How did the small poppy influence great empires and how did sugarcane shape the course of the slave trade in modern times? Why is the banana associated with "banana republics" and genetically modified plants with Dr. Frankenstein?

How do some plants manage to survive at temperatures tens of degrees Celsius below zero, while others thrive in almost absolute drought? Why are lilies and the Chinese lotus connected to the pure and the unpolluted?

What were the first plants to colonize land and what might plants be like on other habitable worlds?

This book includes 37 small and large narratives about plants that have influenced history and have been influenced by it, or about others whose extraordinary performances capture the imagination not only of scientists but also of the general public. Reading it only requires very basic knowledge of biology.

The book is aimed at the restless reader who, armed with common sense and simple human curiosity, seeks to perceive and understand the world around us. And plants provide the ideal opportunity for such an exciting adventure.