The Cabaret of Plants: Forty Thousand Years of Plant Life and the Human Imagination

With delicate elegance and touches of delightful wit, British naturalist Richard Mabey chronicles the story of plants through the ages. Looking at history, literature, and the life cycle of botanical forms, the author transforms these photosynthesizing forms into enchanting creatures with their inimitable genetics and mysterious means of survival and reproduction.

Fascinating facts emerge, one being that the design of the Amazonian megaflower, the world’s largest waterlily served as the template for London’s Crystal Palace of 1851. In the American West, the pioneers were awed by the giant sequoia which were subsequently conquered by cutting them down. The ancient cycads survived the dinosaurs, and some plants easily develop camouflage to blend in with their surroundings. Glance at how plants have been regarded from prehistoric times to the present, how they have been abused and misused, and how they have been exploited.

Plant survival mechanisms pose mysteries for human botanists, this is another world that relies on a dissimilar sensory system, one that requires a Rosetta Stone for translation. Enhanced with dozens of colorful illustrations, engaging examples, thoughtful queries, and an historical background, the reader will be coaxed into this cabaret of plants.