Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
|
Your cart is empty |
|||
Books > Sport & Leisure > Natural history, country life & pets > Plant life: general > General
"Beautiful, useful, inspirational" BBC Wildlife Book of the Month "A delight on every page" Evening Standard In 1664, the horticulturist and diarist John Evelyn wrote Sylva, the first comprehensive study of British trees. It was also the world's earliest forestry book, and the first book ever published by the Royal Society. Evelyn's elegant prose has a lot to tell us today, but the world has changed dramatically since his day. Now authors Gabriel Hemery and Sarah Simblet, taking inspiration from the original work, have masterfully created a contemporary version - The New Sylva. The result is a fabulous resource that describes all of the most important species of tree that populate our landscape. Silvologist Gabriel Hemery explains what trees really mean to us culturally, environmentally and economically in the first part of the book. These chapters are followed by forty-four detailed tree portrait sections that describe the history and the features of trees such as oak, elm, beech, hornbeam, willow, fir, pine, juniper, plane, apple and pear. The pages of The New Sylva are brought to life with truly breathtaking artwork from artist and co-author Sarah Simblet, who captures the delicacy, strength and beauty of the trees through the seasons in 200 exquisite drawings. With an interplay of black and red type on creamy paper, The New Sylva recalls all the charm of traditional bookmaking. And at a moment when it is vitally important for us to rediscover how to treasure our trees, the time for this visionary, beautiful book is now. This edition comes with illustrated endpapers and a ribbon marker.
Faced with climate changes, pest pressure on plants is increasing and new pest complexes are appearing, for which plant protection solutions are not yet available. The reduction of anthropic pressure on agroecosystems requires a reduction in the use of chemical inputs and the promotion of biocontrol approaches. In this book, we present new advances on plant disease management that are emerging from research outputs. The ability of biocontrol products to directly (e.g. production of antimicrobial peptides or quorum quenching activities by microorganisms, use of plant or agro-industrial by-products as biopesticides, etc.) or indirectly (e.g. via the increase of plant defense or plant growth pathways) protect plants against pathogens and pests is also considered. We also address new strategies like the development of phage-based biocontrol products and those that consider the plant as a holobiont and plant microbiota as targets of biocontrol treatments. The important question of the current regulatory process needed to launch plant production products on the market is also addressed, such as methods to evaluate their environmental impact.
Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places shows readers how to find and prepare more than five hundred different plants for nutrition and better health, including such common plants as mullein (a tea made from the leaves and flowers suppresses a cough), stinging nettle (steam the leaves and you have a tasty dish rich in iron), cattail (cooked stalks taste similar to corn and are rich in protein), and wild apricots (an infusion made with the leaves is good for stomach aches and disgestive disorders). More than 260 detailed line drawings help readers identify a wide range of plants -- many of which are suited for cooking by following the more than thirty recipes included in this book. There are literally hundreds of plants readily available underfoot waiting to be harvested and used either as food or as a potential therapeutic. This book is both a field guide to nature's bounty and a source of intriguing information about the plants that surround us.
This portable 8-fold guide is the perfect companion to Phillipa Hudson's easy-to-use "Coastal Flowers of the Pacific Northwest," and features 112 spectacular photos of flowers found from the mid to alpine elevations on Vancouver Island and the Coast Mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Organized into a two-sided colour coded chart with a ruler printed on the back cover, this handy guide will aid in the quick identification of almost any flower one is likely to encounter in the higher realms of the Pacific Northwest, from exquisite yellow glacier lilies to elusive alpine pussy-toes. Labelled with both English and Latin names with descriptions of each species' distribution range and average plant height and flower size, this full-colour pamphlet is useful to budding botanists as well as more accomplished flower enthusiasts.
Why is South Africa's iconic strelitzia named after a German-born queen of England? Why does this small family of mainly southern African plants have relatives in Madagascar and in the Amazon? Why do scientists believe that strelitzia seeds could be the key to a new generation of life-saving medicines? Strelitzias ofthe world is the first book to investigate the life story of these iconic plants. The dramatically different bird of paradise flower burst upon the scientific and gardening world nearly 250 years ago. For more than a century, it was the preserve of aristocrats and royalty. Its grandeur survives to this day, with a specially developed cultivar recently named in honour of the legendary President Nelson Mandela, ‘Mandela's Gold'. This was derived from the Strelitzia reginae that so entranced English royal botanical adviser Sir Joseph Banks, Russia’s Empress Catherine the Great and Britain's Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, after whom the flower was named. Strelitzias are a small but far-flung family of eight main members: six in southern Africa; the traveller's palm in Madagascar; and the big palulu in the upper Amazon. From the martyrs of botany battling disease and pirates while on the trail of strelitzias, this lavishly illustrated book profiles the adventures and history surrounding these extraordinary plants; investigates scientific controversies; discusses the plants' use by people, mammals, birds and insects; and surveys their phenomenal impact on the international flower trade, where they are recognised as one of the world’s most beautiful blooms. This “historical and contemporary exploration of just one plant family is a publishing rarity that will appeal to anyone with a botanical, historical, horticultural, environmental or even biochemical interest in plants. Featuring more than 200 illustrations, including rare historic and contemporary plant specimens from international herbaria, Strelitzias of the world also forms a breathtaking showcase for dramatic botanical drawings and paintings of strelitzias by both the classical greats and by today's South African botanical artists. These include paintings from Franz Bauer, the favourite botanical artist of England's King George III, and from Pierre-Joseph Redoute, the favourite botanical artist of Napoleon's Empress Josephine. A new set of drawings of southern African strelitzias was also commissioned by the Durban Botanic Gardens Trust from renowned KZN botanical artist Angela Beaumont and a dozen other South African botanical artists have donated use of their artwork. We are proud to have been assisted in producing this important and beautiful book by a publication award from the Stanley Smith (UK) Horticultural Trust, says Ivor Daniel, chair of the Durban Botanic Gardens Trust. “Strelitzias ofthe world is the second in our umKhuhlu series and a link to the proud tradition of publishing at Durban Botanic Gardens that dates back to the 19th century. Most of all, this book exemplifies the striving for botanical excellence and the fostering of relationships between people and plants that are a key mission for all botanic gardens across the world and which have been guiding forces in the Durban Botanic Gardens Trust for the past 25 years of its existence.
"Mountain flowers are the most romantic in our flora, exquisite, enigmatic and, often, remote from human habitation. Michael Scott has not only seen them all but has roamed every part of the hill scenery of Britain and brings to his subject passion, learning and hands-on experience. This is field botany at its best, engrossing, exciting and full of wonder." PETER MARREN Britain's mountains and exposed sub-arctic regions of the far north are home to a remarkable range of specialist flowers, shrubs and ferns that are able to thrive on our islands thanks to a combination of conditions seldom found in mainland Europe. The peculiarities of their occurrence here, at unusually low altitudes for typically alpine species and uncommonly far south for arctic species, make their ecology especially intriguing. In this invigorating journey from the Lizard of Cornwall to Unst in Shetland, Michael Scott examines Britain's richest upland sites, bringing an important 21st-century perspective to our understanding of the flora along the way. Lavishly illustrated, Mountain Flowers has much to offer wild flower enthusiasts and botanists, including detailed profiles of over 150 of the plants most characteristic of our montane regions. It will prove an indispensable companion for hillwalkers and climbers wanting to learn more about the enigmatic species that are such an intrinsic part of the British mountain landscape. - Featuring over 150 mountain plants, with 20 extended profiles for the most enigmatic species - Illustrated with over 340 colour photographs of plants and their spectacular habitats - Jacket artwork by Carry Akroyd
Be inspired by nature and play the card game suited for all. Team up the component parts of a tree - from the leaf, flower and fruit plus the tree itself to form a tree family! Discover eleven of the most beautiful flowering, fruiting trees with Ryuto Miyake's stunning, detailed illustrations and text about each tree written by the Head of the Arboretum at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. See which of your friends knows the most about nature! Take the time to learn the different components and see if you can identify the trees next time you're outside! Based on Happy Families, this game will inspire you take in nature's surroundings and understand all the elements that make up the worlds beautiful trees.UNIQUE: A beautifully boxed card game for 2-5 players based on Happy FamiliesBEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED: Collect all four components of tree families across 44 beautifully illustrated cards. Keep this safe within the wonderfully illustrated box measuring 115 x 90 x 35mmFUN & COLOURFUL: Each card has been illustrated by Ryuto Miyake, illustrator of Animal Mah-jongHIGHEST QUALITY: These educational cards have been carefully considered and written by the Head of Arborteum at the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew.GIFT: If you're looking for the perfect family gift, Tree Families is the ultimate for learning and having fun!Other similar Laurence King Publishing titles include: Fashion Families, Flower Families, Super Happy Families and Wonder Women
Your Quick Guide to Identifying Wildflowers Beautiful, colorful wildflowers might catch your eye at the cabin, in the park, or on a hike. Now you can identify your favorites by name. When you're out and about, keep Wildflowers of the South & Southeast close at hand. Written by acclaimed nature author Jaret C. Daniels, this convenient guide showcases more than 150 species of wildflowers found in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Designed for ease of use, the tabbed booklet is organized by color for simple identification. Do you see a purple flower and don't know what it is? Open the "Blue to Purple" tab, and view photographs of just a few wildflowers at a time. The detailed pictures with key markings help to ensure positive ID for even casual observers. The pocket-sized format is much easier to use than laminated foldouts, and the tear-resistant pages help to make the booklet durable. So bring this lightweight quick guide along on your next hike, camping trip, or neighborhood walk, and improve your identification skills with every wildflower sighting.
In Walking with Trees, Glennie Kindred takes us on an intimate and profoundly connecting walk with thirteen of our native trees. She leads us into their worlds and opens our hearts to their wonders, their qualities and their potential to heal. This is a book about relationships and inter-relationships: Our relationship with the trees, their relationships with each other and with the natural world around them, and the flow of our communal relationship, past and present, which affects us all as the web of life on Earth. Illustrated with the authors exquisite pencil drawings, Glennie's passion for trees is infectious, and inspires us to look more closely, listen more intently and walk with trees more often. She shares her stories and encounters with trees and weaves together many ways to deepen our engagement with them, from growing them, harvesting and using them for medicine, food, and craftwork. She also encourages us to find our way into a more subtle and intuitive relationship with the trees, as part of our journey to heal our fractured relationship with the Earth. As with all of Glennie's books, the seasonal cycles and the Earth festivals are interwoven and provide further ways to deepen our journey with trees. This is a book about possibilities, for those who care for our environment. This is a book that reminds you of what you might have missed or forgotten, and reminds you of your power. This is a book of our time, where we recognise our deep interconnectivity with the trees, with all of life and with the Earth herself. It inspires us to open our arms and hearts wide, and joyfully embrace the changes.
'Somerville knows more about wooden barn construction than almost anyone alive.'-The Telegraph 'A joyful reminder of why nature, being outside, being together and creating beauty is so good for the soul.'-Kate Humble, broadcaster and author of A Year of Living Simply 'For all our advances, it's hard to deny the modern world brings with it new ills of disconnection and disenfranchisement, but here in Barn Club they've found their cure.'-Barn the Spoon, master craftsman and author of Spon Nature meets traditional craft in this celebration of the elm tree, beautiful buildings and community spirit. Barn Club calls on us to discover our landscapes more intimately and to explore the joys of making beautiful things by hand, together. When renowned craftsman Robert Somerville moved to Hertfordshire, he discovered an unexpected landscape rich with wildlife and elm trees. Nestled within London's commuter belt, this wooded farmland inspired Somerville, a lifelong woodworker, to revive the ancient tradition of hand-raising barns. Barn Club follows the building of Carley Barn over the course of one year. Volunteers from all walks of life joined Barn Club, inspired to learn this ancient skill of building elm barns by hand, at its own quiet pace and in the company of others, while using timber from the local woods. The tale of the elm tree in its landscape is central to Barn Club. Its natural history, historic importance and remarkable survival make for a fascinating story. This is a tale of forgotten trees, a local landscape and an ancient craft. This book includes sixteen pages of colour photographs, and black and white line drawings of techniques and traditional timber frame barns feature throughout.
A compact guide featuring nearly 400 wild flowers of Kenya and northern Tanzania, grouped for ease of use according to colour. The book includes the most widespread and commonly encountered species as well as some unusual flowers found in more remote areas. Plants range from hardy succulents to spectacular epiphytic orchids and shaggy mountain lobelias, each concisely presented with reference to key features and typical habitat. Additional notes indicate whether a given species has particular ecological, medicinal or cultural value.
Georgia roadsides have embraced the wildflower philosophy and show off spectacular wildflower meadows along the highways and byways. As you travel the Peach State take along Georgia Trees and Wildflowers, the perfect pocket-sized, folding nature guide. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar species of familiar trees, shrubs and wildflowers. A map featuring prominent state-wide botanical sanctuaries has been conveniently included. Laminated for durability, this handy guide will be appreciated by visitors to Georgia as well as residents.
Meadows, the second volume of a major new series of books on British natural history, provides one of the most wide-ranging and eloquent treatments of this most quintessential British habitat. Yet the flower-rich hay meadows that have inspired writers and artists for hundreds of years have almost disappeared from our countryside. In this exceptional work, George Peterken, one of our most respected ecologists, brings together years of research and discovery from his travels across Britain and Europe, as well as an understanding borne out of caring for his own meadows, to produce a book that will put this often misunderstood habitat back in the public's eye. Filled with beautiful images of meadows and their denizens, this is a book everyone with an interest in this iconic habitat will want to own.
An enticing illustrated look at pollination, one of the most astonishing marvels of the natural world Pollination is essential to the survival of most plants on Earth. Some plants rely on the wind to transport pollen from one flower to another. Others employ an array of ingenious strategies to attract and exploit pollinators, whether they be insects, birds, or mammals. This beautifully illustrated book provides an unprecedented look at the wonders of pollination biology, drawing on the latest science to explain the extraordinarily complex relationship between plant and pollinator, and revealing why pollination is vital for healthy ecosystems and a healthy planet. Timothy Walker offers an engaging introduction to pollination biology and explores the many different tactics of plant reproduction. He shows how wind and water can be effective yet wildly unpredictable means of pollination, and describes the intimate interactions of pollinating plants with bees and butterflies, beetles and birds, and lizards and bats. Walker explores how plants entice pollinators using scents, colors, and shapes, and how plants rely on rewards as well as trickery to attract animals. He sheds light on the important role of pollination in ecology, evolution, and agriculture, and discusses why habitat management, species recovery programs, and other conservation efforts are more critical now than ever. Featuring hundreds of color photos and illustrations, Pollination is suitable for undergraduate study and is an essential resource for naturalists, horticulturalists, and backyard gardeners.
East Africa is one of the world's premier wildlife regions, well known
for its mass migrations of herds and the dramatic predators that
accompany them. As iconic are the trees that grow here - some endemic
to the region and almost all identified with the plains and slopes of
this land, stretching from the muggy coast, through grasslands and up
to the cold, dry reaches of high mountain peaks. Among them are
mangroves, cycads and palms; marulas, acacias and sausage trees; fever
trees, toothbrush trees and giant bamboos and heaths.
This book provides an accessible taxonomic base for acanthaceae; rubiaceae; and sapindaceae of Sri Lankan vegetation. It forms a significant part of the vascular flora of the island.
Would you lick your fingers after picking a Lily of the Valley? Did no-one remember to warn you about fair Fool's Parsley? And where are the haunts of Satan's Boletus and the Destroying Angel? Hiding in the beautiful meadows and woods of Great Britain are particular plants, about which every sensible rambler, parent and picnicker should be properly informed. Let Frederick Gillam be your guide. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.
Share the wonder of the natural world with family and friends using these stunning illustrated notecards from How to Be a Wildflower author and illustrator Katie Daisy.
Farmers once knew how to make a living fence and fed their flocks on tree-branch hay. Rural people knew how to prune hazel to foster abundance: both of edible nuts and of straight, strong, flexible rods for bridges, walls and baskets. Townspeople cut beeches to make charcoal to fuel ironworks. Shipwrights shaped oaks to make hulls. In order tp prosper communities cut their trees so they would sprout again. Pruning the trees didn't destroy them. Rather, it created healthy, sustainable and diverse woodlands. From these woods came the poetic landscapes of Shakespeare's England and of ancient Japan. The trees lived longer. William Bryant Logan travels from the English fens to Spain, California and Japan to rediscover and celebrate what was once a common and practical ecology-finding hope that humans may again learn what the persistence and generosity of trees can teach.
This book has been produced with the aim of stimulating the general naturalist to take a closer look at the bumps and lumps that make up the fascinating world of plant galls. Induced by a variety of insects and other organisms and ranging from tiny pimples to bizarre and often very attractive and exquisitely sculptured growths, plant galls are mystery to many people, but they offer a fascinating field of study for both botanists and zoologists. Galls can be found on a very wide range of both woody and herbaceous plants, with over 50 different kinds occurring on Britain's oak trees alone, and there is still much to be learned about even the commonest examples.An introduction to the nature of plant galls and their formation Brief descriptions of some of the organisms that cause or induce galls Superb photographs of just over 200 of the commonest or most conspicuous of Britain's 1,000 or so plant galls, arranged according to their host plants to aid field identification Descriptions of these galls and the life histories of the organisms that cause them
|
You may like...
Mushrooms and Other Fungi of South…
Marieka Gryzenhout, Gary Goldman
Paperback
How To Identify Trees In South Africa
Braam van Wyk, Piet Van Wyk
Paperback
|