In the book "The Cabaret of Plants," Mabey explores plant species that have sparked our imagination, awakened our curiosity, and challenged our ideas about history, science, beauty, and faith.
Selected from every facet of life, they include crops, weeds, medicines, places of religious gatherings, and a water-loving lotus named after a queen. Starting from pagan worship and creation myths, the cultural significance of plants has been highlighted in forms as diverse as the panacea (the ginseng plant, whose root can cost up to $10,000), Newton's apple, the "elephant cabbage" of Africa or baobab - and the secret, night-blooming Amazonian cactus, the moonflower.
Spanning broadly across the fields of science, art, and cultural history, poetry, and personal experience, Mabey places plants at the center of the stage and reveals a true botanical cabaret, a world of tricksters, transformers, and inspired problem solvers, as well as an enthusiastic audience of romantics, eccentric amateur scientists, and renegade artists. "The Cabaret of Plants" celebrates the idea that plants are not merely 'the furnishings of the planet,' but vital, inventive, individual beings that deserve respect - and that understanding this may be the best way to sustain our life together on Earth.
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