Sandra Knapp

"Soaring high above visitors to the Natural History Museum are the wonderful ceiling panels decorated with plants from every corner of the globe. Stunning in design, richly coloured and gilded, the ceilings are a major art exhibition in their own right. They speak vividly of an era when specimens of plants from all around the world were flooding into Britain, causing an explosion of interest in botany and horticulture, with new glasshouses and public parks springing up all over the country." "Explore the fascinating histories of the exotic species and British flora depicted on the panels. In the authors' words: "...each one tells a story - plants that have made and broken empires, been the cause for terrible human suffering, or have brought joy through their beauty.""--BOOK JACKET.

The author of Flora Mesoamerica presents essays on twenty fascinating plant families, including cacti, daffodils, iris, magnolia, poppies, roses, tulips, conifers, hibiscus, palms, and waterlillies, taking readers on a colorful tour of the natural and human history surrounding each plant.