"Once in a while you find a book that stuns you. Its scope leaves you breathless. This is such a book." — John White, San Francisco Chronicle Explore the inner world of plants and its fascinating relation to mankind, as uncovered by the latest discoveries of science. In this truly revolutionary and beloved work, drawn from remarkable research, Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird cast light on the rich psychic universe of plants. The Secret Life of Plants explores plants' response to human care and nurturing, their ability to communicate with man, plants' surprising reaction to music, their lie-detection abilities, their creative powers, and much more. Tompkins and Bird's classic book affirms the depth of humanity's relationship with nature and adds special urgency to the cause of protecting the environment that nourishes us.

The world of plants and its relation to mankind as revealed by the latest scientific discoveries. "Plenty of hard facts and astounding scientific and practical lore."--Newsweek

"In graphic novel format, explores plant biology, including life cycle, photosynthesis, transpiration, respiration, and reproduction"--Provided by publisher.

We barely talk about them and seldom know their names. Philosophy has always overlooked them; even biology considers them as mere decoration on the tree of life. And yet plants give life to the Earth: they produce the atmosphere that surrounds us, they are the origin of the oxygen that animates us. Plants embody the most direct, elementary connection that life can establish with the world. In this highly original book, Emanuele Coccia argues that, as the very creator of atmosphere, plants occupy the fundamental position from which we should analyze all elements of life. From this standpoint, we can no longer perceive the world as a simple collection of objects or as a universal space containing all things, but as the site of a veritable metaphysical mixture. Since our atmosphere is rendered possible through plants alone, life only perpetuates itself through the very circle of consumption undertaken by plants. In other words, life exists only insofar as it consumes other life, removing any moral or ethical considerations from the equation. In contrast to trends of thought that discuss nature and the cosmos in general terms, Coccia’s account brings the infinitely small together with the infinitely big, offering a radical redefinition of the place of humanity within the realm of life.

Let the experts at the Royal Botanic Gardens guide you around the beautiful and mysterious world that is the plant kingdom. From regulating the air we breathe to providing food, clothes, fuels, and medicines - plants are fundamental to our lives. Discover an extraordinary diversity of species, which includes a grass that grows a meter a day, roots that breathe air, and "queen of the night" cactuses whose rare blooms vanish before dawn. In a combination of art and science, Flora celebrates plants from majestic trees to microscopic algae, explaining how they germinate, grow, and reproduce. It presents species that have evolved to accommodate pollinating insects such as the foxglove, and plants that have adapted to flourish in even the most hostile of habitats. Pierre-Joseph Redoute in the 18th-century was described as the "Raphael of flowers". Flora showcases his botanical paintings as well as those of Georg Ehret and others in this gorgeous visual celebration of plants through the ages. Whether you are a keen gardener, naturalist, or botany student, this beautiful book is a treat that will entice, inform, and amaze.

Roots are truly amazing structures. They show great flexibility when exploring and exploiting soil substrates of uneven penetrability and availability of water and nutrients, yet also possess highly ordered architectures and anatomical features which may turn out to be as diagnostic of a species as any attribute based on aboveg-round parts. The book provides case studies of structural and functional qualities of roots of species from the biodiverse ecosystems of south west Western Australia, and views these in the context of survival in nutrient-poor soils, continued threat of fire and extreme seasonal fluctuations in temperature and water availability. Among a range of issues considered in the volume are examinations of: Roots in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing organisms and mycorrhizal fungi Roots of parasitic species capable of extracting water and solutes from transport channels of their hosts Cluster roots adept at sourcing sparingly available nutrient resources, and Recently discovered cases amongst eucalypts whose specialised roots, in probable cooperation with microbes, generate compacted layers of clay and/or carbonates in their rooting catchments These examples, discussed alongside accounts of how roots and shoots interact in their respective inputs of photosynthate and water, comprise fascinating commentaries on how plants perform under exacting natural conditions and in comparison to the cossetted systems one finds under agriculture, horticulture, forestry and gardening. The book considers relevance of subject matter and conclusions to conservation and cultivation of plants.