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Plants: From Roots to Riches
Tie-in to the landmark 25-part BBC Radio 4 series with Kew Gardens. The peculiarly British obsession with gardens goes back a long way, and From Roots to Riches takes readers back to where it all began. Across 25 vivid episodes, Kathy Willis, Kew's charismatic Head of Science, will show how the last 250 years transformed Britain's relationship with plants. Behind the scenes at the Botanical Gardens all kinds of surprising things have been going on. As the British Empire painted the atlas red, explorers, adventurers, and scientists brought the most interesting specimens and information back to London. From the discovery of Botany Bay to the horrors of the potato famine, from orchid hunters to quinine smugglers, from Darwin's experiments to the unexpected knowledge unlocked by the 1987 hurricane, understanding how plants work has changed the UK's history and could safeguard their future. In the style of A History of the World in 100 Objects , each chapter tells a separate story, but, gathered together, a great picture unfolds, of a remarkable science, botany. From Roots to Riches is a beautifully designed book, packed with 200 images in both color and black and white from Kew's amazing archives, some never reproduced before. Kathy Willis and Carolyn Fry, the acclaimed popular-science writer, have also added all kinds of fascinating extra history, heroes and villains, memorable stories, and interviews. Their book takes readers on an exciting rollercoaster ride through the past and future and shows how much plants really do matter.
368 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2014
16 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
Kathy Willis
13 books14 followersKathy Willis is the director of science at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England. She is also a professor of biodiversity in the zoology department at the University of Oxford and an adjunct biology professor at the University of Bergen. She has authored or co-authored more than one hundred scientific publications, including the landmark book The Evolution of Plants. This is her first book for younger readers.
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December 14, 2019A nice, likeable book, but not very exciting or potentially world shaking.
Maybe up of twenty-five short chapters, originally a BBC radio series, each of the twenty-five episodes would have been a little shy of fifteen minutes long. Repeated experiment demonstrated that each chapter took about as long to read as for me to drink a cup of tea, which for me establishes this above all as a cosy book.
It is a book about Kew Gardens – the Royal botanic gardens in London on the south bank of the Thames and it’s role in plant research since its establishment in 1759. Throughout the ages a central task has been defining what is a particular species of plant, if some local variant is best regard as a local variant or as a separate species, Linnaeus gets a mention but also a bewildering host of others who devised other naming conventions down to the use of DNA analysis which has confirmed some relationships and revealed some new ones.
The second major stem covers the same ground as Sex, botany and empire, but not with the affectations of raciness of that book, the third stem is about the use and abuse of plants touching on climate change, the destruction of the environment and pollinators, threats to major crops and familiar plants from Elms to bananas ( too many clones all vulnerable to disease) to coffee and the importance of their wild relatives.
There is a certain amount of happy accident – aeration of tree roots is good for tree health and soil can get harmfully compacted just through people walking under a tree’s boughs – an unhealthy oak considered to be heading for the chop made a remarkable recovery when it had been blown over in 1987 and left with it’s roots exposed (p.230-1), gardeners at Kew also found that it is better to plant trees into square holes than round ones as it is easier for the roots to break through the corners of a square, those planted in round holes tend to have restricted root systems.
Sacred sites are particularly valuable to the modern plant collector as they tend not to be intensively managed (p.312)
Since most bee species fly about up to a kilometre from their hive or nest, even small patches of land for they to feed are essential in assisting them to be able to pollinate crops and the wild relatives of cultivated plants who we depend upon to enrich their reduced gene pool.
Kew has an extensive seed bank, the oldest known seed to be successfully germinated was a 2000 year old date palm seed from Israel, while lettuce seeds only remain viable for a few hundred years (pp244-5). Most seeds can be preserved by drying them and storing them at a cool temperature but about 20 to 30% can only be preserved for longer periods of time by freezing them in liquid nitrogen.
It is a book that aspires to be inoffensive writing of the nineteenth century the writers tell us: “while wealth made from sugar had been built on slavery, it was believed that ‘legitimate commerce’ in other plant products could help nurture fellowship between people from different parts of the globe” (p.86) I tend more to the view that said commerce has been and remains intrinsically exploitative and either transformative or destructive to the environment, but the book leaves it up to the reader to understand as they will. They give an interesting example of the transformation of the environment – Ascension Island, originally it was arid, and the limited rainfall restricted it’s potential to be an Imperial staging post. Charles Darwin and Joseph Hooker devised a plan to plant trees- eucalyptus, Norfolk Pine, Bamboo, and Banana and by the 1870s part of the islands had a thriving cloud forest (p.125), the downside is that the endemic plants of the island are now close to extinction (p.121).
Maybe up of twenty-five short chapters, originally a BBC radio series, each of the twenty-five episodes would have been a little shy of fifteen minutes long. Repeated experiment demonstrated that each chapter took about as long to read as for me to drink a cup of tea, which for me establishes this above all as a cosy book.
It is a book about Kew Gardens – the Royal botanic gardens in London on the south bank of the Thames and it’s role in plant research since its establishment in 1759. Throughout the ages a central task has been defining what is a particular species of plant, if some local variant is best regard as a local variant or as a separate species, Linnaeus gets a mention but also a bewildering host of others who devised other naming conventions down to the use of DNA analysis which has confirmed some relationships and revealed some new ones.
The second major stem covers the same ground as Sex, botany and empire, but not with the affectations of raciness of that book, the third stem is about the use and abuse of plants touching on climate change, the destruction of the environment and pollinators, threats to major crops and familiar plants from Elms to bananas ( too many clones all vulnerable to disease) to coffee and the importance of their wild relatives.
There is a certain amount of happy accident – aeration of tree roots is good for tree health and soil can get harmfully compacted just through people walking under a tree’s boughs – an unhealthy oak considered to be heading for the chop made a remarkable recovery when it had been blown over in 1987 and left with it’s roots exposed (p.230-1), gardeners at Kew also found that it is better to plant trees into square holes than round ones as it is easier for the roots to break through the corners of a square, those planted in round holes tend to have restricted root systems.
Sacred sites are particularly valuable to the modern plant collector as they tend not to be intensively managed (p.312)
Since most bee species fly about up to a kilometre from their hive or nest, even small patches of land for they to feed are essential in assisting them to be able to pollinate crops and the wild relatives of cultivated plants who we depend upon to enrich their reduced gene pool.
Kew has an extensive seed bank, the oldest known seed to be successfully germinated was a 2000 year old date palm seed from Israel, while lettuce seeds only remain viable for a few hundred years (pp244-5). Most seeds can be preserved by drying them and storing them at a cool temperature but about 20 to 30% can only be preserved for longer periods of time by freezing them in liquid nitrogen.
It is a book that aspires to be inoffensive writing of the nineteenth century the writers tell us: “while wealth made from sugar had been built on slavery, it was believed that ‘legitimate commerce’ in other plant products could help nurture fellowship between people from different parts of the globe” (p.86) I tend more to the view that said commerce has been and remains intrinsically exploitative and either transformative or destructive to the environment, but the book leaves it up to the reader to understand as they will. They give an interesting example of the transformation of the environment – Ascension Island, originally it was arid, and the limited rainfall restricted it’s potential to be an Imperial staging post. Charles Darwin and Joseph Hooker devised a plan to plant trees- eucalyptus, Norfolk Pine, Bamboo, and Banana and by the 1870s part of the islands had a thriving cloud forest (p.125), the downside is that the endemic plants of the island are now close to extinction (p.121).
March 13, 2018
If you’re interested in plants and botany at a general level, this is a wonderfully rich resource of information on a huge range of subjects ranging from how classifying plants has changed over the centuries, their economic exploitation, the impact of DNA analysis on classification and improvement of food crops, and perhaps at the centre is the role of Botanic Gardens such as Kew, which undertake scientific research, keep essential plant libraries and seed banks, and now welcome the public to enjoy the beauty of the gardens as well.
It also has chapters on how plants grow, the importance of biodiversity the importance of rainforests and the most significant food crops.
If, like me, you’re interested in most things about plants but am not a botanist, this is a terrific book to own, so you can dip into it whenever you want a refresher.
It will date, inevitably, but much of it relates to botanical history and discovery, and it covers the major issues we need to be thinking about as a result of climate change, loss of species, and genetic modification.
It is based on a BBC 4 radio series, and is easy to read, even in the most scientific chapters.
It also has chapters on how plants grow, the importance of biodiversity the importance of rainforests and the most significant food crops.
If, like me, you’re interested in most things about plants but am not a botanist, this is a terrific book to own, so you can dip into it whenever you want a refresher.
It will date, inevitably, but much of it relates to botanical history and discovery, and it covers the major issues we need to be thinking about as a result of climate change, loss of species, and genetic modification.
It is based on a BBC 4 radio series, and is easy to read, even in the most scientific chapters.
March 19, 2019
A relaxing and slightly old fashioned text. I'll give it another half star but I'm feeling generous. It's mostly about Kew Gardens which seems obvious to me from the cover but maybe it would have been better to include it in the title as some other reviewers complained as it came as a surprise.
I think my favourite chapter was 'A Blooming Tree of Life' but it is very brief. There were other interesting chapters too but the structure of the book has many brief chapters punctuated with groups of photos that are great but always come too late to illuminate the text, and it's always difficult to hunt back and find something that was interesting but half remembered.
And I have to agree with some other reviewers. The coverage of the british empire is mealy-mouthed. Reads as if the authors might have been a lot fiercer but were going to great lengths to try and speak a bit of truth without upsetting some vague establishment consensus. And for such a global subject came across as a disappointingly narrow viewpoint. Perhaps only an extra quarter star.
I think my favourite chapter was 'A Blooming Tree of Life' but it is very brief. There were other interesting chapters too but the structure of the book has many brief chapters punctuated with groups of photos that are great but always come too late to illuminate the text, and it's always difficult to hunt back and find something that was interesting but half remembered.
And I have to agree with some other reviewers. The coverage of the british empire is mealy-mouthed. Reads as if the authors might have been a lot fiercer but were going to great lengths to try and speak a bit of truth without upsetting some vague establishment consensus. And for such a global subject came across as a disappointingly narrow viewpoint. Perhaps only an extra quarter star.
February 2, 2025
A good overview of the importance of plants, though it contains nothing new and groundbreaking it serves as an easy to read introduction into important topics, with enough interesting morsels of knowledge to maintain the readers interest and spark further reading.
It is easy to forget how deeply intertwined with plants we are as animals, biodiversity is the source of so much. Yet standing upon the mountain of leafy assistance we continue to look upwards, chasing the sun, with productivity as our focus we are forever building overburdening our uncared for supports. It may only be a matter of time before the wings of modern society melt off and we plunge into the darkness of ill societal and personal health, mental and physical.
The history of exploration, research and discovery outlined here is a fascinating one that is little talked about. It serves as an important reminder of just how new a concept the protection of our biodiversity is. We are in a time pressured battle against the lack of diversity of industry. We are at the start of a war against our own creations, a civil war where a step back is needed in a modern world built to draw you in.
It is easy to forget how deeply intertwined with plants we are as animals, biodiversity is the source of so much. Yet standing upon the mountain of leafy assistance we continue to look upwards, chasing the sun, with productivity as our focus we are forever building overburdening our uncared for supports. It may only be a matter of time before the wings of modern society melt off and we plunge into the darkness of ill societal and personal health, mental and physical.
The history of exploration, research and discovery outlined here is a fascinating one that is little talked about. It serves as an important reminder of just how new a concept the protection of our biodiversity is. We are in a time pressured battle against the lack of diversity of industry. We are at the start of a war against our own creations, a civil war where a step back is needed in a modern world built to draw you in.
June 1, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up. I learned a lot about botany in general and the history of the science. Each chapter was about a specific aspect of plant life and was readable and brief. There are black and white illustrations throughout which add to the experience. The book is very focused on Kew Gardens (which is where I bought the book after an extremely enjoyable visit). It has a Kew Garden’s logo on the cover but I didn’t expect it to be SO centered on that one institution. It also has a very British-centric viewpoint which lacks a balanced look at things like the Irish Potato famine and the negative effects of colonization that you might expect to read in the 21st century. Overall, I learned a lot and can’t wait to return to Kew Gardens next time I’m in the UK.
August 21, 2017
A succinct, poetic, broad if a little standard popular botany book, but the magic comes in the Kew specific details. Kew Gardens is one of the oldest centres of botanical science in the world and continues to draw on the unparalleled age and size of their Gardens, as well as the non-public Herbarium, Fungarium and Seed Bank.
I've worked in a smaller Herbarium in Manchester, UK which does look up to Kew to a great extent. I was familiar with some of the great Victorian Collections Willis and Fry detail from seeing their specimens; Joseph Banks, Joseph and William Hooker and George Bentham. The modern Herbaria owes these men the founding of the institution, from its taxonomical organisation to its use as a "living research tool", not a museum of dead plants.
The Herbarium is an invaluable tool for science, you can see "the planet at a glance" by opening a few folders. As they quote Jim Endersby, "Here, in the Herbarium, the chaos of nature was reduced to order". There are many tales of botanical adventure, but they also acknowledge how many 19th century botanists were arch imperialists, planning to seed the "barren" colonies with "useful" plants. The book is wonderful in it's loving attention to the work of the Herbarium. The excitement of receiving the new specimens in paper, trying to identify they and then placing them in order of a classification system still greatly influenced by Hooker and Bentham. And then drawing on this collection of seed, living plant and the gross anatomy of Herbarium sheet specimens for scientific research, including making comprehensive and lavishly illustrated Flora, handbooks of all the plant species in an area.
This book was based on a very generalist radio programme so I wasn't expecting Herbarium nitty-gritty, but I've read enough general botany books. A good detailed book about Herbarium life would be something I'd love to read from someone like Kathy Willis.
I've worked in a smaller Herbarium in Manchester, UK which does look up to Kew to a great extent. I was familiar with some of the great Victorian Collections Willis and Fry detail from seeing their specimens; Joseph Banks, Joseph and William Hooker and George Bentham. The modern Herbaria owes these men the founding of the institution, from its taxonomical organisation to its use as a "living research tool", not a museum of dead plants.
The Herbarium is an invaluable tool for science, you can see "the planet at a glance" by opening a few folders. As they quote Jim Endersby, "Here, in the Herbarium, the chaos of nature was reduced to order". There are many tales of botanical adventure, but they also acknowledge how many 19th century botanists were arch imperialists, planning to seed the "barren" colonies with "useful" plants. The book is wonderful in it's loving attention to the work of the Herbarium. The excitement of receiving the new specimens in paper, trying to identify they and then placing them in order of a classification system still greatly influenced by Hooker and Bentham. And then drawing on this collection of seed, living plant and the gross anatomy of Herbarium sheet specimens for scientific research, including making comprehensive and lavishly illustrated Flora, handbooks of all the plant species in an area.
This book was based on a very generalist radio programme so I wasn't expecting Herbarium nitty-gritty, but I've read enough general botany books. A good detailed book about Herbarium life would be something I'd love to read from someone like Kathy Willis.
May 11, 2018
This book is ostensibly about the development of botany as a specific branch of science and how that related to contemporary economic developments. To that end, I found it quite frustrating for two reasons: one, it was biased towards the expansion of the British Empire's economy, and two, everything had to tie back to the development and work of Kew Gardens. Towards the end I decided that it would have been better as two separate books: one about botany's global impact on global politics and economics, and another about the history and current work at Kew Gardens. There are some interesting nuggets about both strands in here, but the need to switch between them means they both get short shrift.
March 5, 2017
This is a fabulous little book. Provides excellent insight into the history, collections and work of Kew gardens. It also gives clear overviews of botanical concepts such as propogation, GM and diversity. Well-written and easy to read.
July 19, 2024
A really informative and interesting read. I always love reading about the history of plants and botanical science! I wasn't too fond of the passages towards the end, where the authors start harping on about how we shouldn't just conserve biodiversity for biodiversity's sake, but rather because plants (and nature) are economically beneficial to us (as food, medicine, building materials, etc.). This is a really anthropocentric, capitalistic, viewpoint, which is exactly how we ended up with climate change in the first place. But anyway. Other than that - I learnt some fun interesting things in this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the natural world!
August 7, 2022
I mean just WOW.... Basically a chap called Banks purchases Carl Linneus' plant collection and the way I read this, basically the hunt for exotic plants which ensued, probably started the colonisation process/British Empire... I mean that piece of history alone is worth learning about, let alone all of the other stories and how they influence us!!! I found this book mind-blowing, opening up new worlds. Worth reading again to be honest just to take it all in and the impact plants have on our lives.
December 14, 2019
You will enjoy this informative book if you love plants and histories. I'm not into non-fiction genre, hence, the slow reading progress. What I learnt from this book was the enthusiasm and devotion from our dear beloved scientists who worked so hard to gather the seeds and plants from all over the world which led to the birth of Key Garden. It was amazing works, and it made me want to visit Kew Garden in future!
April 21, 2019
Loved it - what a fun read! I want to take my family to Kew Garden. History, science, and British quirkiness all in one book.
August 30, 2020
Very Good.
March 16, 2022
While Kathy Willis was reluctant to critise Joseph Banks and other elements of the British Empire, she was quite able to jump on Stalin.
September 26, 2023
Very nice compilation of themes for people who are interested in botany, presented with an easy language. The historical context on some chapters is very interesting.
October 20, 2016
So interesting to read about how plants that we know well today were discovered, how they were used, and how they have evolved over time. Did you know that malaria was prevalent in London back in the day?
August 27, 2023
Overall an easy to read and informative book about where we are at with plant research. While I enjoyed it, it felt a little jarring in places, as the need to bring it back to Kew every chapter felt like it was more an advert for Kew, and it felt like it was a bit shoehorned in at times.
I also just wish there were fewer chapters with a bit more detail from each. The short summarising chapters are great to dip into for surface knowledge, but the flitting from one topic to another can be a bit much, and I feel it’s overall message could have been delivered much better by focusing more on a fewer topics, for which Kew has both historical and current links in much greater detail.
I also just wish there were fewer chapters with a bit more detail from each. The short summarising chapters are great to dip into for surface knowledge, but the flitting from one topic to another can be a bit much, and I feel it’s overall message could have been delivered much better by focusing more on a fewer topics, for which Kew has both historical and current links in much greater detail.
August 30, 2015
Very long-winded. Lots of redundant text. Didn't offer me much new knowledge except for the chapter about the hurricane and uprooted trees (apparently when roots are aired the tree does much better!) - that was interesting to learn, and very practical for gardening.
Some entire chapters read like a brochure for the Kew Gardens, suggesting bias and subjectivity is likely present in much of the information presented in the other chapters as well. Wouldn't use this as a credible research source anytime soon.
Some entire chapters read like a brochure for the Kew Gardens, suggesting bias and subjectivity is likely present in much of the information presented in the other chapters as well. Wouldn't use this as a credible research source anytime soon.
January 30, 2016
This is a great book that shows us how little we actually know about plants. After reading it, I realized the unanswered questions I had about plants were simply because no scientific studies have been done on those areas yet. Even the way we grow orchids is simply what worked for someone else. A lot of our plant knowledge is based on happy accidents, like the way the giant tree was aired out after a hurricane.
June 20, 2016
Love the radio series and was delighted to find that there was a companion book. A pleasant-to-read overview of both the history of the science of botany and the information gathering and research done at Kew Botanical Gardens since they were originally established; each chapter corresponds to an episode of the series. Contains quite a few interesting tidbits not in the broadcast version (presumably had to be cut for time)
September 28, 2016
25 bite-sized chapters, each an interesting insight into the world of plants. I learned a lot and would recommend it to any general reader, not just gardeners.
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April 18, 2018Loved the weaving of the story of Kew Gardens into our ongoing human relationship with plants. Far more than roots and riches!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews