Remarkable Plants That Shape Our World 9780500517420, 9780500772430, 0500772436

Cover; Title Page; About the Authors; Other titles of Interest; Dedication; Contents; Introduction: Utility and Beauty;

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English Pages 378 pages Year 2014

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Remarkable Plants That Shape Our World
 9780500517420, 9780500772430, 0500772436

Table of contents :
Cover
Title Page
About the Authors
Other titles of Interest
Dedication
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 NecessitiesSaffron: 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 RelieverCitrus: 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 WorldSugar 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 SeaRevered 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

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