The Incredible Journey of Plants

November 18, 2019
Mancuso (The Revolutionary Genius of Plants), a plant neurobiologist and professor at the University of Florence, pays homage to the “legendary conquests” of plants in this elegant and charmingly illustrated survey. Relating some of the more remarkable feats performed by flora in their struggle to survive, Manusco describes Bahrain’s solitary Tree of Life, whose long tap root enables its survival in the desert, and travels to Hiroshima to visit the Hibakujumoku, or “trees that have suffered an atomic explosion.” The topics of human intervention and plant evolution are gracefully intertwined in discussions of coconut trees, date palms, and bristlecone pines, including one 4850-year-old Californian specimen. Especially fond of culinary topics, Mancuso bemoans the seedless avocado, which appeared in British supermarkets in 2017, and highlights the “multi-colored experience” of the pale South American tomato on its journey to becoming the “lustily red” center of Italian cuisine, and basil’s 2000-year old transformation, since Alexander the Great brought it to Europe from inner India, from purported cause of madness to cherished herb. Some ecologists, however, may balk at his embracing invasive plants as “the native flora of the future.” Nonetheless, naturalists and the culinary-inclined will cherish this collection of botanical vignettes. With illus. by Grisha Fischer.

January 1, 2020
A neurobiologist reveals the interconnectedness of the natural world through stories of plant migration. In this slim but well-packed book, Mancuso (Plant Science/Univ. of Florence; The Revolutionary Genius of Plants: A New Understanding of Plant Intelligence and Behavior, 2018, etc.) presents an illuminating and surprisingly lively study of plant life. He smoothly balances expansive historical exploration with recent scientific research through stories of how various plant species are capable of migrating to locations throughout the world by means of air, water, and even via animals. They often continue to thrive in spite of dire obstacles and environments. One example is the response of plants following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Three decades later, the abandoned "Exclusion Zone" is now entirely covered by an enormous assortment of thriving plants. Mancuso also tracks the journeys of several species that might be regarded as invasive. "Why...do we insist on labeling as 'invasive' all those plants that, with great success, have managed to occupy new territories?" asks the author. "On a closer look, the invasive plants of today are the native flora of the future, just as the invasive species of the past are a fundamental part of our ecosystem today." Throughout, Mancuso persuasively articulates why an understanding and appreciation of how nature is interconnected is vital to the future of our planet. "In nature everything is connected," he writes. "This simple law that humans don't seem to understand has a corollary: the extinction of a species, besides being a calamity in and of itself, has unforeseeable consequences for the system to which the species belongs." The book is not without flaws. The loosely imagined watercolor renderings are vague and fail to effectively complement Mancuso's richly descriptive prose or satisfy readers' curiosity. Even without actual photos and maps, it would have been beneficial to readers to include more finely detailed plant and map renderings. An authoritative, engaging study of plant life, accessible to younger readers as well as adults.

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