Tapestry Press
In Praise of Plants
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Tapestry Press
In Praise of Plants
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In Praise of Plants by Francis Halle. 2002. translated from French by David Lee. Timber Press. 334p. Francis Halle, a tropical botanist and generalist, decries our society’s bias toward animals. He extols the capacities of plants. He explores the forces that have shaped plant form, plasticity and evolution. He espouses some ideas that challenge mainstream biology, such as the inheritance of acquired characteristics in bacteria. Plants operate as two-dimensional photosynthetic surfaces; animals as three-dimensional digesters. Simple characteristics such as the fixed position of plants lead to profound differences with animals. Unable to escape herbivores, disease or adverse weather, plants evolved secondary chemicals to deter or cope with these problems. Interestingly, sessile corals, the most plant-like animals share a number of features with trees. Effective line drawings illustrate many points. Well-named, this books truly celebrates plants.Review written September 2003 Back to Book Reviews |
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