
Hortus Curious
Discover the World's Most Weird and Wonderful Plants and Fungi
Michael Perry(Author)
DK (Publisher)
Published on 6. October 2022
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-0-241-56155-3 (ISBN)
Description
Celebrate the weird, wacky, and wonderful world of plants with a book that revels in the diversity of the botanical world.
Plants are truly awe-inspiring. They can be vast, minute, smelly, or spectacularly ugly. Some plants live on their own, or by growing off others; some live by air and water; others are carnivorous, eating the creatures around them; some plants look remarkably like animals; while others have unusual symbolism; and some have special cultural significance. This book explores them all, bringing together the most peculiar and most fascinating plants on the planet - celebrating them in all their diverse splendour.
Split into five chapters, covering everything from poisonous plants to painkilling ones, Michael Perry explains exactly what makes each plant special. With exquisitely detailed illustrations of all the different species, this is an informative, humorous, and beautiful gift for all those who love plants - whether they want to grow them or not. Hortus Curious delivers a different way to view the plant world and enjoy it for its bonkers and bizarre.
The book is split into five chapters, covering:
- Plants Behaving Badly - the criminal world of plants such as poisonous plants, insect catching
plants, and plants that do risky things
- Mistaken Identity - plants that look like other things, e.g. flowers that look like monkeys, bees, or
even dead man's fingers
- Greater Good - did you know that aspirin comes from a plant? This chapter explores the plants
that make up our everyday products
- Superheroes - find out about the plants that can disguise themselves, changing colour, shape
or even moving themselves
- X-rated Plants - a selection of the rudest plants out there!
A humorous and quirky gift book for people interested in plants and gardening, Hortus Curious is sure to delight.
Plants are truly awe-inspiring. They can be vast, minute, smelly, or spectacularly ugly. Some plants live on their own, or by growing off others; some live by air and water; others are carnivorous, eating the creatures around them; some plants look remarkably like animals; while others have unusual symbolism; and some have special cultural significance. This book explores them all, bringing together the most peculiar and most fascinating plants on the planet - celebrating them in all their diverse splendour.
Split into five chapters, covering everything from poisonous plants to painkilling ones, Michael Perry explains exactly what makes each plant special. With exquisitely detailed illustrations of all the different species, this is an informative, humorous, and beautiful gift for all those who love plants - whether they want to grow them or not. Hortus Curious delivers a different way to view the plant world and enjoy it for its bonkers and bizarre.
The book is split into five chapters, covering:
- Plants Behaving Badly - the criminal world of plants such as poisonous plants, insect catching
plants, and plants that do risky things
- Mistaken Identity - plants that look like other things, e.g. flowers that look like monkeys, bees, or
even dead man's fingers
- Greater Good - did you know that aspirin comes from a plant? This chapter explores the plants
that make up our everyday products
- Superheroes - find out about the plants that can disguise themselves, changing colour, shape
or even moving themselves
- X-rated Plants - a selection of the rudest plants out there!
A humorous and quirky gift book for people interested in plants and gardening, Hortus Curious is sure to delight.
Reviews / Votes
It is just absolutely fabulous, and I'm sure it'll be on many people's Christmas lists. * BBC Radio Suffolk *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Dorling Kindersley Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Laminated cover
Dimensions
Height: 220 mm
Width: 174 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
614 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-56155-3 (9780241561553)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2022
1st Edition
DK
€7.99
Available for download
Persons
Michael Perry, aka Mr Plant Geek, is a leading gardening personality. Formerly the new plants buyer for established seed house, Thompson and Morgan, he is now a presenter, writer, and broadcaster, with his own range of merchandise. He presents gardening on ITV's This Morning, and on QVC and is a well-known social media presence. He won the Garden Media Guild Social Media Influencer of the Year Award in 2020, the GMG's Broadcast Award in 2021. His presence extends to Europe, the US, India, and Canada.