Wildflowers

Discover the fascinating stories behind around 300 species of wildflowers, and marvel at a botanical beauty and diversity you never knew existed. Did you know that orchids existed alongside dinosaurs? And that 30,000 plant species are used as medicine worldwide? In this stunning book, leading botanist Chris Thorogood brings you closer to 329 species of wildflower through fascinating facts, plant profiles, and detailed illustrations. More than just meadows, discover wildflowers that are pollinated by birds, that look like stones, and that feed on the creatures around them.Humans have had a close relationship with wildflowers throughout history from growing dahlias as crops and comfrey as medicine, to carrying posies to ward off the plague and roses down the aisle. Bringing together natural history, culture, food, medicine and technology, this fascinating book will open your eyes to the botanical wonders all around us. With a guide to the wildflowers growing in every habitat, identification notes, a grow-your-own guide and more, this is the ultimate flower-lover's companion.

Dr Chris Thorogood is a botanist at the University of Oxford, and an illustrator and public speaker. Chris's research areas include the evolution of parasitic and carnivorous plants and taxonomic diversity in biodiversity hotspots, such as the Mediterranean Basin. Chris won a scholarship in 2005 to carry out his PhD research on speciation in parasitic plants at the University of Bristol, for which he was awarded a Faculty Commendation, and the national Irene Manton Prize for best thesis in botany in 2009. Chris is a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London and a Junior Research Fellow of Linacre College, Oxford.