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Chasing Lewis's Monkeyflower: The Amazing Afterlife of the Lewis and Clark Expedition's Wild Plants
A look at the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the plant specimens the great explorers gathered on their way—and of their amazing afterlife.
Elizabeth Adelman's Chasing Lewis's Monkeyflower is the two hundred-year saga of finding, losing, and finding the wild plants collected on America's first exploration west, the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Thomas Jefferson handpicked Meriwether Lewis to lead the expedition, gather notable specimens along the way, and then write the journals, with one volume to include science-worthy descriptions and classifications of the plants that Lewis collected and pressed to preserve. Not a botanist, Lewis needed help to write this part of the journals.
Ambition, deceit, theft, wealth, debt, alcoholism, loss, suicide, serendipity, and stubborn persistence cross the plants' paths in Philadelphia, New York, and London. This is the first work detailing the places, practices, and times of a cavalcade of people who touched the plants. A fascinating chronicle of an unexplored byway of the great American story.
Elizabeth Adelman's Chasing Lewis's Monkeyflower is the two hundred-year saga of finding, losing, and finding the wild plants collected on America's first exploration west, the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Thomas Jefferson handpicked Meriwether Lewis to lead the expedition, gather notable specimens along the way, and then write the journals, with one volume to include science-worthy descriptions and classifications of the plants that Lewis collected and pressed to preserve. Not a botanist, Lewis needed help to write this part of the journals.
Ambition, deceit, theft, wealth, debt, alcoholism, loss, suicide, serendipity, and stubborn persistence cross the plants' paths in Philadelphia, New York, and London. This is the first work detailing the places, practices, and times of a cavalcade of people who touched the plants. A fascinating chronicle of an unexplored byway of the great American story.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published February 17, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 8, 2025
Overly detailed with little insight, this book is more a deep dive into the relationships of 19th century botanists than insight into the actual Lewis & Clark samples. Some chapters are almost a schedule of meetings and other correspondence that had little to do with the journey of the samples after Lewis’ suicide. The author is supremely passionate about plants but there isn’t much to learn or enjoy here if you aren’t a botanist. She seems to build off the already published work of others that she names in the final chapter and adds some possibly new details but not enough of a good narrative to make anyone but the most ardent plant fan interested
I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review
I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review
November 18, 2025
I was attracted to Chasing Lewis's Monkeyflower because I love unusual plants and have always wanted to read more about the Lewis & Clark expeditions. (I always thought that Lewis was bipolar, but he was being treated for a sickness with mercury ... so maybe one would be going a bit bonkers with such a prescription?)
Chasing Lewis's Monkeyflower really is a "tell all" book about botanists. I love all the sordid details.
Obscure things like this make me laugh ...
One of Lambert's favorites, possibly his favorite group of plants, was cacti. He had spent heavily to buy some exceedingly rare ones. Gray seemed amused, amazed and disdainful of Lambert's practice of taxidermy on some that had died, stuffing them with plaster of Paris - immortal cacti.
and this ...
The Union College instructor Jonathan Pearson (1813-1887), who had graduated from Union College two years earlier, was interested in botany and collected plants during his personal time. Pearson wrote that "the chief pleasure of Botany is ... the excitement and joy that one feels in finding a new flower, as well as the healthfulness of the exercise when ranging the hills and valleys."(21) He had read Pursh's Flora Americae Septentrionalis. When Tuckerman and a dozen seniors petitioned to take botany in place of a different class, Pearson was assigned to teach it. He "confessed" the he knew nothing about botany, but told the students he would help them if he could. (22) At the end of spring term 1837, Tuckerman received a bachelor of arts degree and gave one of the class orations at graduation.
What does it have to do with Lewis's Monkeyflower? Well, it really is a very well tangled web that Elizabeth Adelman researched. Lewis and Clark expedition was 1804 to 1806. Some artifacts from the expedition were found 200 years later, and only pieced together because someone recognized that paper from this document matched another one ... and that a particular plant came from an area in Missouri where Lewis and Clark were (and other botanists were not).
I'm guessing that the average reader might find this book a bit much, but if you are a plantsman/woman you will probably find this book amusing. I'm a member of the American Conifer Society (https://www2.conifersociety.org), the American Rhododendron Society (https://www/rhododendron.org) and also North American Rock Garden Society (https://www.nargs.org). Several times a year we have speakers who share botanical travels (usually with amazing and beautiful photographs) or provide history on botanists. In May 2025 I attended a lecture on Archibald Menzies (1754-1842) and traveled to the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii in search of plants. I loved that this book added a new dimension to my knowledge of plantsmen and botanists.
Many thanks to NetGalley, author Elizabeth Adelman and publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux for approving my request to read the advance review copy of Chasing Lewis's Monkeyflower in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication is Feb 17, 2026. Approx 368 pages.
Probably one of my longest reviews.
Towards the end of the book, the author contains description and discussion on some plants found on the Lewis and Clark expeditions.
Text in the book mentions that "in July, Lewis found white sage, Artemisia ludoviciana var ludoviciana, at a prairie in Nebraska, observing that every above ground part of the plant is white.
Chasing Lewis's Monkeyflower really is a "tell all" book about botanists. I love all the sordid details.
Obscure things like this make me laugh ...
One of Lambert's favorites, possibly his favorite group of plants, was cacti. He had spent heavily to buy some exceedingly rare ones. Gray seemed amused, amazed and disdainful of Lambert's practice of taxidermy on some that had died, stuffing them with plaster of Paris - immortal cacti.
and this ...
The Union College instructor Jonathan Pearson (1813-1887), who had graduated from Union College two years earlier, was interested in botany and collected plants during his personal time. Pearson wrote that "the chief pleasure of Botany is ... the excitement and joy that one feels in finding a new flower, as well as the healthfulness of the exercise when ranging the hills and valleys."(21) He had read Pursh's Flora Americae Septentrionalis. When Tuckerman and a dozen seniors petitioned to take botany in place of a different class, Pearson was assigned to teach it. He "confessed" the he knew nothing about botany, but told the students he would help them if he could. (22) At the end of spring term 1837, Tuckerman received a bachelor of arts degree and gave one of the class orations at graduation.
What does it have to do with Lewis's Monkeyflower? Well, it really is a very well tangled web that Elizabeth Adelman researched. Lewis and Clark expedition was 1804 to 1806. Some artifacts from the expedition were found 200 years later, and only pieced together because someone recognized that paper from this document matched another one ... and that a particular plant came from an area in Missouri where Lewis and Clark were (and other botanists were not).
I'm guessing that the average reader might find this book a bit much, but if you are a plantsman/woman you will probably find this book amusing. I'm a member of the American Conifer Society (https://www2.conifersociety.org), the American Rhododendron Society (https://www/rhododendron.org) and also North American Rock Garden Society (https://www.nargs.org). Several times a year we have speakers who share botanical travels (usually with amazing and beautiful photographs) or provide history on botanists. In May 2025 I attended a lecture on Archibald Menzies (1754-1842) and traveled to the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii in search of plants. I loved that this book added a new dimension to my knowledge of plantsmen and botanists.
Many thanks to NetGalley, author Elizabeth Adelman and publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux for approving my request to read the advance review copy of Chasing Lewis's Monkeyflower in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication is Feb 17, 2026. Approx 368 pages.
Probably one of my longest reviews.
Towards the end of the book, the author contains description and discussion on some plants found on the Lewis and Clark expeditions.
Text in the book mentions that "in July, Lewis found white sage, Artemisia ludoviciana var ludoviciana, at a prairie in Nebraska, observing that every above ground part of the plant is white.
April 24, 2026
This book turned out to be something different than what I expected.
The beginning of the book focused mainly of the journey of Lewis and Clark . I guess I never really considered how arduous the journey must have been. Starting out, they had to bring as many supplies as they could, not knowing what they would find for food along the way.
They traveled mostly by river on flat bottomed boats, which makes it seem much easier than it really was. They had to take the boats out of the water where there were rapids and unload them where the rivers were too shallow. They also had to decide when they came to a fork in the river which way to go.
Dealing with the various Native American tribes, was also a challenge as each tribe had slightly different cultures and rules about dealing with strangers. Sacagawea traveled with them and was pregnant at the time. Most tribes realized that the men would not bring a woman with them if they were planning on going to war.
When they returned to the place where they had started, the tone of the book changed. As I read on, the book started following the trail of where all the specimens collected went, especially after Lewis died. He was frequently sick with malaria. This is where I started losing interest.
The author spent a lot of time talking about all the various botonists that handled the samples of the plants that were collected with the sketches. There was also a considerable amount of time spent on the Latin names (this part could have been a college course) and I wasn't interested in finding out what each of the plants looked like. I skimmed over these parts. Many of the botonists were not very organized and some of them took credit for Lewis' work that did not belong to them. Too much of the collection got split up and eventurally lost.
Not a very easy read.
The beginning of the book focused mainly of the journey of Lewis and Clark . I guess I never really considered how arduous the journey must have been. Starting out, they had to bring as many supplies as they could, not knowing what they would find for food along the way.
They traveled mostly by river on flat bottomed boats, which makes it seem much easier than it really was. They had to take the boats out of the water where there were rapids and unload them where the rivers were too shallow. They also had to decide when they came to a fork in the river which way to go.
Dealing with the various Native American tribes, was also a challenge as each tribe had slightly different cultures and rules about dealing with strangers. Sacagawea traveled with them and was pregnant at the time. Most tribes realized that the men would not bring a woman with them if they were planning on going to war.
When they returned to the place where they had started, the tone of the book changed. As I read on, the book started following the trail of where all the specimens collected went, especially after Lewis died. He was frequently sick with malaria. This is where I started losing interest.
The author spent a lot of time talking about all the various botonists that handled the samples of the plants that were collected with the sketches. There was also a considerable amount of time spent on the Latin names (this part could have been a college course) and I wasn't interested in finding out what each of the plants looked like. I skimmed over these parts. Many of the botonists were not very organized and some of them took credit for Lewis' work that did not belong to them. Too much of the collection got split up and eventurally lost.
Not a very easy read.
December 20, 2025
Chasing Lewis's Monkeyflower by Elizabeth Adelman offers a fascinating and unique perspective on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Rather than rehashing the well-trodden ground of the expedition itself, Adelman focuses on something often overlooked: the wild plants Lewis meticulously documented and collected along the journey.
I was provided an ARC copy through Net galley and was fortunate to be able to read approximately half of this book before my access ended, what I encountered was genuinely compelling. This is the first study I've come across that centers the botanical discoveries of the expedition, following Lewis's plant notes and specimens as a lens through which to understand their travels. Adelman's approach breathes new life into a familiar historical narrative, and I found the botanical focus both refreshing and educational.
Based on what I read, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in natural history, botany, or a fresh take on the Lewis and Clark story. I only wish I'd had the chance to finish it.
I was provided an ARC copy through Net galley and was fortunate to be able to read approximately half of this book before my access ended, what I encountered was genuinely compelling. This is the first study I've come across that centers the botanical discoveries of the expedition, following Lewis's plant notes and specimens as a lens through which to understand their travels. Adelman's approach breathes new life into a familiar historical narrative, and I found the botanical focus both refreshing and educational.
Based on what I read, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in natural history, botany, or a fresh take on the Lewis and Clark story. I only wish I'd had the chance to finish it.
March 19, 2026
Thanks to Libro-fm, I listened to this book which was probably not the best method for me. As someone who is not knowledgeable about botany, i found the Latin nomenclature of the plants hard to follow. I wish I had also had a print copy of the book, perhaps seeing drawings of the plants or been able to look them up. That said, it was a fascinating read on the journey of Lewis and Clark, with Lewis’ pursuit of the plant life along the way and the subsequent mishaps that occurred with the specimens that he managed to retrieve at great physical expense. The mystery of where his specimens traveled, through various often scoundrelous scientists until they were finally catalogued correctly and he was given his due credit was truly a historical saga. The epilogue gave a listing of the native plants that Lewis identified and which would be suitable for cultivation in the states through which they traveled is a valuable resource for those who wish to encourage a return to a more native state.
April 2, 2026
The legacy of these plants is as dynamic as the story of Lewis and Clark’s expedition.
April 5, 2026
Unusual and interesting!
September 24, 2025
Neat hyperfixation nonfiction book on how the actual nuances and ecological motivations behind the Lewis and Clark expedition. The book goes out of its way to not really talk about the political and racial reasoning behind these, which does feel willfully blind to some degree, but this is primarily absolutely about the ecological samples and artifacts that the expedition found, and their ultimate fate.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews