In the mysterious and pristine forests of the tropics, a wealth of ethnobotanical panaceas and shamanic knowledge promises cures for everything from cancer and AIDS to the common cold. To access such miracles, we need only to discover and protect these medicinal treasures before they succumb to the corrosive forces of the modern world. A compelling biocultural story, certainly, and a popular perspective on the lands and peoples of equatorial latitudes—but true? Only in part. In The Eth...

Winner, Hubert Herring Book Award, Pacific Coast Council on Latin American StudiesCandomblé, an African religious and healing tradition that spread to Brazil during the slave trade, relies heavily on the use of plants in its spiritual and medicinal practices. When its African adherents were forcibly transplanted to the New World, they faced the challenge not only of maintaining their culture and beliefs in the face of European domination but also of finding plants ...

Sasol First Field Guide to Grasses of Southern Africa provides an introduction to grasses and a guide to 44 southern African species. These represent conspicuous, widespread grasses, weedy roadside species, invasive aliens, and horticulturally useful grasses as well as important indigenous food species. Full-colour photographs, distribution maps and easy-to-read text make this a useful guide for the beginner and budding naturalist and a pathway to discovering the unique features and uses o...

A handy illustrated guide to the edible plant life available in Appalachia and other temperate areas during the spring. From sassafras to rhubarb, each entry includes instructions on where to find the plant, how to spot it, and the ways it is best eaten, often with recipes.Plants include:MorelAsparagusWild onionWild garlicNettlesWild radishWhite mustardWater cressHorseradishChicoryWild lettuceDande...

**An authoritative and beautifully illustrated book on wild food and foraging by one of the leading experts.'I can safely say that if I hadn't picked up this book some twenty years ago I wouldn't have eaten as well, or even lived as well, as I have. It inspired me then and it inspires me now' – Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstal**Wild food is all around us, growing in our hedgerows and fields, along river banks and seashores, even on inhospitable moorland. In Roger Phillips and Mar...

This is a brand new, fully updated edition of the natural history classic first published in the New Naturalist series in 1973 as The Pollination of Flowers. This edition is exclusive to newnaturalists.comThis is a brand new, fully updated edition of the natural history classic first published in the New Naturalist series in 1973 as The Pollination of Flowers.The importance of insects in pollinating flowers is today so well known it's easy to forget that it was discovered l...

The experience which has led to the writing of this book began in 1929 when, examining a species related to Utricularia gibba, I made an observation of some importance in understanding the mechanism of the trap. This begot a desire to study as many other species of the genus as I could obtain for comparison, primarily to determine the validity of my conclusions. My feeling that research in this field was promising was strengthened by the discovery that the pertinent literature was singular...

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE GARDEN MEDIA AWARDS, INSPIRATIONAL BOOK OF THE YEAR**The lotus, lily, sunflower, opium poppy, rose, tulip and orchid. Seven flowers: seven stories full of surprise and secrets.Where and when did these flowers originate? What is the nature of their power and how was it acquired? What use has been made of them in gardens, literature and art? These are both histories and detective stories, full of incident, unexpected rev...

Sasol First Field Guide to Succulents of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the succulents of the region. With the help of full-colour photo graph, distribution maps and easy-to-read text, the budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common succulents that grow in southern Africa, discover where they are found, and learn about their unique features.

This practical field guide, published in association with the Wildlife Trusts, includes more than 160 species of trees from Britain and the near Continent.Each species account contains accurate artworks that show details of mature trees, leaves, growth patterns and other interesting features. A concise written account outlines further essential information, such as size, description, habitat, and distribution to help you identify trees.The easy-to-follow la...

The word ‘aliens’ can be used in many ways, to invoke fear, dislike and fascination. For biologists it is used to indicate organisms that have been introduced by people to new territories. In the British Isles alien plants are common, conspicuous, pestiferous, beautiful, edible – and can be both useful and harmful.Over the last fifty years, the study of alien plants has progressed from an eccentric hobby, enabling amateur botanists to increase the total of wild plants that they cou...

The dream of paradise and the use of plants in story telling are as old as man. The Bible readers need only turn a few pages before meeting a description of paradise and a whole world of known and unknown plants such as: aloe, barley, bdellium, cedar, fig, frankincense, pomegranate, olive, vine and general terms like the lily of the fields. Not only Bible readers, but everyone interested in botany, archaeology, or vegetation history can find subjects of interest in the book, for references...