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Natural affairs : a botanist looks at the attachments between plants and people / Peter Bernhardt.
Author
Bernhardt, Peter, 1952-
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Format
Book
Language
English
Εdition
1st ed.
Published/Created
New York : Villard Books, 1993.
Description
xiv, 225 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 22 cm
Availability
Copies in the Library
Location
Call Number
Status
Location Service
Notes
ReCAP - Remote Storage
QK81 .B446 1993
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Details
Subject(s)
Plants
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Botany
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Human-plant relationships
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Plants
—
Folklore
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Summary note
"From the author of the critically acclaimed Wily Violets and Underground Orchids comes a new delightful work for all those enamored of the world's flora. This time out, Professor Peter Bernhardt examines some of the fascinating relationships between humans and plants throughout the ages." "From the teachings of missionaries in sixteenth-century Peru to the centuries-old superstitions of Persian midwives, Peter Bernhardt takes us on an absorbing tour of the strange points in history where the lives of people and plants have converged. For instance, we learn that the passion vine's name comes not from any properties its fruit has as an aphrodisiac but rather from the Jesuits' conviction that the vine's flower depicted Christ's passion on the cross. Bernhardt also chronicles the various bizarre medicinal powers ascribed to saffron the spice that's worth its weight in gold." "Aside from the history and lore surrounding certain plants, Bernhardt also reveals the science behind their existence; recording each plant's remarkable life cycle. We are introduced to the Asian slipper orchid the subject of many of Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs and a plant whose survival strategies would have shocked even the controversial photographer. And we learn that, yes, every supermarket lettuce dies a virgin!" "Natural Affairs is both an impressive record of the botanical sciences and a thoroughly charming often quirky look at the histories and cultures of various societies. Peter Bernhardt's observations are always a delight whether he's on the hunt for wild orchids in Australian graveyards or in the lab recording plant structure and function. Natural Affairs offers a rare and informative glimpse into a magical world where wonders are ceaseless but, too often, unappreciated."--BOOK JACKET.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references (p. [201]-209) and index.
Contents
Foreword / Carrick Chambers
Pt. 1. Artist's Vision
Ch. 1. Muse Under Glass
Ch. 2. Sanctuary for the Dreamtime
Pt. 2. Tasteful Botany in Three Courses
Ch. 3. Seven Families in One Salad
Ch. 4. Crocus Hocus-Pocus
Ch. 5. Passionate Dessert
Pt. 3. Scientific Obsessions
Ch. 6. Thrilled by Thrums
Ch. 7. Something with Poison in It
Ch. 8. Hoon's Nest
Pt. 4. In Pursuit of the Beautiful
Ch. 9. Wattles for the Empress
Ch. 10. White Nun/Yellow Nymph
Ch. 11. Steel Magnolias?
Pt. 5. People's Plants
Ch. 12. Columbines, Cuckolds, and National Controversy
Ch. 13. Life and Times of Daffy-Down-Dilly
Ch. 14. Orchids in a Cemetery.
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Other title(s)
Botanist looks at the attachments between plants and people
ISBN
0679413162
9780679413165
LCCN
92039149
OCLC
26973692
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Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage.
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