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The Plant Messiah: Adventures in Search of the World's Rarest Species
Carlos Magdalena of Kew Gardens is not your average botanical horticulturist. He's a man on a mission to save the world's most endangered plants from destruction and thieves hunting for wealthy collectors. He is a plant messiah.
From the planet's tiniest waterlily - the Nymphaea thermarum - to Huarango trees with roots over 50 metres long, Carlos has a miraculous ability to bring breathtakingly beautiful plants back from the brink of extinction. He has travelled to the most remote and dangerous parts of the world - from the mountains of Peru to isolated Indian Ocean islands to the deepest Australian outback - in search of the rarest exotic species. Then, back in the Tropical Nursery at Kew, he uses pioneering, left-field techniques to help them grow.
Now he's here to spread the gospel. The Plant Messiah is the inspirational story of a man who has devoted - and risked - his life to save incredible species, all in the name of making this Earth a greener and happier place. Amen to that.
From the planet's tiniest waterlily - the Nymphaea thermarum - to Huarango trees with roots over 50 metres long, Carlos has a miraculous ability to bring breathtakingly beautiful plants back from the brink of extinction. He has travelled to the most remote and dangerous parts of the world - from the mountains of Peru to isolated Indian Ocean islands to the deepest Australian outback - in search of the rarest exotic species. Then, back in the Tropical Nursery at Kew, he uses pioneering, left-field techniques to help them grow.
Now he's here to spread the gospel. The Plant Messiah is the inspirational story of a man who has devoted - and risked - his life to save incredible species, all in the name of making this Earth a greener and happier place. Amen to that.
238 pages, Hardcover
First published April 10, 2018
129 people are currently reading
4229 people want to read
About the author
Carlos Magdalena
2 books50 followersCARLOS MAGDALENA is the Tropical Senior Botanical Horticulturist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and an international lecturer. He is renowned for his unique skills as a plant propagator who is saving the world's rarest plants.
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January 31, 2022Interesting memoir from a Kew botanist who is on a mission to save and propagate rare plants. Very readable and engaging.
March 28, 2018
Carlos Magdalena is passionate about the protection of plant species – 1 in 5 plants is currently in danger of extinction. He grew up the son of a florist in northern Spain, where Franco had logged ancient forests and eliminated most “non-profitable” wildlife, and his childhood interest in natural history grew into a fervor for conservation. After moving to England at age 28, he underwent rigorous training at England’s Kew Gardens to earn a horticultural diploma while working as a plant propagator. His initial focus was on the café marron plant from Rodrigues Island in the Indian Ocean, a place where biodiversity is critically threatened by invasive species and traditional medicine. Magdalena was part of a project to grow café marron cuttings at Kew and then return seeds to the wild in 2007 and 2010. However, his first love was waterlilies, so he also cultivated Australian varieties at Kew. His travels also took him to the Amazon, Peru and Australia – a set of experiences that grows a bit repetitive. An epilogue offers ideas of how you can help combat plant extinctions, and there’s a helpful glossary too. I especially liked the botanical illustrations. However, I think you have to be really, really interested in plants to get more out of this, and I was disappointed to learn at the very end that Magdalena had a ghostwriter – I would have preferred it if that fact was disclosed up front.
A few lines I liked:
“Grafting is horticultural sleight of hand.”
“Destroy one species and you give yourself permission to destroy them all.”
“The world of plants is full of surprises.”
“Anyone can be a plant messiah. You only need to have a spark of interest.”
A few lines I liked:
“Grafting is horticultural sleight of hand.”
“Destroy one species and you give yourself permission to destroy them all.”
“The world of plants is full of surprises.”
“Anyone can be a plant messiah. You only need to have a spark of interest.”
May 28, 2017
This book was a better read than most of the fiction I've read lately. The author's anecdotal stories are quite thrilling at times. The reader finds themselves wondering "will it propagate??" As the author yet again attempts to revive a plant thought to be already or near extinct.
I found myself reading some of these stories out loud to people and everyone was enchanted by them.
While reading this I took the time to look up most of the plants mentioned and did quite a bit of research into each. It's great to learn something new.
I found myself reading some of these stories out loud to people and everyone was enchanted by them.
While reading this I took the time to look up most of the plants mentioned and did quite a bit of research into each. It's great to learn something new.
February 18, 2018
Studying the Silent Extinction of Rare Plants
In ecology, extinction refers to termination of an organism or of a group of organisms. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, and the ability to breed and recover may have been lost before this point. This term is generally used with animal extinction, but there are very few ecologists who study plant extinction. In this book, environmental biologist Carlos Magdalena describes his studies across to understand how plant extinction are taking place, and how we can fix this silent extinction.
The factors contributing to their disappearance are varied and complex, but the consequences of their loss are immeasurable. The author explores the principle factors for extinction. In almost all cases changes brought about in the environment by humans; through deforestation, breaking the natural balance with the introduction non-native species of animals, and global warming.
Some of the interesting examples from this book includes; The jellyfish tree, is a critically endangered and endemic to the island of Seychelles. It has been suggested that these trees have been lost from the natural habitat of moist forests through competition with other species and climate change. Roussea simplex is native of Mauritius in Indian Ocean, where it grows in mountain forests. The flowers of Roussea produce copious amounts of nectar and are pollinated only by the blue-tailed day gecko. The fruit secretes a gelatinous substance that contains the minute seeds. The blue-tailed gecko licks up this secretion and disperses the seeds in its droppings. But a small ant introduced to Mauritius by colonists invades the flowers of Roussea and cover with clay to protect themselves. The ants sting blue-tailed day gecko from drinking the pollen and thus stopping pollination process. Trochetia boutoniana also known by its native Creole name Boucle d'Oreille is a shrub close to extinction, because the monkeys introduced into its natural habitat feed on plants blossom buds that effectively eliminated this plant species.
The book is not accompanied by illustrations or the photographs of plants becoming extinct in natural habitats. On the lesser side of science, I find the title of this book is somewhat outlandish, after all no one used this term for other renowned ecologists and environmental biologists.
In ecology, extinction refers to termination of an organism or of a group of organisms. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, and the ability to breed and recover may have been lost before this point. This term is generally used with animal extinction, but there are very few ecologists who study plant extinction. In this book, environmental biologist Carlos Magdalena describes his studies across to understand how plant extinction are taking place, and how we can fix this silent extinction.
The factors contributing to their disappearance are varied and complex, but the consequences of their loss are immeasurable. The author explores the principle factors for extinction. In almost all cases changes brought about in the environment by humans; through deforestation, breaking the natural balance with the introduction non-native species of animals, and global warming.
Some of the interesting examples from this book includes; The jellyfish tree, is a critically endangered and endemic to the island of Seychelles. It has been suggested that these trees have been lost from the natural habitat of moist forests through competition with other species and climate change. Roussea simplex is native of Mauritius in Indian Ocean, where it grows in mountain forests. The flowers of Roussea produce copious amounts of nectar and are pollinated only by the blue-tailed day gecko. The fruit secretes a gelatinous substance that contains the minute seeds. The blue-tailed gecko licks up this secretion and disperses the seeds in its droppings. But a small ant introduced to Mauritius by colonists invades the flowers of Roussea and cover with clay to protect themselves. The ants sting blue-tailed day gecko from drinking the pollen and thus stopping pollination process. Trochetia boutoniana also known by its native Creole name Boucle d'Oreille is a shrub close to extinction, because the monkeys introduced into its natural habitat feed on plants blossom buds that effectively eliminated this plant species.
The book is not accompanied by illustrations or the photographs of plants becoming extinct in natural habitats. On the lesser side of science, I find the title of this book is somewhat outlandish, after all no one used this term for other renowned ecologists and environmental biologists.
July 3, 2018
The author of this book is a botanist at Kew Gardens who specializes in tropical plants. He details his experiences in various tropical regions to explore and attempt to save indigenous plant life of these areas. The writing is not always great, but his passion for his subject shines through. His knowledge, commitment to preserving biodiversity, and uncanny intuition in working with plant life is admirable and inspiring.
April 1, 2018
*I received a copy in exchange for my review via Net Galley*
Oh my goodness, this book! I blitzed through it over the long holiday weekend here and it was such a well-paced and exciting read. So far it is going down as the best non-fiction I've read this year. I could relate to so many of the topics, relating to the epiphytes of Florida. My husband stumbled across an orchid about 10 years ago that hadn't been seen in about 30 years. There's a very active plant community looking for extirpated plants in that region of the US and a movement to reintroduce species that have been missing since the collecting and logging days. So, every story Carlos told I could just imagine it was in Florida instead of the far-off tropical places he visited.
Let's all cure some plant blindness!
Oh my goodness, this book! I blitzed through it over the long holiday weekend here and it was such a well-paced and exciting read. So far it is going down as the best non-fiction I've read this year. I could relate to so many of the topics, relating to the epiphytes of Florida. My husband stumbled across an orchid about 10 years ago that hadn't been seen in about 30 years. There's a very active plant community looking for extirpated plants in that region of the US and a movement to reintroduce species that have been missing since the collecting and logging days. So, every story Carlos told I could just imagine it was in Florida instead of the far-off tropical places he visited.
Let's all cure some plant blindness!
December 4, 2017
The author is a botanist at the Pew Gardens in London. This is his life story of his efforts to save plants that are on the verge of extinction. He has traveled the world to find, collect, and propagate these plants. The book reads like a fiction novel, it's exciting to hear about his adventures. After finishing reading the book, I came away with a sense of disappointment at how fast the earth is changing, and a thankfulness that there are people like the author working hard to preserve our heritage.
January 9, 2019
This book tells of endangered plants with an inexhaustible exuberance that is absolutely catching. This self taught naturalist got accepted to study horticulture at the honorable institute of Kew and has put his expertise to good use since by saving several endangered species. Definitely recommended!
March 8, 2018
An excellent book for conservationists the world over! As a person who has worked in conservation and education I can say this is a really important book to read.
We often hear of helping the tigers or saving the polar bears.
But who is going to save the worlds loneliest palm tree?
Who will be there to mourn the last Bory's Coral Tree?
Mountain flowers that rely on geckoes as its sole pollinators and trees claimed by all to be living dead.
This is a collection of stories about the people who will save these plants and preserve special, beautiful, and vital parts of the worlds ecosystems. These are the people who send seeds to the famous seed bank in the arctic. This is a book about saving the world. One special plant at a time.
This is a very Important book.
We often hear of helping the tigers or saving the polar bears.
But who is going to save the worlds loneliest palm tree?
Who will be there to mourn the last Bory's Coral Tree?
Mountain flowers that rely on geckoes as its sole pollinators and trees claimed by all to be living dead.
This is a collection of stories about the people who will save these plants and preserve special, beautiful, and vital parts of the worlds ecosystems. These are the people who send seeds to the famous seed bank in the arctic. This is a book about saving the world. One special plant at a time.
This is a very Important book.
April 5, 2018
I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
A journey with Carlos Magdalena across the world as he attempts to save endangered plants from extinction. You'll be taken from South America to Africa to Australia to small, remote islands in the Pacific. Some tales are amazing, some funny, some heartbreaking.
Magdalena is obviously quite passionate about plants (water lilies in particular) and it comes through in his writing. He's also quite passionate about the environment as a whole and the impact is it having on the plants of the world. His passion spills out on every adventure and page of the book.
Professional and amateur horticulturists seem to be the main target of this book, but it is still readable to the layperson (like myself). However, Magdalena chooses to use the Latin names of all the plants he encounters, which can get a bit hard to follow sometimes when he's comparing one to many others numerous times. That may be scientifically correct, but it's a bit difficult for this layman. I was also disappointed there were no illustrations or photographs of the plants discussed. If so passionate, why no photos? There are illustrations at the end of every chapter, but it's of different parts of the same plant. Photographs and illustrations of the plants throughout the book would have been very welcomed.
Overall, it was an area I had no real knowledge about going in, and I came out knowing more about the rare plant world. The writing can be tedious, but is interesting nonetheless.
A journey with Carlos Magdalena across the world as he attempts to save endangered plants from extinction. You'll be taken from South America to Africa to Australia to small, remote islands in the Pacific. Some tales are amazing, some funny, some heartbreaking.
Magdalena is obviously quite passionate about plants (water lilies in particular) and it comes through in his writing. He's also quite passionate about the environment as a whole and the impact is it having on the plants of the world. His passion spills out on every adventure and page of the book.
Professional and amateur horticulturists seem to be the main target of this book, but it is still readable to the layperson (like myself). However, Magdalena chooses to use the Latin names of all the plants he encounters, which can get a bit hard to follow sometimes when he's comparing one to many others numerous times. That may be scientifically correct, but it's a bit difficult for this layman. I was also disappointed there were no illustrations or photographs of the plants discussed. If so passionate, why no photos? There are illustrations at the end of every chapter, but it's of different parts of the same plant. Photographs and illustrations of the plants throughout the book would have been very welcomed.
Overall, it was an area I had no real knowledge about going in, and I came out knowing more about the rare plant world. The writing can be tedious, but is interesting nonetheless.
May 2, 2021
In introduction, the depressing reasons behind his impetus to save the flora of the world were startling..more so that they continue and expand. Humans are such arrogant idiots!
From very early childhood, he was drawn to nature, via necessity and curiosity, and learned of its miracles and foibles. In Asturias, Spain, under the rule of Franco, his family farmed for the government, as all did, but Carlos learned as he toiled. He gained insight, craft and respect for his surroundings and cohabitants. He became a child of nature.
His mother, his primary teacher, was a botanical wonder. She knew plants, their uses, needs and make-up. She knew birds: their calls, mating and nesting habits, seasons, and general characteristics. From her, his own encyclopedia grew. From her, his desire to preserve became dogma.
He applies for and is excepted for an internship at Kew Gardens. They are he rather quickly excels in the knowledge he came with and that which he gathered while working. Then comes the horticultural diploma that he applied to attain, one which is very highly sought after and competitive. Needless to say, he prevails and he’s often running.
A near plant by plant queue of chapters follow with all the pitfalls and triumphs. Love the scenic views written and the customs explained. How exasperating it was, yet so very rewarding. Fascinating reading, especially for anyone who appreciates the life of flora. Bravo, sir, for all your tenacity and patience!
March 27, 2018
This book is not only a vessel for an important message, it is also well-written and easy on a reader's eyes.
This is a rare instance where we have an entertaining book that also happens to reach out and educate. A lovely juxtaposition, and a nicely accomplished autobiography.
This is a rare instance where we have an entertaining book that also happens to reach out and educate. A lovely juxtaposition, and a nicely accomplished autobiography.
August 12, 2018
By the time I was ten, I was announcing to my sub-urbanized family that I was going to be a botanist when I grew up leaving them baffled as hell; it's not like we grew plants, ran a farm, lived in the country though we kind of...?
Ours was the first street of what would become a giant new mini-city. Every day was spent watching some part of the original farm get bulldozed, destroyed; every day was a topographic adventure meaning where it was flat on Tuesday, a giant new 'mountain' appeared 'out of nowhere' on Wednesday, the result of which was utter fury on my part that all the wildlife and plants I wandered around looking at that I knew were extraordinary examples of native flora and fauna, could be killed--had no rights at all.
I did become a professional botanist and hold two degrees, one in multidisciplinary Field Biology, and a Masters in Plant Ecology/Botany. I have spent nearly my entire career as a rare plant botanist including for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I still work as a freelance biologist/botanist.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway which kind of blew my mind because of all the books I sign up for, I really really wanted this one. Things never really work out for me like this so it was almost with hands shaking, I opened this book, the topic so close to my soul, my life experience (though none of my field work has been in the regions the author covers; I wish!), I wasn't sure I could take it.
Carlos Magdalena (46) is the Tropical Senior Botanical Horticulturist (he started as an intern) at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. The book is about his life, growing up in Northern Spain, and how his passion for plants came on naturally and early (like mine). The book covers his botanical adventures in Mauritius, Australia, Bolivia, Peru, and also at Kew.
The book is incredibly informative regarding the botany of the regions he explores (though there are no drawings/photos of any of the plants aside from one which may be intentional to prevent poaching) and covers botanical propagation methods/“magic”, per all odds against him sometimes (only three seeds left!). It is also a mystery and adventure story both in his travels and in studies about human nature, 'issues' I also ran into while trying to propagate/preserve rare plants. The cafe marron plant of Rodrigues Island (Indian Ocean) is profoundly endangered in its native habitat and efforts to grow it at Kew are not going well. Magdalena describes discovering one fruit, a miraculous discovery. He tries to grow the seeds, difficult. He starts having some success then one day a co-worker informs him one of the fruiting branches of this rare jewel is gone—someone had clipped it for a class.
In another case when he goes to visit a "protected plant", “rather than being treasured and pampered like royalty, the tree and its surroundings were in an appalling state.”
One of the most, I'm sorry, sadly hilarious tales he tells is of the “loneliest palm tree on the planet.” A severely endangered palm (all the Latin names are in the book, fyi) that grows in Mauritius. I will just let him tell you:
“...one of the garden laborers (was) chewing heartily and spitting husks on to a polythene bag.
“Where did you get those seeds you are eating?” (Magdalena asked him)
“...we like to eat palm seeds. I have never eaten this species before,” he (the laborer) replied.”
(This is a staff person of the National Parks and Conservation Service...eating the seeds of this rare palm).
One of the tree species he tries to save is endangered because it makes for great chicken barbecue. Not kidding.
Like Magdalena, I was also stunned and horrified by these conservation horror stories—complete screw ups, apathy, ignorance on the part of the humans that are supposed to care (conservation agencies, etc.).
It is also very funny including recounting field experiences (my own inspiring my novel, Birdbrain) as when they discover a rare tree while doing field surveys and they cannot reach the ever critical fruits--they need a ladder but who hauls around a ladder when hiking? So they make a human ladder, “the stockiest guy at the bottom” and no worries that they are on the edge of a 300 foot drop-off ! (No spoilers here!). I also laughed regarding screaming to stop when he saw something and "grab and go" collecting. Maybe botanists are lucky to still be alive with these antics...a steep scree chute in Alaska with my name on it, life passing before my eyes, helicopter waiting, and all for Cryptantha shackletteana that I didn't even find. Probably not even a recognized species anymore...
Magdalena also makes the connection between rare plants and the rest of the ecosystem that depends on them, like the giant tortoises of Mauritius: “what the tortoises are doing is effectively hoovering up the weeds, fertilizing the native plants with their poo, and dispersing their seeds. The native species are returning; it is creating mico-Mauritius out of Mauritius.”
Then there is the largest hummingbird in the world in Peru of course dependent on a rare bromeliad.
He includes conservation stories for his true loves, the lotus's (and yes, he discusses Victoria amazonica that we all saw at the nearest botanical garden when he were nine and if you were like me, you got in trouble for trying to stand on it). His love for the lotus's takes him all over the world.
His description of the Nazca Plains of Peru was nothing less than riveting (or I am just a complete and total plant nerd). The red desert or weathered stones and sand (“how I imagine Mars”) is interrupted by ripples in the sand except they're not---they are lines of Tillandsias (“air carnations”), hundreds of them and they are older than Methuselah of California. They also find something else stunning, but I will leave you to read about it.
Despite the screw-ups, what one notices is how much many of these regions DO care about their native plants while the United States has next to nothing for a national botanical program, not understanding that native plants preserve America's history as much and more significantly than any historical building. I was the only botanist for the entire state of Alaska. Many state and federal resources agencies do not even have a single botanist on staff and if they do, they are often given other assignments having nothing to do with plants. In California where I live, native plants have been absolutely demonized as the cause of catastrophic wildfires. It is now commonplace to see someone, including public agencies and yes, “conservancies”, cutting their oaks down, bulldozing out their “brush” (native chaparral), or blasting an area with herbicides, all in the name of “fire safety” (which Magdalena mentions as happening where he grew up) and never mind that many of these areas have and will continue to burn to the ground anyway, everyone conveniently forgetting that our HOUSES are made of the same thing as the trees they decimate—wood, and the houses are the real fuel on the landscape, setting one another on fire. It's easier to blame it all on manzanita plus plants can't talk.
So in this way, Magdalena's book is also an indictment:
“We destroy rainforests to plant crops in soil that can't support them. Without thought of what treasures the forests might hold, we drive flora and fauna to critically endangered levels and even extinction. During exploration and colonial expansion, we introduced goats to islands where the duly grazed the unique and delicate native flora until there was none left, removing the “green glue” that stabilized the soil and causing erosion problems that washed entire islands away. We introduced invasive weeds; a stifling, creeping death, smothering the local flora in a sinister form of botanical colonialism. Every day we build houses on agricultural land, laying endless miles of lifeless, white-lined tarmac over what were once wild, flowery meadows, blocking our minds to the consequences. It's a display of “plant blindness” of epidemic proportions. With the destruction of plants, we destroy the fauna too. Bird, mammal, and insect species—all gone forever. We rarely even think about what we're doing, and when we occasionally do, we still don't fully understand the consequences. We have moved away from millennia of direct contact with plants; since the Industrial Revolution the majority of the population in developed nation have never worked wit them and rarely communed with them. In the shift from the countryside to the city, we have lost our direct link with plants." (All the while they continue to produce oxygen “for us”, an abusive relationship if I ever heard of one, my comment).
“Plants can't speak, plead their case...they can't write. They need someone to do it for them...and I am that person.”
“It was like an ethnic cleansing of nature.”
“I am always in standby mode. Conservationists can never relax.”
“Plants were under threat of extinction, so I needed to be there.”
No one that is not a field biologist can really understand what it is like to go out into the world to document nature, if not already destroyed, likely to BE destroyed. Heartbreak is an occupational hazard of being a field biologist. So it was refreshing to read a book about this but also Magdalena's passion is inspiring, especially for a jaded soul like me (lost a lot more than won or just look around). The books I really love go into the nightstand next to my bed. I keep them close. The Plant Messiah will go into my nightstand, close to me because it's close to my heart. I loved this book and I am heartened that people like Carlos Magdalena are in my world.
Ours was the first street of what would become a giant new mini-city. Every day was spent watching some part of the original farm get bulldozed, destroyed; every day was a topographic adventure meaning where it was flat on Tuesday, a giant new 'mountain' appeared 'out of nowhere' on Wednesday, the result of which was utter fury on my part that all the wildlife and plants I wandered around looking at that I knew were extraordinary examples of native flora and fauna, could be killed--had no rights at all.
I did become a professional botanist and hold two degrees, one in multidisciplinary Field Biology, and a Masters in Plant Ecology/Botany. I have spent nearly my entire career as a rare plant botanist including for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I still work as a freelance biologist/botanist.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway which kind of blew my mind because of all the books I sign up for, I really really wanted this one. Things never really work out for me like this so it was almost with hands shaking, I opened this book, the topic so close to my soul, my life experience (though none of my field work has been in the regions the author covers; I wish!), I wasn't sure I could take it.
Carlos Magdalena (46) is the Tropical Senior Botanical Horticulturist (he started as an intern) at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. The book is about his life, growing up in Northern Spain, and how his passion for plants came on naturally and early (like mine). The book covers his botanical adventures in Mauritius, Australia, Bolivia, Peru, and also at Kew.
The book is incredibly informative regarding the botany of the regions he explores (though there are no drawings/photos of any of the plants aside from one which may be intentional to prevent poaching) and covers botanical propagation methods/“magic”, per all odds against him sometimes (only three seeds left!). It is also a mystery and adventure story both in his travels and in studies about human nature, 'issues' I also ran into while trying to propagate/preserve rare plants. The cafe marron plant of Rodrigues Island (Indian Ocean) is profoundly endangered in its native habitat and efforts to grow it at Kew are not going well. Magdalena describes discovering one fruit, a miraculous discovery. He tries to grow the seeds, difficult. He starts having some success then one day a co-worker informs him one of the fruiting branches of this rare jewel is gone—someone had clipped it for a class.
In another case when he goes to visit a "protected plant", “rather than being treasured and pampered like royalty, the tree and its surroundings were in an appalling state.”
One of the most, I'm sorry, sadly hilarious tales he tells is of the “loneliest palm tree on the planet.” A severely endangered palm (all the Latin names are in the book, fyi) that grows in Mauritius. I will just let him tell you:
“...one of the garden laborers (was) chewing heartily and spitting husks on to a polythene bag.
“Where did you get those seeds you are eating?” (Magdalena asked him)
“...we like to eat palm seeds. I have never eaten this species before,” he (the laborer) replied.”
(This is a staff person of the National Parks and Conservation Service...eating the seeds of this rare palm).
One of the tree species he tries to save is endangered because it makes for great chicken barbecue. Not kidding.
Like Magdalena, I was also stunned and horrified by these conservation horror stories—complete screw ups, apathy, ignorance on the part of the humans that are supposed to care (conservation agencies, etc.).
It is also very funny including recounting field experiences (my own inspiring my novel, Birdbrain) as when they discover a rare tree while doing field surveys and they cannot reach the ever critical fruits--they need a ladder but who hauls around a ladder when hiking? So they make a human ladder, “the stockiest guy at the bottom” and no worries that they are on the edge of a 300 foot drop-off ! (No spoilers here!). I also laughed regarding screaming to stop when he saw something and "grab and go" collecting. Maybe botanists are lucky to still be alive with these antics...a steep scree chute in Alaska with my name on it, life passing before my eyes, helicopter waiting, and all for Cryptantha shackletteana that I didn't even find. Probably not even a recognized species anymore...
Magdalena also makes the connection between rare plants and the rest of the ecosystem that depends on them, like the giant tortoises of Mauritius: “what the tortoises are doing is effectively hoovering up the weeds, fertilizing the native plants with their poo, and dispersing their seeds. The native species are returning; it is creating mico-Mauritius out of Mauritius.”
Then there is the largest hummingbird in the world in Peru of course dependent on a rare bromeliad.
He includes conservation stories for his true loves, the lotus's (and yes, he discusses Victoria amazonica that we all saw at the nearest botanical garden when he were nine and if you were like me, you got in trouble for trying to stand on it). His love for the lotus's takes him all over the world.
His description of the Nazca Plains of Peru was nothing less than riveting (or I am just a complete and total plant nerd). The red desert or weathered stones and sand (“how I imagine Mars”) is interrupted by ripples in the sand except they're not---they are lines of Tillandsias (“air carnations”), hundreds of them and they are older than Methuselah of California. They also find something else stunning, but I will leave you to read about it.
Despite the screw-ups, what one notices is how much many of these regions DO care about their native plants while the United States has next to nothing for a national botanical program, not understanding that native plants preserve America's history as much and more significantly than any historical building. I was the only botanist for the entire state of Alaska. Many state and federal resources agencies do not even have a single botanist on staff and if they do, they are often given other assignments having nothing to do with plants. In California where I live, native plants have been absolutely demonized as the cause of catastrophic wildfires. It is now commonplace to see someone, including public agencies and yes, “conservancies”, cutting their oaks down, bulldozing out their “brush” (native chaparral), or blasting an area with herbicides, all in the name of “fire safety” (which Magdalena mentions as happening where he grew up) and never mind that many of these areas have and will continue to burn to the ground anyway, everyone conveniently forgetting that our HOUSES are made of the same thing as the trees they decimate—wood, and the houses are the real fuel on the landscape, setting one another on fire. It's easier to blame it all on manzanita plus plants can't talk.
So in this way, Magdalena's book is also an indictment:
“We destroy rainforests to plant crops in soil that can't support them. Without thought of what treasures the forests might hold, we drive flora and fauna to critically endangered levels and even extinction. During exploration and colonial expansion, we introduced goats to islands where the duly grazed the unique and delicate native flora until there was none left, removing the “green glue” that stabilized the soil and causing erosion problems that washed entire islands away. We introduced invasive weeds; a stifling, creeping death, smothering the local flora in a sinister form of botanical colonialism. Every day we build houses on agricultural land, laying endless miles of lifeless, white-lined tarmac over what were once wild, flowery meadows, blocking our minds to the consequences. It's a display of “plant blindness” of epidemic proportions. With the destruction of plants, we destroy the fauna too. Bird, mammal, and insect species—all gone forever. We rarely even think about what we're doing, and when we occasionally do, we still don't fully understand the consequences. We have moved away from millennia of direct contact with plants; since the Industrial Revolution the majority of the population in developed nation have never worked wit them and rarely communed with them. In the shift from the countryside to the city, we have lost our direct link with plants." (All the while they continue to produce oxygen “for us”, an abusive relationship if I ever heard of one, my comment).
“Plants can't speak, plead their case...they can't write. They need someone to do it for them...and I am that person.”
“It was like an ethnic cleansing of nature.”
“I am always in standby mode. Conservationists can never relax.”
“Plants were under threat of extinction, so I needed to be there.”
No one that is not a field biologist can really understand what it is like to go out into the world to document nature, if not already destroyed, likely to BE destroyed. Heartbreak is an occupational hazard of being a field biologist. So it was refreshing to read a book about this but also Magdalena's passion is inspiring, especially for a jaded soul like me (lost a lot more than won or just look around). The books I really love go into the nightstand next to my bed. I keep them close. The Plant Messiah will go into my nightstand, close to me because it's close to my heart. I loved this book and I am heartened that people like Carlos Magdalena are in my world.
July 14, 2018
I started this book with a bit of trepidation. The title gave me pause because I thought the book would be all about the self-aggrandizement of the author but it turned out not to be that way at all.
It is written in an open, easy-to-read style that kept my interest the whole time and made me want to go to the internet to look at the areas of the countries he visited and look at the flowers the author was describing.
I have always thought of Kew Botanical Gardens as simply a massive garden for the royalty of England...boy was I wrong. I quickly realized what an important role Kew has in preserving rare plant species and how involved they are all over the world in seeking to preserve environments, help local peoples learn to cultivate locally important trees and plants, and preserve rare species there at Kew Gardens.
It is also a call to action to stop the madness and environmental destruction happening all over the world right now. This is probably one of the most important insights this book gives the reader.
I would like to thank the author, Carlos Magdalena, and Doubleday, Penguin Random House LLC for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I hope everyone gets a chance to read it.
It is written in an open, easy-to-read style that kept my interest the whole time and made me want to go to the internet to look at the areas of the countries he visited and look at the flowers the author was describing.
I have always thought of Kew Botanical Gardens as simply a massive garden for the royalty of England...boy was I wrong. I quickly realized what an important role Kew has in preserving rare plant species and how involved they are all over the world in seeking to preserve environments, help local peoples learn to cultivate locally important trees and plants, and preserve rare species there at Kew Gardens.
It is also a call to action to stop the madness and environmental destruction happening all over the world right now. This is probably one of the most important insights this book gives the reader.
I would like to thank the author, Carlos Magdalena, and Doubleday, Penguin Random House LLC for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I hope everyone gets a chance to read it.
December 4, 2017
The author is a botanist at the Pew Gardens in London. This is his life story of his efforts to save plants that are on the verge of extinction. He has traveled the world to find, collect, and propagate these plants. The book reads like a fiction novel, it's exciting to hear about his adventures. After finishing reading the book, I came away with a sense of disappointment at how fast the earth is changing, and a thankfulness that there are people like the author working hard to preserve our heritage.
July 28, 2022
Top boek, leest heerlijk weg. Maakt je weer bewust van hoe belangrijk en leuk en interessant en gevarieerd en bijzonder planten zijn, en biodiversiteit in het algemeen. Ook een krachtig betoog voor waarom het zo belangrijk is om klimaatactie te ondernemen.
September 12, 2017
Absolutely magnificent. Sincere and well written. Carlos' writing on our human responsibility to the world is one of the loveliest pieces on plant conservation that I've read.
November 15, 2022
Оцінка десь 3.5
Автор - садівник з Ботсаду К'ю у Лондоні і фахівець з розмноження та збереження загроженів видів - розказав про свою роботу над оцим збереженням, подорожі у різні куточки світу.
Мало би бути цікаво, і місцями було, але часто книжка читається як набір щоденникових заміток - я поїхав туди-то з тими-то і там найшов таку-то рослину, і я нудилася та тягала її майже місяць.
Тому я трохи розчарована, бо уявляю, як таку книжку можна було б написати інакше, з більшим акцентом на story, і було б супер-круто.
Автор - садівник з Ботсаду К'ю у Лондоні і фахівець з розмноження та збереження загроженів видів - розказав про свою роботу над оцим збереженням, подорожі у різні куточки світу.
Мало би бути цікаво, і місцями було, але часто книжка читається як набір щоденникових заміток - я поїхав туди-то з тими-то і там найшов таку-то рослину, і я нудилася та тягала її майже місяць.
Тому я трохи розчарована, бо уявляю, як таку книжку можна було б написати інакше, з більшим акцентом на story, і було б супер-круто.
April 30, 2017
3.5 stars.
Any subtitle that mentions searching for rare species immediately draws me in, so I automatically clicked the request button when I saw this on NetGalley.
I was expecting this to be more of a pure non-fiction book about various efforts to save various rare plant species, but instead it was a memoir about Magdalena's own travels and efforts to save some specific species. I enjoyed the memoir aspect of it, as Magdalena has an easy to read style and some amusing stories, but I also was a tad disappointed that it was wasn't a compilation of stories about a wider variety of plants. However, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of this book at all!
Magdalena is obviously very passionate about plants, and this shows throughout the book. His enthusiasm for helping to propagate rare plants shines through in his writing style--it was a bit frantically written at times, but the narrative of it remained easy to follow throughout. It was a bit overwhelming with all the Latin names thrown around, and no pictures to reference to see some of the nuanced differences between plants. However, because each chapter focused on one specific species of plant, it wasn't too overwhelming.
I do hope that the final version will have some pictures of some of the plants and places mentioned, as it would make comprehending some of the nuanced differences in species and sub-species easier.
I'd highly recommend this book to people who are passionate about gardening and botany--the more you know about plants, the more you'll likely enjoy it! It's also a good read for someone like me, who appreciates plants and botany, but isn't a hobbyist or expert in plant-life.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to review!
(Cross posted on my blog.)
Any subtitle that mentions searching for rare species immediately draws me in, so I automatically clicked the request button when I saw this on NetGalley.
I was expecting this to be more of a pure non-fiction book about various efforts to save various rare plant species, but instead it was a memoir about Magdalena's own travels and efforts to save some specific species. I enjoyed the memoir aspect of it, as Magdalena has an easy to read style and some amusing stories, but I also was a tad disappointed that it was wasn't a compilation of stories about a wider variety of plants. However, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of this book at all!
Magdalena is obviously very passionate about plants, and this shows throughout the book. His enthusiasm for helping to propagate rare plants shines through in his writing style--it was a bit frantically written at times, but the narrative of it remained easy to follow throughout. It was a bit overwhelming with all the Latin names thrown around, and no pictures to reference to see some of the nuanced differences between plants. However, because each chapter focused on one specific species of plant, it wasn't too overwhelming.
I do hope that the final version will have some pictures of some of the plants and places mentioned, as it would make comprehending some of the nuanced differences in species and sub-species easier.
I'd highly recommend this book to people who are passionate about gardening and botany--the more you know about plants, the more you'll likely enjoy it! It's also a good read for someone like me, who appreciates plants and botany, but isn't a hobbyist or expert in plant-life.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to review!
(Cross posted on my blog.)
September 9, 2018
Somewhat like an Indiana Jones of the botany world, Magdalena obviously has tremendous passion for his work, for discovering species and ensuring their preservation, and for sharing his love of plants with others.
What bothers me, though, is the fact that there is a ghost writer that is not mentioned anywhere other than a thank you in the acknowledgements at the very end of the book. That just doesn't sit right with me - it feels like a deliberate attempt to pull the wool over people's eyes. I probably would have rated this higher if it wasn't for that.
What bothers me, though, is the fact that there is a ghost writer that is not mentioned anywhere other than a thank you in the acknowledgements at the very end of the book. That just doesn't sit right with me - it feels like a deliberate attempt to pull the wool over people's eyes. I probably would have rated this higher if it wasn't for that.
June 9, 2018
I absolutely LOVED this book! It was such an informative and fun nonfiction book. I want to read again and again. I feel like I learned so much and had a great time doing it.
October 24, 2021
Carlos Magdalena’s passion for plants, particularly those that are endangered, shines through in this book about his work with Kew Botanical Gardens, traveling around the world, discovering and attempting to propagate plants that face danger of extinction. As someone who has worked with plants in commercial nurseries and water gardens and who loves to garden, this was my kind of book.
His stories of how his love for plants came from his parents and their finca, the jumping out of jeeps in the middle of nowhere as he’s spotted a water lily, the way they use seed balls in Peru to spread seed, the fact that the Brazil nut tree can’t be cultivated commercially because it can only be pollinated by one type of bee and that Kew has its own police force in part to try and stop people stealing plants.
Alongside all of this naturally he has to discuss the destruction of the environment and the fact that, for example, every year over 2000 species of plants disappear, some becoming extinct in the very year they are discovered. He writes about the way in which ecosystems are inextricably connected and that plants like nymphae thermarum are dream genetic models
His stories of how his love for plants came from his parents and their finca, the jumping out of jeeps in the middle of nowhere as he’s spotted a water lily, the way they use seed balls in Peru to spread seed, the fact that the Brazil nut tree can’t be cultivated commercially because it can only be pollinated by one type of bee and that Kew has its own police force in part to try and stop people stealing plants.
Alongside all of this naturally he has to discuss the destruction of the environment and the fact that, for example, every year over 2000 species of plants disappear, some becoming extinct in the very year they are discovered. He writes about the way in which ecosystems are inextricably connected and that plants like nymphae thermarum are dream genetic models
August 2, 2022
Dingen om te onthouden
- university of Kew : botanische universiteit in Londen
- Finca : huisje op platteland in Spanje waar mensen in weekend kwamen om te onstpannen, tuinieren,
- Café Marron : Ramosmania Rodriguisii
- Nymphaea : familie waterlelie
- Victoria Amazonica : reuzenwaterlelie in de Amazone
- Endemisch : van nature voorkomen op één specifieke plek en nergens anders
- Chassalie Boryana : bedreigde soort die zich symmetrisch splits en lijkt op koraal
- Hyophorbe Amarcilaulis : palmboom, laatste van zijn soort omringd door stelling om Mauritius
- Puya raimondii : plant groeit in Andes Op ongeveer 4000 m en bloeit een keer alvorens dood te gaan door inspanning van creëren van duizenden bloemen
- nymphaea thermarum : kleinste waterleliesoort, groeit in thermische bron
- Curtis's botanical magazine
- university of Kew : botanische universiteit in Londen
- Finca : huisje op platteland in Spanje waar mensen in weekend kwamen om te onstpannen, tuinieren,
- Café Marron : Ramosmania Rodriguisii
- Nymphaea : familie waterlelie
- Victoria Amazonica : reuzenwaterlelie in de Amazone
- Endemisch : van nature voorkomen op één specifieke plek en nergens anders
- Chassalie Boryana : bedreigde soort die zich symmetrisch splits en lijkt op koraal
- Hyophorbe Amarcilaulis : palmboom, laatste van zijn soort omringd door stelling om Mauritius
- Puya raimondii : plant groeit in Andes Op ongeveer 4000 m en bloeit een keer alvorens dood te gaan door inspanning van creëren van duizenden bloemen
- nymphaea thermarum : kleinste waterleliesoort, groeit in thermische bron
- Curtis's botanical magazine
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2024
oh my God BOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! most self important author i have ever read like for real. i understand he is an accomplished botanist and horticulturalist but i genuinely cannot fathom writing about oneself like this. probably should have expected this from a book called "the plant messiah." i looove books about the life sciences, plants specifically, so i really wanted to love this book, especially as someone who is interested in conservation biology with plants. but i was so wrong.
lots of it is just kinda racist and white saviorish, and he describes how "locals" in places like bolivia follow him around in "a religious scene" to learn about the plants native to their region. no reflection whatsoever on why modern global south communities are not as in touch with their local flora as they once were. no reflection on why people are forced to be at odds with their local ecosystems. talks about old colonialist botanists with reverence.
the voice actor was insufferable too. the most annoying punchable british accent ever. the most tolerable part of this book was the glossary and i mean that.
lots of it is just kinda racist and white saviorish, and he describes how "locals" in places like bolivia follow him around in "a religious scene" to learn about the plants native to their region. no reflection whatsoever on why modern global south communities are not as in touch with their local flora as they once were. no reflection on why people are forced to be at odds with their local ecosystems. talks about old colonialist botanists with reverence.
the voice actor was insufferable too. the most annoying punchable british accent ever. the most tolerable part of this book was the glossary and i mean that.
Read
February 4, 2025"Each gene is a word; each organism, a book. [...] If a plant species becomes extinct, one book is lost, and with it the words and messages it carried. We are burning the library of Alexandria every time we destroy a hectare of pristine habitat"
A fascinating look into the conservation work at Kew and other botanical gardens, a love song for plants and an urgent wake up call for anyone not yet aware of the Extinction Crisis.
Plus: Obsessed scientist/experts are the best storytellers.
Some fun fact: Rice originated from Australia, plants have memories, brazil nuts are harvested from wild trees that are not allowed to be cut down, the author helped save a species of waterlily that is now used as a model organism in science
A fascinating look into the conservation work at Kew and other botanical gardens, a love song for plants and an urgent wake up call for anyone not yet aware of the Extinction Crisis.
Plus: Obsessed scientist/experts are the best storytellers.
Some fun fact: Rice originated from Australia, plants have memories, brazil nuts are harvested from wild trees that are not allowed to be cut down, the author helped save a species of waterlily that is now used as a model organism in science
July 27, 2025
Una sorta di "autobiografia professionale" dell'autore, la storia di come è entrato a far parte di un prestigioso giardino botanico e le imprese di conservazione di specie a rischio che ha perorato nel corso della sua vita.
Molto interessante fino al primo terzo, poi piuttosto ripetitivo. Scritto in maniera evidentemente frettolosa ed entusiastica -al limite dell'autoglorificazione-, la traduzione in italiano edita da Aboca non ha avuto nessun tipo di revisione, ed errori di stampa (qualcuno anche di ortografia) abbondano.
Molto interessante fino al primo terzo, poi piuttosto ripetitivo. Scritto in maniera evidentemente frettolosa ed entusiastica -al limite dell'autoglorificazione-, la traduzione in italiano edita da Aboca non ha avuto nessun tipo di revisione, ed errori di stampa (qualcuno anche di ortografia) abbondano.
April 11, 2018
More like 4.5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed this adventurous jaunt through Magdalena's wild, somewhat obsessive, species-saving world. I'm a hobby gardener, so his enthusiasm hits home. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is into botanizing (you know who you are) or anyone who cares about plants and the natural world. Keep Google handy as he's a name dropper (Nymphaea thermarum, anyone?). ;)
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the ARC. All views are my own.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the ARC. All views are my own.
September 15, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. From a conservation/botany view it was incredibly interesting. I also loved the travel stories and descriptions of various plants and environments. And the humour and passion of the author really comes through. It was just a lot of fun to read.
Yep it has a cheesy title and a ghost writer, but don't let this put you off. It was one of the most enjoyable books I've read in ages. I was really sad to come to the end of it. I hope there's a sequel!
Yep it has a cheesy title and a ghost writer, but don't let this put you off. It was one of the most enjoyable books I've read in ages. I was really sad to come to the end of it. I hope there's a sequel!
July 8, 2024
There is nothing more endearing than books written by people who have found their niche and love it to bits. Carlos Magdalena's passion for water lilies puts Monet's to shame. I wish every conservation niche had someone like him.
On an unrelated note, I think he and Cassandra Leah Quave would become the best of friends.
On an unrelated note, I think he and Cassandra Leah Quave would become the best of friends.
June 7, 2017
This is an important book which makes vital points about plant conservation. It is in may ways interesting and informative, but I did have my reservations about the way in which Carlos Magdalena presents his work and his message.
Magdalena has been a botanical horticulturalist at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew for many years. This means that he has received the best training and experience available in his field, and it is evident that he really knows what he is talking about. He is genuinely deeply concerned with plant conservation and driven to do all he can about it. This has given rise among colleagues to his slightly tongue-in-cheek title of The Plant Messiah, and in this book he tells us about how his upbringing led him eventually to Kew and about some of his inspiring work in rescuing endangered species. He makes the detail of the work very interesting - even minutiae of the techniques of propagation and grafting for example - and his world-wide forays to save plants from extinction in the face of ignorance, greed, political intransigence and the like are also a fascinating read.
I did react rather against the general tone of the book, though. I want to be clear that I unreservedly support what Magdalena is doing and I admire his untiring and sincere efforts. I am rather less admiring of the somewhat egocentric narrative here and the way in which he seems to have taken the Messiah tag a little too seriously. I had a strong sense of his always trying to show us that he cares more than anybody else and has insights which others are too obtuse to see. It is noticeable how infrequently he uses the pronoun "we"; when there is brilliance or success it is "I," but errors are generally by "people." Science is a collaborative effort, and a little more humility and recognition of that would be welcome.
Magdalena also sometimes allows his passion to outstrip reasoning; for example, he says "Destroy one species and you give yourself permission to destroy them all." Well, no, Carlos – you don't. You may make it slightly easier to destroy some others, but that's not the same thing at all. There's quite a lot of this sort of exaggerated rhetoric, which for me weakens rather than strengthens his case.
I have given this book four stars because its message is so important and there is a good deal of real interest to be found here. I repeat, I think what Carlos Magdalena is doing is admirable and vitally important – but I find spending time in his company can be hard going in places.
(I received an ARC via Netgalley.)
Magdalena has been a botanical horticulturalist at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew for many years. This means that he has received the best training and experience available in his field, and it is evident that he really knows what he is talking about. He is genuinely deeply concerned with plant conservation and driven to do all he can about it. This has given rise among colleagues to his slightly tongue-in-cheek title of The Plant Messiah, and in this book he tells us about how his upbringing led him eventually to Kew and about some of his inspiring work in rescuing endangered species. He makes the detail of the work very interesting - even minutiae of the techniques of propagation and grafting for example - and his world-wide forays to save plants from extinction in the face of ignorance, greed, political intransigence and the like are also a fascinating read.
I did react rather against the general tone of the book, though. I want to be clear that I unreservedly support what Magdalena is doing and I admire his untiring and sincere efforts. I am rather less admiring of the somewhat egocentric narrative here and the way in which he seems to have taken the Messiah tag a little too seriously. I had a strong sense of his always trying to show us that he cares more than anybody else and has insights which others are too obtuse to see. It is noticeable how infrequently he uses the pronoun "we"; when there is brilliance or success it is "I," but errors are generally by "people." Science is a collaborative effort, and a little more humility and recognition of that would be welcome.
Magdalena also sometimes allows his passion to outstrip reasoning; for example, he says "Destroy one species and you give yourself permission to destroy them all." Well, no, Carlos – you don't. You may make it slightly easier to destroy some others, but that's not the same thing at all. There's quite a lot of this sort of exaggerated rhetoric, which for me weakens rather than strengthens his case.
I have given this book four stars because its message is so important and there is a good deal of real interest to be found here. I repeat, I think what Carlos Magdalena is doing is admirable and vitally important – but I find spending time in his company can be hard going in places.
(I received an ARC via Netgalley.)
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