Mejores libros de botánica

Every great drink starts with a plant. Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley. Gin was born from a conifer shrub when medieval physicians boiled juniper berries with wine to treat stomach pain. The Drunken Botanist uncovers the enlightening botanical history and the fascinating science and chemistry of over 150 plants, flowers, trees, and fruits (and even a few fungi). Some of the most extraordinary and obscure plants have been fermented and distilled, and they each represent a unique cultural contribution to our global drinking traditions and our history. Molasses was an essential ingredient in American independence: when the British forced the colonies to buy British rather than French molasses for their New World rum-making, the settlers’ outrage kindled the American Revolution. Captain James Cook harvested the young, green tips of spruce trees to make a vitamin C–rich beer that cured his crew of scurvy—a recipe that Jane Austen enjoyed so much that she used it as a plot point in Emma. And the South American angostura tree, employed by explorer Alexander von Humboldt to treat fever, was at the center of a thirty-year international court battle over the trademarking of cocktail bitters.

Discover the extraordinary diversity of the plant world - and how plants work - with this photographic celebration of the trees, flowers, and foliage plants that share our planet. From tiny mosses and delicate ferns to vibrant blooms and stately palms, Flora invites you to explore the plant kingdom from the ground up, and from root to leaf tip. DK's elegant introduction to botany is packed with sumptuous photos and crystal-clear artworks that explain the mechanics of photosynthesis, why leaves change colour, how cacti store water, and how seeds know when to grow. Filled with fascinating stories of how plant roots and leaves communicate with their neighbours and how flowers use colour and scent to interact with - and manipulate - the creatures around them, Flora is a fresh and engaging introduction to the mysterious inner workings of the plant world.

Discover the fascinating world of botany with this guide, perfect for garden enthusiasts and visitors alike. Learn about plant structure, reproduction, and what happens inside a seed. Written in accessible language, this bestselling book now includes new photos and illustrations, an appendix on plant taxonomy, and a comprehensive index.

"Explore a virtual museum of plant life with over 160 expertly curated exhibits in Botanicum Postcards. As a part of the 2017 Welcome to the Museum series, this stunning guide features artwork from Katie Scott of Animalium fame, bringing a fascinating botanical exhibition to life on the pages of a single book. Discover the inner workings of perennials, bulbs, and tropical exotica through superb cross-sections and gain a wealth of botanical knowledge with this beautifully designed postcard book."

Exploring the world of plants and its relation to mankind as revealed by the latest discoveries of scientists, The Secret Life of Plants includes remarkable information about plants as lie detectors and plants as ecological sentinels; it describes their ability to adapt to human wishes, their response to music, their curative powers, and their ability to communicate with man. Authors Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird suggest that the most far-reaching revolution of the 20th century — one that could save or destroy the planet — may come from the bottom of your garden. "Almost incredible ... bristles with plenty of hard facts and astounding scientific and practical lore." —S. K. Oberbeck, Newsweek “This fascinating book roams ... over that marvelous no man's land of mystical glimmerings into the nature of science and life itself." —Henry Mitchell, Washington Post Book World “If I can't ‘get inside a plant’ or ‘feel emanations’ from a plant and don't know anyone else who can. that doesn't detract one whit from the possibility that some people can and do. . . . According to The Secret Life of Plants, plants and men do inter-relate, with plants exhibiting empathetic and spiritual relationships and showing reactions interpreted as demonstrating physical-force connections with men. As my students say, ‘hey, wow!’" —Richard M. Klein, Professor of Botany, University of Vermont (in Smithsonian)

Every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers: The bee collects nectar and pollen to make honey and, in the process, spreads the flowers’ genes far and wide. In The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan ingeniously demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a similarly reciprocal relationship. He masterfully links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. And just as we’ve benefited from these plants, we have also done well by them. So who is really domesticating whom?

Explore the elegantly simple lives of mosses in this beautifully written mix of science and personal reflection. Gathering Moss intertwines the lives of countless beings, from salmon to redwoods, explaining the biology of mosses while reflecting on what we can learn from them. Written by a scientist, mother, teacher, and Native American writer, this book will appeal to bryologists, natural history enthusiasts, and anyone interested in contemporary nature and science writing.