Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Book Review - How Plants Work - Princeton University Press

    Remember those days when you took plant biology back in university? Remember apical meristems, vacuoles, sporangium, xylem and phloem, monocots, dicots, cotyledons, angiosperms and gymonsperms? How about chloroplast, endosperm, pneumatophores and zygotes? Unless you went on to a career directly related to plants you probably haven't used these terms a whole lot since those heady days, but you still remember them and would know where to find information related to them, what they signify and how to use them.
     Then this is the book for you!




     It is authored by Stephen Blackmore, a renowned British botanist, with contributions from a distinguished team of plant scientists with impeccable pedigree. It can be used to great advantage by those with formal training in plant science and also by naturalists, gardeners, fruit growers and horticulturalists seeking to expand their knowledge of a realm of nature that is all around them, but about which their level of sophistication is lacking.
     The organization of the chapters (all filled with excellent colour illustrations by the way) is superb. it starts with plant morphology, essential to progressing further, and really gives a succinct overview of the plants we see all around us, their origins, relationships and structure.



    The second chapter is dedicated to roots, the underground, out of sight out of mind component of plants, yet so essential to healthy growth. How do roots grow, how do they interact with their environment, how do they nurture the plant?



     The third chapter deals with stems, the "transport system"of the plant. "No forest can exist without trees, and no tree would be complete without stems."



     In chapter 4 we become familiar with leaves. Almost everyone has heard the term photosynthesis, and even not knowing precisely what it entails has at least a vague knowledge that it is the source of all energy on earth.



     Chapter 5 covers plant reproduction and various ways in which this is achieved. The plight of plant pollinators has been in the news a good deal of late so plant reproduction may be on the minds of many. Pollination and the many other ways plants procreate, from self fertilization to reproduction in conifers, are covered in detail. The science behind it all is explained.




     Cones and flowers, organs that produce seed are tackled in Chapter 6.



     After my sandwich for lunch today I ate an apple. Think for a moment of the role of seeds and fruit in the human diet and the benefits derived therefrom. But this merely scratches the surface. Chapter 7 reveals all!



     The final chapter deals with people and plants. The opening statement says, "Our dependence on plants is absolute. They have shaped and defined the world we live in, and will always be essential for our very survival."



     It is a sobering thought that as the human population grows exponentially, and many would postulate out of control, more and more land is taken out of production to provide housing, infrastructure and recreation for the burgeoning mass of humanity. Without plants all life ceases, without trees CO2 levels threaten life, warming global temperatures will change plant communities in ways yet unknown. We need to do all we can to protect plants and the conditions they need to thrive, to ensure our own well being and to provide a planet where our children and grandchildren will inhabit an environment fit for human existence.
     This book is exceedingly well written, precise, cogent and filled with essential information. A reader without any prior knowledge of plant science will derive satisfaction, acquire knowledge and become a more informed citizen. Anyone with even a passing familiarity with plant science will have his/her skills and knowledge updated and enhanced.
     I highly recommend this work; I have read it cover to cover and I am about to do it again!

How Plants Work: Form, Diversity, Survival
Stephen Blackmore
Hardcover - $35.00 - 9780691177496 - 368 pages - 8.5" x 11" - 400 colour illustrations
Publication date: 9 October 2018

David M. Gascoigne,
David M. Gascoigne,

I'm a life long birder. My interests are birds, nature, reading, books, outdoors, travel, food and wine.

26 comments:

  1. Hello David,

    What a wonderful book! I think I must look for it at Amazon webstore. I love books, and have many plant books but not a book like that. I don't think it will translated in Norwegian, so I have to use my old english dictionary.

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  2. Thank you. This is definitely a book which is right up my (very broad) reading street.

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  3. I love a book that even I can read, beautiful trees.

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  4. Muchas gracias David, si duda un libro estupendo. Un abrazo.

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  5. This books looks like it has gorgeous photos. Yup, I well remember my days in botany class, as as biologist and teacher, I still use some of those words now. But a refresher always a good thing. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. Hello David!
    What a wonderful book!
    Very beautiful pictures too!
    Thank you for sharing!
    Have a lovely day!
    Dimi...

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  7. Låter som en bok för mig David. Det är en fantastisk värld som öppnar sig när börjar leta kunskap bortom populärlitteraturens ytliga budskap och flashiga bilder. Man fylls med vördnad om hur komplex växternas värld egentligen är, hur träden skyddar varandra och lever i symbios med svamparnas mykhoriza. Ingenting existerar i naturen utan att ha en funktion. Mångfald och variation är centralt, därför är det så sorgligt att mänskligheten, trots all kunskap skapar monokulturer som är så sårbara och fattiga på liv.

    Jag är inte utbildad inom området utan allt jag har lärt mig har sitt ursprung i mitt intresse för trädgård och växter. Jag skulle mer än gärna läsa denna bok men språket är vetenskapligt och då blir det för svårt att läsa på ett främmande språk.

    Vet du förresten varför trädens frukter ändrar färg när de mognar?

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    1. Hello Gunilla: The action of enzymes causes the fruit to ripen. Chlorophyll is broken down and sometimes new pigments are made. Acids are also broken down causing the fruit to become sweet.

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  8. Yes, the book looks very interesting and indeed superbly organised... and presented here.
    I already found it on the local bookseller's site... but perhaps I'll wait for a while to see if it will be translated into Finnish. :)

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    1. I would doubt it, Sara, but I will mention it to Princeton University Press. With your command of English, however, you would have no difficulty at all. This is a book that is designed to be read not to confuse. Juan below is hoping it will be translated into Spanish, and I would think there is far more liklihood of that happening.

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  9. Me han encantado tus explicaciones limpias, sencillas, fáciles de comprender ¡Que buen profesor David! El libro me resulta sumamente interesante y voy a indagar a ver si está traducido.
    Un fuerte abrazo mi buen amigo David y feliz semana.

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    1. Hola Juan: I will inquire whether there are plans to translate this book into Spanish. Un abrazo amigo.

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    2. He buscado por Internet y en Amazon está a la venta pero en inglés. Con los adelantos que tenemos hoy día en muchos aspectos seguimos atrasados.
      Un fuerte abrazo amigo David

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  10. Hello. The book is very interesting and it has wonderful photos. Thank you.

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  11. I have a Botany degree and this looks like an excellent book.

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  12. The book looks and sounds superb - another one to add to my "wish list". Thank you :)

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  13. Hi David. I must admit, my knowledge of plants is probably zero and I recognised very few of those terms you quote. Biology was not well covered at my own school and alas I did not qualify for a Uni education other than the University of Life. I happily bow to your superior knowledge on this subject and the way you tackled this review.

    I answered your query on Redwings, the separation of which is far from easy or foolproof, even in the hand. Best not to try in the field unless you are in Iceland.

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  14. I loved Biology at school one of the rare subjects that I understood and enjoyed :-) Have a good day Diane

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  15. Nice review of the book it has beautiful photos for reference.

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  16. it looks like a pretty book, i enjoyed seeing the pictures. with that said, i know less about plants than i do about birds. i do however know a lot about plants and flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. thanks for the great review!!!

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  17. Sadly, David, biology didn't ever feature in any part of my formal education - except for the hilarious sex education lessions conducted by a Dr. Matthews at various stages of my time at boarding school!

    I shall give some thought as to whether to look for this book, but fear I might get too interested!

    My love to you and Miriam - - Richard

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    1. Well, I hoped you learned well from Dr. Matthews, at least!

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  18. David, I took biology in high school and I liked it. Of course, the level wasn't as high as at university but a teacher was fabulous and I enjoyed his class.
    That is another splendid book with great illustrations! You gave a very nice review to this book with a wonderful introduction.

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  19. Hi David - I loved 'The Most Perfect Thing' about birds' eggs ... which was so interesting to read and this looks like it would fall into a similar category - love that sort of knowledge ... at some stage I'll look out for it - cheers Hilary

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  20. Hello David,
    This therefore seems to me to be a wonderful book to have.
    It shows a lot of information and a lot of learning material that you get to know nature as nature is. The photos in the book are true gems to see say! I hope this book is also available in Dutch.
    Thank you for this good and nice tip.

    Dear greetings,
    helma

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