Remarkable Plants That Shape Our World

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