| Description |
216 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 181-209) and index. |
| Contents |
An orchard invisible: seeds -- First forms minute: evolution -- Even beans do it: sex -- Before the seed: pollination -- According to their own kinds: inheritance -- O rose, thou art sick!: enemies -- The biggest coconut I ever see: size -- Ten thousand acorns: number -- Luscious clusters of the vine: fruit -- Winged seeds: dispersal -- Circumstance unknown: fate -- Fierce energy: germination -- Sorrow's mysteries: poisons -- Ah, sun-flower!: oil -- John Barleycorn: beer -- Realm of illusion: coffee -- Nourishment & inspiration: gastronomy. |
| Summary |
The story of seeds, in a nutshell, is a tale of evolution. From the tiny sesame that we sprinkle on our bagels to the forty-five-pound double coconut borne by the coco de mer tree, seeds are a perpetual reminder of the complexity and diversity of life on earth. With An Orchard Invisible, Jonathan Silvertown presents the oft-ignored seed with the natural history it deserves, one nearly as varied and surprising as the earth?s flora itself. |
| Subject |
Seeds -- Popular works.
|
|
Botany -- Popular works.
|
| Added Author |
Whitesides, Amy.
|
| ISBN |
9780226757735 cloth alkaline paper |
|
0226757730 cloth alkaline paper |
|
