plants. His observations are crucial to our modern understanding of everything from the amazing pollination process of orchids to the way that vines climb. Darwin and the Art of Botany collects...

Bamboo has an unparalleled history; it is very old, and at the same time very new. Bamboo extends far beyond the boundaries of most plants. It is distributed widely throughout the world and is utilised by hundreds of millions of people in a great number of ways. Through its myriad uses as food, clothing, paper, and shelter, bamboo has met...

Discover fascinating facts about fungi, from how fairy rings are formed to notes on scientific collecting and preserving. This indispensable field guide by one of the foremost experts on Australian fungi, Tony Young, describes more than 170 species, making it one of the most comprehensive general guides to the nation's fungi. Beautifully illustrated by Kay Smith, it includes species from...

When did the British Government become the world's largest drugs pusher? What tree is frequently used to treat cancer? Which everyday condiment is the most widely traded spice on the planet? Plants are an indispensable part of our everyday life. From the coffee bush and grass for cattle which give us milk for our cappuccinos to the rubber tree which...

Virginia Woolf's novel famously begins: 'Mrs Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.' Of course she would: why would anyone surrender the best part of the day to someone else? Flowers grace our lives at moments of celebration and despair. 'We eat, drink, sing, dance, and flirt with them,' writes Kakuzo Okakura. Flowers brighten our homes, our parties, and...

In the gloom of the forest floor, fallen branches are sheathed with fungal stripes of yellow and purple. But beneath the colourful surface, the fallen litter is alive with the clandestine workings of fungi. What can we learn from the lives of fungi? Underground Lovers brings us to our knees, magnifier in hand, to find out. Fungi offer a way...

Your garden's little helpers: the role of microbes in growing great plants. Microscopic organisms are as important to plant growth as water and light. Microbe Science for Gardeners highlights the essential role of microbes in plant biosystems and soil health, provides practical how-to gardening advice for enhancing plant microbiomes, and debunks common gardening myths. This accessible guide goes beyond soil...

A FINALIST FOR THE 2025 ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING An astonishing story brilliantly told . . . It is as moving as it is gripping to read' Jonathan Dimbleby, author of Endgame 1944 A richly researched and meticulously observed account of a little-explored corner of 20th-century history Guardian A fantastically well-researched history of science and sacrifice saturated in drama...

I scanned the forest floor around me. I couldn't yet see fungi, but I could smell them. Lowering my nose to the ground, I inhaled a distinctive fungal funk. I rolled over some bark and there they were! Gossamer threads of mycelia wended their way through the layers, weaving them together. Soon these furtive fungi would fashion their mycelia into...

This comprehensive guide describes the 447 species of wild orchids that occur in Victoria, Australia. This region is one of the richest in the world for its diversity of temperate terrestrial orchids. Orchid diversity in Victoria spans some of the smallest to some of the largest orchids in Australia. It ranges from the minute Mallacoota Midge Orchid, with flowers just...

Plants and plant-derived products make up the bulk of what we eat and drink every day, and people often wonder where their favourite food or drink comes from. This scientifically accurate photographic guide provides quick and informative answers. Food Plants of the World is a comprehensive overview of the plants that provide us with food, beverages, spices, and flavours. It...

Walking through ancient Welsh forests, Yeomans reflects on our relationship to the woods. When and how did humans lose their connection with nature—and how do we find it again? In Return to My Trees, Matthew Yeomans seeks to answer these questions as he walks more than 300 miles through the ancient and modern forests of Wales. Weaving history and folklore...

A wide-ranging scientific and cultural history of weeds that reveals just how interesting and useful these seemingly annoying plants can be. We spray them, pluck them, and bury them under mulch; and we curse their resilience when they spring back into place. To most of us, weeds are a nuisance, not worth the dirt they are growing in. But the...

Gija goowoolem doo minybernem Gija trees and grasses is both a work of art and an extraordinary ethnobotanical achievement. At its heart are 72 stunning paintings by award-winning artist Birrmarriya Shirley Purdie which feature the significant flora found in Gija Country in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. The paintings are accompanied by Birrmarriya's descriptions of each plant's traditional...

Frolic in a fungal forest, repose upon a toadstool, honour the amanita, whisper to the chanterelle, power up your foraging game, and bask in buttery morel righteousness. Tease your tastebuds and expand your consciousness as you colour these lush landscapes and mindscapes in search of delight, inspiration, and that distinctive red-and-white fly agaric, the Waldo of the mushroom world. Mushroom...

Have you ever wondered how to grow your own rainforest trees? Is there a beautiful tree that you have always wanted to collect and propagate the seed from? Are you in the business of ecological restoration, rainforest propagation or environmental education? This long-awaited guide to rainforest seed propagation unlocks the secrets to growing 300 rainforest species. Providing specific information on...

Mushrooms 500-Piece Puzzle celebrates the beauty of mushrooms with a fully-illustrated puzzle and booklet set, featuring colourful illustrations of several North American varieties. Specifications: A 500-piece puzzle, printed in full colour on high-quality stock. Puzzle dimensions: This puzzle measures approximately 16 x 20 inches when finished. Fully illustrated package: This puzzle, deluxe box, and booklet feature original illustrations of notable...

Bring the wonder and curiosity of mushrooms to your home or office with this keepsake set of illustrated wooden magnets, fold-out poster, sticker sheets, and mini guidebook.- Deluxe wooden magnets: This set includes 8 full-color, illustrated wooden magnets, each featuring a unique variety of mushroom.- Fold-out poster: Show off your love for fabulous fungi with this 6 3/8 X 7...

Historic Royal Palaces: Royal Blooms is a fascinating exploration of how plants and flowers have formed an integral part of the crown, from the past through to present day. From mulberry and myrtle to pomegranate and poppy, this beautifully illustrated and expertly written book depicts in detail how plants and flowers have been used by various royals throughout the centuries...

Foreword by Kathleen Jamie. Looking at threats to forest life across the globe, John Miller draws on literature, film and art to explore why woods matter to us, building on the ecological case for saving trees to raise the compelling question of their cultural value. The Heart of the Forest explores four enduring ways in which we connect to the...

Flora of Melbourne covers the enlarged Greater Melbourne area and contains 1,367 plant descriptions accompanied by photos and fine line drawings. Enjoy instant, colour-coded access to different plant families such as Irises, Grasses, Orchids, and Rushes, among others. Benefit from an improved, easy-to-use cross-reference system designed to help you find plants native to specific localities effortlessly. The book features an...

A hilarious, cannabis-fuelled parody of fine art in a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Here Petrus Christus's A Goldsmith in his Shop is reimagined as if the artist and his subjects had been enjoying a toke, with the shopkeeper peddling something even more valuable than gold. It's a subversive wink in puzzle form: Inhale the art and exhale the stresses of the...

This A-to-Z treasury of stories and poems features plants of Africa and the wider Caribbean region. With each entry, plants become much more than material for humans to use. They serve as links to the orisha deities of African diasporic religions. They speak for themselves, forming alliances with people and animals. They serve as points of connection between the many...

Now outdoorsmen and survivalists can own the official US Army guide to edible plants. Whether you are a stranded soldier, a wilderness hiker, or you just want to know which plants growing in your backyard are edible, this is an invaluable resource. Anyone who has spent serious time outdoors knows that in survival situations, wild plants are often the only...

The eighteenth-century naturalist Erasmus Darwin (grandfather of Charles) argued that plants are animate, living beings and attributed them sensation, movement, and a certain degree of mental activity, emphasising the continuity between humankind and plant existence. Two centuries later, the understanding of plants as active and communicative organisms has reemerged in such diverse fields as plant neurobiology, philosophical posthumanism, and ecocriticism....

This colourful card deck features striking, intricate illustrations of 50 popular houseplants in gorgeous home settings and tips on how to care for each one, from roots to shoots. The Happy Houseplant Deck is a deep dive into the wild world of houseplants. Whether you are a proud plant parent or have never seen a pothos in your life, this...

A practical guide to understanding and using Mexican healing traditions in everyday life. Arranging ofrendas. Brewing pericn into a healing tea. Releasing traumas through baos and limpias. Herbalist and curandera Atava Garcia Swiecicki spent decades gathering this traditional knowledge of curanderismo, Mexican folk healing, which had been marginalised as Chicanx and Latinx Americans assimilated to US culture. She teaches how...

Shortlisted for The Wainwright Prize for Illustrated Books Shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature's Christopher Bland Prize 'Honest, evocative, inspiring' - SARAH WATERS 'A thing of beauty' - CLARE BALDING 'A brilliant storyteller' - MOLLY LEMON 'I think many of us overlook the beauty of winter, not least the bare and beautiful framework of a winter tree silhouetted against...

The graphic novel adaptation of Peter Wohlleben's international bestseller, with breathtaking illustrations and easy-to-follow text that will delight readers young and old. Are trees social beings? For forester Peter Wohlleben, the answer has always been yes; the forest is a social network. Trees live like human families: tree parents live together with their children, support them as they grow, share...

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,...

The first work of non-fiction from an award-winning poet - a fierce reclamation of a link with the land, roaming from Jamaican hills to the woodlands of Leeds. The Possibility of Tenderness is a personal history narrated through the lens of the 'grung' and plants. It's also a people's history of the land, a family saga, an archival detective story...

The bestselling guide to foraging and eating weeds. There is food within 3 metres of your front door: this book will teach you how to open your 'plant eyes'. Three generations ago, it was common practice all over the world to collect this wild food; knowledge of what, where, and when to forage was a necessary part of daily life....

Mushrooms are loved, despised, feared, and misunderstood. They have been a familiar part of nature throughout human history and occupy a special place in our consciousness. Nicholas P. Money introduces the mythology and science of the spectacular array of fungi that produce mushrooms, the history of our interactions with these curious and beautiful organisms, and the ways that humans use...

Let your imagination soar as you add colour to secret gardens where every leaf whispers magic and every petal tells a story. Twisting vines, mysterious moonlit conservatories, and hidden paradises... Wonder Gardens Coloring Book invites you to visit lush, exotic realms teeming with spectacular flora. Each page unveils a dazzling scene bursting with otherworldly blooms and whimsical details, all awaiting...

Learn how to grow the most beautiful orchids at home. From the world-renowned Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, this book introduces the 60 best orchids to grow at home and teaches you how to cultivate each one. With 12 easy and inspiring projects and beautiful botanical illustrations, this is part of the best-selling series of Kew Gardener's Guides, now available in...

A colourful, illustrated celebration of wild plants around the world, and why we should love them, not loathe them, with 50 graphic illustrations by Paul Farrell. To call a plant a weed is doing it a real injustice. It’s simply a wild plant that is not deliberately cultivated, growing where it is not wanted. By this definition, virtually any plant...

Find peace, calm and serenity through the ancient practice of cultivating bonsai. Rooted in ancient Eastern philosophies, every part of a bonsai tree is symbolic of our life and experiences. A bonsai shedding leaves is symbolic of letting go of our material possessions; tending to the roots helps support and nourish the tree, much the same as our own beliefs...

'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...

The culmination of more than 30 years of cultural, anthropological, and scientific research, this encyclopaedia examines the botany, pharmacology, history, preparation, dosage, and practical use of more than 400 erotically stimulating substances from antiquity to the present day. From plants and animals that enhance fertility and virility, like celery, snails, or oysters, to substances that induce arousal, like ephedra, opium,...

A modern and practical guide to growing your own cut flowers, The Grower's Guide will gently guide you through all the essential steps from sowing and germination to sprouting, re-potting and harvesting your glorious blooms.  Including beautiful photography that demystifies the growing process in Milli Proust’s unique style, discover how to plant with confidence and fill your life with flowers....

A Cultural History of Plants in Antiquity covers the period from 10,000 BCE to 500 CE. This period witnessed the transition from hunter-gatherer subsistence to the practice of agriculture in Mesopotamia and elsewhere and culminated in the fall of the Roman Empire, the end of the Han Dynasty in China, the rise of Byzantium, and the first flowering of Mayan...

A celebration of beer—its science, its history, and its impact on human culture. “Curatorial eminences Rob DeSalle and Ian Tattersall serve up a potent scientific brew. . . . A marvellous paean to the pint, and to the researchers probing its depths.” — Barbara Kiser, Nature “Forced to choose between this book and a pint of hazy IPA, I would...

‘A cracking read.’ IOLO WILLIAMS‘What an incredible achievement!’ ALISON STEADMAN‘An inspirational odyssey.’ NICK BAKER‘Immediately accessible.’ BBC COUNTRYFILE Mike Dilger's nationwide quest to find 1,000 wild plant species in a single year. For most of 2020, Mike Dilger’s day-job of travelling to the four corners of the British Isles all but disappeared. Having been confined to one place by the Covid...

Bringing the Mediterranean into Your Garden by Olivier Filippi explores the breathtaking beauty of Mediterranean garrigue landscapes: alternating mounds of silver and green, textured leaves, flashes of colour, and intoxicating scents that delight the senses and rival any cultivated garden with half the work. This book offers inspiration and expert advice on growing these plants and adopting a more natural...

In this book, pioneering nurseryman Olivier Filippi offers low-level planting designs that are eco-friendly and so beautiful they redefine the conventional distinction between lawn and plant borders. Inspired by the wild plant communities of Europe, the Middle East, and the USA, these rigorously trialled plant combinations can be used on terraces, paths, gravel beds, and flower borders, as well as...

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...

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 enticing illustrated look at pollination, one of the most astonishing marvels of the natural world Pollination is essential to the survival of most plants on Earth. Some plants rely on the wind to transport pollen from one flower to another. Others employ an array of ingenious strategies to attract and exploit pollinators, whether they be insects, birds, or mammals....

How to Make a Wildflower Meadow offers valuable guidance for gardeners looking to create a stunning and ecologically beneficial landscape. Despite their appeal, flowering meadows can be challenging to establish, often leading to frustration and abandonment. This book provides practical advice and innovative techniques to overcome such difficulties. Garden owners will appreciate this alternative approach, which allows for the establishment...

Sunflowers are the most recognisable members of the world's largest family of plants, Asteraceae, which includes lettuce, chrysanthemums, asters, dahlias, and weeds. The sunflower family is found in almost all habitats, from the driest deserts through grasslands and the tallest mountains to urban wastelands, and includes more than 32,000 species. The family has become a part of our literary and...

LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE & SHORTLISTED FOR THE RICHARD JEFFERIES AWARD 'One man's fascinating mission to save the great British orchid' Mail on Sunday 'Noble work in a time of great change' New Statesman Ben Jacob is the Orchid Outlaw. In the dead of night, armed with a torch and a trowel, he risks everything, climbing into building sites...

A lavishly illustrated book about the hidden wonders of moss and moss gardening. Moss is all around us. While it is most often associated with damp, shady spaces, it can be found in the most unexpected and far-flung places, from deserts to Antarctica. This book is a celebration of its quiet, unassuming beauty and a primer to understanding the secrets...

The fun and fascinating guide to foraging in the great outdoors - perfect for the whole family! From the writers behind the extraordinary Knowledge to Forage comes an incredible guide to the great outdoors... Welcome to the world of foraging. Have you ever been on a long (and probably boring) walk through woods or fields, or even the streets around...

From the bestselling author of H is for Hawk comes a transcendent collection of essays about the natural world. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Thrilling dispatches from a vanishing world' - Observer Animals don't exist to teach us things, but that is what they have always done, and most of what they teach us is what we think we know about...

'A fascinating treasure trove for plant lovers and gardeners alike.' - Frances Tophill Often beautiful and sometimes strange, flowering plants have evolved to become masters of seduction. We are surrounded by extraordinary partnerships between plants and the birds, bees and other insects that pollinate them. In The Sexual Life of Flowers, botanist Simon Klein leads a beguiling and fascinating tour...

An illustrated natural history of British native trees, by a celebrated botanical artist and her forester brother-in-law. Our trees are among our greatest national treasures, and yet today many people have forgotten their names, their identifying features, and the stories we used to tell about them. In Overleaf, the botanical painter Susan Ogilvy and the forester Richard Ogilvy reacquaint us...

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...

Get ready for the shocking truth about botanical sex. Who knew that bee orchids trick insects into having sex with them, avocado flowers are female one day and male the next, and some flowers are the insect equivalent of nightclubs where males and females meet and mate? Bestselling popular science author Mike Allaby reveals over 200 of nature's most unseemly...

For centuries, our inherent alienation from nature has prevented us from truly understanding the potential of plants as more than simple materials or decorative objects. In recent years, however, new scientific discoveries and philosophical approaches have reframed our relationship with them, questioning the dualism human/nature so much rooted in Western thinking. Echoing the belief of American ecologist Ian Baldwin that...

There has never been a better time to plant trees. As well as playing a vital role in the health of the natural world and of us humans, these essential life-giving plants also deliver a vast array of hidden benefits such as cooling shade, rainfall interception, and carbon capture—but only if we plant the right tree in the right place....

Did you know your irises are lying to you and all human eyes are actually brown? Want to know the absolute worst way to die, according to science? Did you know that smoking psychedelic toad milk could alleviate depression for up to four weeks? 117 Things You Should F*#king Know About Your World tells you the answers to these questions...

A guide to the spectacular oddities of the New Zealand forest, by the bestselling author of The Meaning of Trees and Secrets of the Sea Deep in the forest, in places you would never think to look, are some of the most remarkable creatures. Overlooked and unsung, this is the forgotten forest: a world of glow-in-the-dark mushrooms and giant mosses,...

A poetic and intimate essay collection on the lives of plants and their entanglement with our human worlds. A seed slips beyond a garden wall. A seaweed drifts through an ocean. A tree is planted on a shifting border. A shrub is uprooted from its culture and its land. What happens when these plants leave their original homes and put...

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...

An enthralling and original encounter with darkness—and the secret, vital world within it. The Darkness Manifesto urges us to cherish darkness for the sake of the environment, our own wellbeing, and all life on earth. Entire ecosystems rely on natural darkness to flourish, from bats and keen-eyed owls capering across the starry sky to the bioluminescent creatures of the deep....

This fully updated special edition of the classic complete guide to the edible species that grow around us includes a new foreword from the author and a plate section with identification guides for all major species. Originally published in 1972, Richard Mabey’s classic foraging guide has never been out of print since. Food for Free is a complete guide to...

“[A] delightful mix of memoir and field study.” — Publishers Weekly STARRED review Award-winning and beloved author Helen Humphreys discovers her local herbarium and realises we need to look for beauty in whatever nature we have left — no matter how diminished. Award-winning poet and novelist Helen Humphreys returns to her series of nature meditations in this gorgeously written and...

A glorious celebration of wildflowers around the world. Wildflowers are not only beautiful, they are of vital importance in providing food for bees and other pollinators. And they are found everywhere - in meadows, woodlands, jungles, mountains, deserts, grasslands and even in towns and cities. This fabulously illustrated book showcases dozens of different species with over 130 flower and insect...