Flora Britannica

by Richard Mabey

This landmark guide offers a comprehensive survey of the native and naturalized wild plants of England, Scotland, and Wales. Useful and delightful, it covers 1,000 species, including trees and ferns. More than a definitive work of natural history, however, it is also a virtual encyclopedia of living folklore, recording the role of wild plants in social life, the arts, customs, and landscapes. The information has been supplied by the people themselves, creating a unique national record of the popular culture, domestic uses, and social meanings of Britain's wild plants. Splendidly written by naturalist Richard Mabey and illustrated with 500 fine color photographs, Flora Britannica is an elegant testimony to the continuing relationship between nature and man.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Reference, Natural History, Plants, Gardening, British Literature

480 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Richard Mabey is one of England's greatest nature writers. He is author of some thirty books including Nature Cure which was shortlisted for the Whitbread, Ondaatje and Ackerley Awards.

A regular commentator on the radio and in the national press, he is also a Director of the arts and conservation charity Common Ground and Vice-President of the Open Spaces Society. He lives in Norfolk.

Reviews

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm never gonna read this whole book cover to cover but if I look something up in it I just move from one thing to another, to another. I LOVE how this is a history of plants/people/places/memories. Someone buy it for me and I'll love you forever

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most beautiful books that I own. The book gives a description of the native flora of Britain, and the nearly 500 pages provide a wealth of detail about the different sorts of plants, their most remarkable features, and how they have been perceived through the centuries. I actually first checked this book out from the library when I was working on a present for a friend of mine. She's a fan of Watership Down, and I wanted to paint her a picture of the different flowers associated with the rabbits in that book. This book provided me with photographs of several of them. But I liked the book so much that I just continued to renew it from the library for probably about four years, until my sister bought me a copy (thanks Jill). I learned a lot of interesting things from this book, such as why English oaks are so magnificent, and the history of specific plants such as mistletoe and holly are told in fascinating detail, complete with references to famous poems, farmer's observations, and ancient sources such as Pliny. I also found the discussions of flora in place names and in different regions of England to be fascinating. I suppose I'm unusually interested in the landscape of particular places: the way that landscape, people, plants, animals, language, weather, and so on, all come together to make a unified thing such as a particular district or parish in the British Isles. Or more generally, you can learn about some of the important roots of western culture, speaking literally. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in plants, or the way plants and culture are intertwined.

[Richard Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine book about the plants of Britain which gives you something new every time you open it. Beautifully written, the author's enthusiasm for his subject shines through and makes this book a delight to skim, dip into and to use as an invaluable source of reference. It is a companion to Fauna Britannica and the Birds of Britain. There is another on bugs and insects but I am afraid, I can't summon up interest in the creatures.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book, full of information on plant distribution, history, medicinal use and folklore. I read it in conjunction with my Illustrated Flora by Marjorie Blamey for more visual information.