A timely book provides a guide to support for people throughout academia in troubled times.

A fascinating book examines fungi not as something apart from the rest of the world, but as something intertwined with other life on the planet.

Murder Most Florid: Inside the Mind of a Forensic Botanist by Mark A. Spencer 2019. Quadrille Publishing Ltd. I’m aware that there are ill-informed people who think that botany is a little bit boring and not worthy of their consideration. Well, if that’s what you think, but are open to being persuaded otherwise, then I […]

Plants that cure: A natural history of the world’s most important medicinal plants* by Elizabeth A Dauncey and Melanie–Jayne R Howes, 2020. Kew Publishing. A few years ago Kew published a book about the deadly side of plants, Plants that kill by Elizabeth Dauncey and Sonny Larsson. I’m pleased to report that the antidote is […]

Palace of Palms: Tropical dreams and the making of Kew by Kate Teltscher 2020. Picador. The UK’s Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew near London are famed as much for the buildings and grounds, as the ground-breaking, world-leading research into plants that is carried out there. And Kew’s most iconic building is undoubtedly the Palm House, […]

The Botany of Gin, by Chris Thorogood and Simon Hiscock 2020. Bodleian Library. As one who ‘appreciates’ a well-proportioned gin & tonic, and having previously read Just the Tonic by Kim Walker & Mark Nesbitt, I was keen to obtain a review copy of The Botany of Gin by Chris Thorogood & Simon Hiscock. The […]

How do plants travel? A new book explains.

Framing Nature: conservation and culture by Laurence Rose 2020. Gritstone Publishing. A gentle reminder that this is a botany blog and whilst the reviewed book focuses on conserving animals it explores the relationships between humans and nature overall.  The author, Laurence Rose has worked for the RSPB since 1983 and he is currently working on […]

A new book explores how trees have changed the way we live.

Rocky Shores, by John Archer–Thompson and Julian Cremona 2019. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. “Rocky shores are one of the most extreme environments on the planet.” [Anon.] This is a BOTANY blog site! OK, let’s address the elephant in the room at the outset: Why am I, a Botanist, appraising Rocky Shores by John Archer-Thompson and Julian […]

A diary written during depression explores the healing power of nature.

Tree story: The history of the world written in rings, by Valerie Trouet 2020. Johns Hopkins University Press What links the following: That (in)famous ‘hockey stick graph’ which showed that Earth’s temperature, relatively stable for 500 years, had spiked upward during the 20th century thereby providing strong evidence of anthropogenic global warming from burning of […]