This exuberant celebration of the weird and wonderful world of plants is full of unexpected facts, perfect for budding botanists and armchair art lovers alike. A vibrant, close-up exploration of plants, this colourful book focuses on the extraordinary and unexpected, from the tiny bee orchid to the mighty strangler fig.

Looking at plants from across the globe, the specimens featured include carnivorous and poisonous species; plants that provide us with food, materials, or medicine; those that have a special symbiotic relationship with animals or other plants; as well as especially rare or record-breaking species. Among many other awesome plants, discover:

• Lithops hookeri, the pebble plant that disguises itself as a stone to hide from predators;
• Nepenthes lowii, the tree shrew toilet pitcher that thrives on nutrients from tree shrew droppings;
• Drosera rotundifolia, the sundew that digests insects after trapping them with sticky dew-like droplets; and
• Selaginella lepidophylla, the resurrection plant that can survive for years without any rainwater at all.

As you explore these amazing species, gain a foundation of knowledge about the plant kingdom. How do plants get energy? Can plants talk? Why do plants have flowers? Can plants move? Learn how plants get energy and nutrients, how animals and plants work together, how plants can send out chemical messages, and finally, how to protect plants and their habitats.

Bursting with colour, there's something new and unexpected to discover on every page of this celebration of fierce and fabulous plants.

 

This book has been graded for interest at 5-8 years.

There are 64 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2018 by Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd .

Born in Basel, Switzerland, Catell Ronca now lives and works in Lucerne. A graduate from the Royal College of Art in London, Catell works for a variety of international clients in publishing, editorial and advertising. Some of her favourite things are the Swiss Alps, hand-painted folk art and making ceramic tiles and objects. Dr Chris Thorogood is a plant hunter and botanist who has been fascinated by plants for a long as he can remember, having spent much of his childhood growing bizarre and unusual plants including carnivores and parasites. He is now Head of Science & Public Engagement at Oxford University Botanic Garden. Chris is the author of Weird Plants (Kew Publishing, 2018) as well as several botanic field guides.

This book has the following chapters: Introduction
Focus spread on evolution of plant life, it's variety, and how it underpins all other life
Sacred lotus (self-cleaning leaves)
Baobab (hollow interiors used as prisons, pubs, municipal water tanks)
Venus fly-trap (carnivorous)
Resurrection plant
Lithops (stone plants)
Focus spread explaining how plants get their energy and nutrients
Giant waterlily
Mopane
Bee Orchid
Bladderwort (waterborne carnivorous plant)
Coast redwoods (build landforms)
Focus spread explaining chemical messaging
Aspen (40, 000 year US clones oldest living organism on earth)
Moonflower (night-flowering cactus that blooms on just one night in year and is pollinated by hawkmoth with 12 in tongue)
Rubber tree
Dodder (rootless parasite which sniffs and wriggle its way toward host)
Air plant (tillandsia) floats about rain forest, living off mist and rainwash
Focus spread explaining symbiotic relationships
Brazil nut tree (complex symbiotic life)
Tank bromeliad (rainforest epiphyte with entire ecosystem in its water reservoir)
Burdock (inspiration for Velcro)
Indian balsam (explosive seed-pods)
Mimosa, the Sensitive plant (responds to touch, and has a sophisticated memory)
Focus spread explaining plant senses (responses to sound, light, weather, touch)
Cacti, and devices for gathering and storing water
Cycads, and seaborne seeds
Titan arum
Focus spread on protecting plants and their habitats