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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.
Rebirth of Science in Africa by Himansu Baijnath, Yashica Singh encapsulates a shared vision for life and the environmental sciences. This book provides data of relevance to the Word Summit of 2002 as well as an analogy of 20 papers presented at the African Renais-Science Conference held in Durban, 2002.
This book is a valuable source of information for those who have scientific or lay interest in Africa.
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