The Incredible Journey of Plants

Stefano Mancuso, a professor from Italy, takes you along on The Incredible Journey of Plants. There are also accompanying watercolor illustrations by Grisha Fisher which beckon one to the botanical kingdom and sometimes hearken back to an earlier age. Mancuso is fascinated by plants and their abilities, pointing out that they are sensitive to their environments, that they can move slowly without losing their roots, and that they can also communicate. He also bemoans the fact that there is a lot we do not know about them. Mancuso is from the field of plant neurobiology which explores signaling and communications.

Much of the book is about how plants have been transported around the globe. Despite being written by someone with a knowledge of ecology and evolution, there is not a lot about evolutionary history here, which itself could be treated as a journey, it instead focuses on recent human history with mankind spreading plants and their seeds around the world. Botanists have planted cherished plants around the world. Animals have also played a large part in this process, with some seeds going through the digestive system and being taken elsewhere. Some are also survivors of harsh environments.