Overview

Green plants are all around us. We are totally dependent on them for food; we cultivate them for our pleasure; and we have used them in a vast number of ways down the centuries to our advantage. But have you ever wondered how plants work? Where do trees get the material to make wood? How does a bulb 'know' to sprout in the spring? Why are flowers different colours and why do they smell? This book answers these questions in a charming and accessible way. From their ability to take energy from sunlight to make their own food to their amazing range of life-sustaining, death-defying strategies, John King explains why plants dominate our planet. Plants might live life at a different pace from animals but they are just as fascinating. This is not just a book for keen gardeners and naturalists. This is a book for anyone who wants to understand why the earth is green.

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9780511611988

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Reviews

'This is a book to be heaped with laurels, to be awarded the palm. This is a book to go bananas about.' Tim Radford, The Guardian 'Reaching for the Sun will answer all sorts of pressing questions ... is fun as well as informative. It is ideal for the general reader and for A-level students.' Barrie Goldsmith, New Scientist 'John King is an enthusiast and his breathless enthusiasm is liberally scattered throughout this book, which covers a very wide spectrum of plant physiology ... an excellent text for a general reading list for those about to start university courses in biology.' Deri Tomos, Trends in Plant Science 'An accessible account for lay people.' Nature 'Dr King brings excitement and wonder to what is arguably the most active area in botany today.' The American Society of Plant Physiologists '... a very readable slim book about plant physiology. It exemplifies the ideas that the popular can also be educational ...'. The Times Higher Education Supplement

'This is a book to be heaped with laurels, to be awarded the palm. This is a book to go bananas about.' Tim Radford, The Guardian 'Reaching for the Sun will answer all sorts of pressing questions ... is fun as well as informative. It is ideal for the general reader and for A-level students.' Barrie Goldsmith, New Scientist 'John King is an enthusiast and his breathless enthusiasm is liberally scattered throughout this book, which covers a very wide spectrum of plant physiology ... an excellent text for a general reading list for those about to start university courses in biology.' Deri Tomos, Trends in Plant Science 'An accessible account for lay people.' Nature 'Dr King brings excitement and wonder to what is arguably the most active area in botany today.' The American Society of Plant Physiologists '... a very readable slim book about plant physiology. It exemplifies the ideas that the popular can also be educational ...'. Times Higher Education Supplement

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