The Big, Bad Book of Botany

July 21, 2014
In a quirky, alphabetical collection of folklore, traditional botany, growing suggestions, and modern science and nutrition, Largo (The Big Bad Book of Beasts) shares delight in the weird and wonderful corners of the plant world. Reading like Culpepper's Herbal filtered through Ripley's Believe it Or Not, each plant gets a colorful tagline (castor oil bush is "Nature's Night Light" while nettle is "The Little Warrior") and an illustration lovingly hand drawn by a member of Miami's Tropical Botanic Artists Collective. Common edibles like kiwi and oregano and garden plants like bleeding heart and rose sit alongside both well-known strange plants like corpse flower and more obscure exotics like the West African ordeal poison calabar bean. Similarly, ancient uses like that of hops in beer share space with modern benefits like the efficacy of licorice root as an antiviral. Largo's palpable enthusiasm for the ways in which humans and plants interact means every page yields something to catch the reader's interest. B&w illus.

July 1, 2014
Largo (The Big, Bad Book of Beasts: The World's Most Curious Creatures, 2013, etc.) offers an alphabetical guide to botanical oddities.The author succeeds admirably in his stated intent to provide a serendipitous mix of "fascinating folklore of the past, with descriptions, life cycles, advice on cultivation, and the benefits these plants provide." Largo begins with artemisia absinthium, or absinthe, whose sap was used as a last-ditch remedy for tapeworms by Egyptians as early as 1500 B.C. In the 19th century, valued for its hallucinogenic and supposed aphrodisiac properties, it was added to spirits and became the favored drink of artists such as Vincent van Gogh. In a later entry, the author traces knowledge of the medicinal use of aloe vera-recognized for its anti-inflammatory and healing properties today-to an Egyptian papyrus dating back to 2000 B.C. Largo also relates how the black-eyed Susan, an American wildflower, was used by some Native Americans to treat earaches. Archaeological evidence establishes that the Chinese grew cannabis 12,000 years ago, and even the seemingly boring carrot has a fascinating history. Its name is based on its shape and is traceable to "the Indo-European root ker (horn), due to its hornlike appearance." The carrot's close relatives include coriander, fennel and parsnip, and "in ancient times, carrots were actually favored for its aromatic leaves and seeds," not for the domesticated root we eat today. Largo has fun with garlic, the supposed "vampire killer" that was also thought to ward off bubonic plague. Near the end of the alphabet, the author informs us that the name of witch hazel-still used to soothe rashes-derives from the Old English word for pliant and bears no relation to witches. Zubrowka, an aromatic plant used to flavor Polish vodka, ends this romp through botanical lore.An entertaining, irreverent look at the ABCs of botany.

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July 1, 2014

Largo (former editor of New York Poetry; The Big, Bad Book of Beasts) has gathered a potpourri of information on a variety of plants from absinthe to zubrowka. He includes agricultural plants, trees, spices, fungi, fossil plants, and a host of other weird and wonderful specimens. The two-page entries are arranged alphabetically by common name, and the author includes the plant's scientific name as well as numerous other common names given to it. As well as describing the plants, Largo shares any lore or myths associated with them, medicinal uses, history, hallucinogenic and/or poisonous properties, adaptations, ecology, fun facts, and uses. The text is illustrated with numerous black-and-white line drawings. Unfortunately, owing to the limited space allowed for each entry, some of the summaries seem to end rather abruptly. Also, in a few places, Largo states the plant has "chosen" its adaptations to its environment. VERDICT Despite minor problems, this gracefully written book will appeal to general readers interested in botany, who will enjoy browsing information on a wide variety of strange and/or useful plants.--Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove P.L., IL

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2014
This is an eclectic collection of plants and fungi that have interesting stories, histories, and uses, which the author relates factually and with charm and some humor. It should be noted that the book includes several fungi entries no longer considered plantsmodern science first placed fungi in their own kingdom in 1969 and continues to support this classification. Entries average one and a half pages long and are drawn from many sources: mythology and folklore, botany, history, and pharmacology. Most of the entries have sidebars or inserts that emphasize particular characteristics or provide supplementary information from other disciplines, such as mathematics, ecology, medicine, and linguistics. There are charming illustrations, reminiscent of old botanical books. The entries usually have three headingsa general common name, a scientific name, and a descriptor. As plants have many common names, this seems an unfortunate omission. It is also a shame that there are no see also statements. Therefore, the book is best for browsing and should do well in a circulating collection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)