Contents
Introduction
Utility and Beauty
Transformers
Settling Down, Tending the Fields
Wheat, Barley, Lentil, Pea
Founder Foods of the Fertile Crescent
Rice, Millets, Soybean, Grams
Asian Assets
Maize, Beans, Squash
The ‘Three Sisters’ of the Americas
Potato, Sweet Potato, Groundnut, Quinoa
South American Heirlooms
Sorghum, Yams, Cowpea
Staples South of the Sahara
Taro, Breadfruit
Fuelling Oceania
Alfalfa, Oat
Speed the Chariot and the Plough
Olive
The Quintessential Oil
Grape
In Vino Veritas
Taste
Beyond the Bare Necessities
Saffron
The Spice of Conspicuous Consumption
Nutmeg, Cloves, Pepper
Riches of the Indies
Chilli Peppers
Some Like It Hot
Garlic, Onion, Shallots, Leek
Hellfire and Brimstone?
Brassicas
Eat Your Greens
Asparagus
A Delicacy Ancient and Modern
Hop
The Bitter in Beer
Tomato
The Love Apple
Heal and Harm
Getting the Balance Right
Poppy
Pleasure, Pain and Addiction
Cinchona, Artemisia
Fighting Malaria
Rauvolfia
Ancient Ayurvedic Drug
Coca
Stimulant and Nerve Blocker
Strychnos
Medicine as Poison
Rhubarb
Potent Purge to ‘Superfood’
Willow
Tree of Sorrow and Pain Reliever
Citrus
Vitamins and Zest
Aloe
The Succulent and Its Healing Gel
Mexican Yam
Making ‘the Pill’
Madagascar Periwinkle
Delicate Flower, Powerful Treatment
Technology and Power
The Material World
Cedar of Lebanon
Foundation of the Phoenician Empire
Oak
Might and Majesty
Yew
Medieval Longbows, Modern Medicine
Flax
Linen and Lino
Hemp
Textiles and Old Rope
Cotton
Clothing the World
Bamboo
Versatility and Strength in a Stem
Mahogany
Furniture Timber of Choice
Cash Crops
Making It Pay
Tea
Tips of a Global Trade
Coffee
Waking Up the World
Sugar Cane
The Slave Trade’s Sweetener
Chocolate
Food of the Gods
Tobacco
The Sot Weed Factor
Indigo, Woad
Searching for True Blue
Rubber
Amazonia’s Precious Latex
Banana
The World’s Favourite Fruit
Oil Palm
Economics Versus the Environment
Landscape
Plant Aesthetics on the Grand Scale
Larch
Stately Conifers of the Northern Forests
Redwoods
Titans of the Tree World
Saguaro Cactus
Icon of the Wild West
Silver Tree Fern
Shining Māori Symbol
Eucalyptus
Australia’s Signature Tree
Rhododendron
Flowering Mountains
Mangroves
Between Land and Sea
Revered and Adored
From the Sacred to the Exquisite
Lotus
Sacred Flower of Purity and Rebirth
Date Palm
Bread of the Desert
Frankincense
The Odour of Sanctity
Pomegranate
Fertility, Abundance, Renewal
Apple
Fruit of Temptation and Eternal Life
Chinese Plum or Japanese Apricot
Herald of Spring
Rose
Flower of Love
Tulip
A Mania for a Bulb
Orchids
Strange and Beautiful Blooms
Peony
Flower of Riches and Honour
Wonders of Nature
The Extraordinary Plant World
Baobab
The Upside-Down Tree
Welwitschia
Strange Desert Phenomenon
Giant Waterlily
‘A Vegetable Wonder’
Pitcher Plant
Caught in a Trap
Rafflesia
The Biggest Bloom
Sunflower
Nature’s Inspiration
Ginkgo
The Great Survivor
Further Reading
Sources of Quotations
Sources of Illustrations
Index
Copyright
