Description: A wide-ranging natural and cultural history of orchids.
Approximately eight percent of all the Earth's flowering species are orchids. Known for their beautiful flowers, delicate forms, and sweet fragrances, orchids are unlike any other flower. Orchids have been contemplated by philosophers, celebrated by artists, and cultivated or even eaten by millions. They occupy our thoughts, stories, greenhouses, supermarkets, and homes. Orchid surveys all of this and more as Dan Torre explores the intriguing and multifaceted natural and cultural history of orchids.Brief description:
Dan Torre is a senior lecturer of design at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. His books include Cactus and Carnivorous Plants, also published by Reaktion Books.
Review Quotes: "The seven chapters in the well-illustrated volume is a succinct and engaging introduction to this fascinating area of botanical research with new species being added each year to roughly 28,000 species, growing in trees, on rocks and in the ground and making up 8% of all flowering species on the globe."-- "Leonardo"