Jonathan Drori, Lucille Clerc. Orion Publishing. (216p) ISBN: 9781399610698. Natural History, read 26/02/26, Hardback ★★★★☆

Around the World in 80 Plants

Once again I’ve explored one of these books from Laurence King Publishing and not been disappointed…

Another journey around the world, this time with 80 plants that showcase the importance of plants to our ecosystem and developing civilisations.

From Marine Phytoplankton to the Quiver Tree by way of Tomatoes and Tobacco, we get a couple of pages for each of these species/genus and have a bunch of interesting facts woven into their story of how they interact with the human world.

Mandrakes should only be harvested with a dog tethered to the stem (yes, you were right Marcille!)

There are so many uses for Kelp, including as a flux in glass-making.

Rhododendron honey is known as ‘mad honey’ and can be used as a recreational drug or murder weapon…

Once again it is beautifully illustrated by the watercolours of Lucille Clerc who captures the text and the plant perfectly.

I love these information books that can be kept by the bedside and dipped in and out of, this one like the other three in the series was fascinating from start to finish.