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more-aoe:
No worldbuilding is complete without flora and fauna. I’m delighted when plants make their way into narratives, and especially delighted when plants are featured. Take kingsfoil (or athelas if you will, or asëa aranion if you’re Tolkien-level extra) for example. Such a little thing, but instrumental as a representation of natural and folk medicine.
Some of you may know that I volunteer in a botanical garden library. If you don’t, now you know. Here are some books that have crossed my desk that I think would be good for a first step into creating a lush, vibrant biome.
THE PLANT HUNTERS: The Adventures of the World’s Greatest Botanical Explorers by Carolyn Fry
Don’t let the title fool you. Plant hunters, and orchid hunters especially, are some of the world’s greatest thieves. The plants we take for granted in our gardens are the result of someone taking a native plant from somewhere else, often without permission. The irony is that this book is published by the Kew Botanical Gardens, which I’m convinced is one of the world’s largest repositories of stolen plants.
Humans are pretty awful to each other when they covet plants. Even when they aren’t being awful to each other, stealing plants is a time-honored gardening tradition (for example, I might have stolen some flowers off government property in the dead of night). How did plants get from here to there? Who started importing plants? If your world has cultures that regularly communicate, you’ll have plant crossover, and plant theft.
OF NAKED LADIES AND FORGET-ME-NOTS: The Stories Behind the Common Names of Some of Our Favorite Plants by Allan Armitage
Why is arugula called rocket? (Spite, probably.) Who is the famous Susan, she of the black eyes? Who decided Sleepy Dick was a good name for a plant? This book doesn’t go the most in-depth, but I’m sure a thorough etymological journey isn’t what you’re looking for here. This one is a fun, entertaining, and easy read.
WICKED PLANTS: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities by Amy Stewart
This one’s also an easy and fun read, full of tidbits to pique your curiosity. Or not, considering many of the plants in this book are deadly and you’d do better to simply read about them. By the way, don’t eat lantana berries. Don’t eat the plant in general, but really don’t eat the berries.
HERBARIUM by Caz Hildebrand
This book is less a gardening how-to and more a beautifully illustrated primer on what herbs you should be growing. It’s a graphic designer’s dream, with saturated colors and a debossed cover that’s sure to be a conversation starter. Oh, and there’s good advice on how to eat the herbs.
SOUTHERN FOLK MEDICINE: Healing Traditions from the Appalachian Fields and Forests by Phyllis D. Light
The rural south and Appalachia once had a thriving tradition of herbal and diagnostic medicine. This is the first, but hopefully not the only, book that details Southern Folk Medicine methods. It’s fascinating to see humorism combine with Native American and African knowledge. Phyllis Light is a master herbalist and an excellent storyteller, and not one to shy away from the painful, bloody history of the South. Take time to sit down with this one.
MYCOPHILIA: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms by Eugenia Bone
Okay, this one doesn’t quite fit, even though humans have been using fungi as medicine for thousands of years. Fungi aren’t plants, but they certainly have a place in any ecosystem, and many plants wouldn’t exist without their companion fungi. I had to consider how deep a dive was warranted; Eugenia Bone’s book is part memoir and part “did you know?” and as introductions go, it’s not bad. And honestly, I could have included an orchid book, and if there’s anything you need to know about orchid people, it’s that we’re really… intense. You’re welcome.
I hope this list helps you out on your journey. Nothing is too weird or too unbelievable when it comes to the natural world. Be as wild and creative as you like! Nature probably already has you beat.
(Your picture was not posted)
more-aoe:
No worldbuilding is complete without flora and fauna. I’m delighted when plants make their way into narratives, and especially delighted when plants are featured. Take kingsfoil (or athelas if you will, or asëa aranion if you’re Tolkien-level extra) for example. Such a little thing, but instrumental as a representation of natural and folk medicine.
Some of you may know that I volunteer in a botanical garden library. If you don’t, now you know. Here are some books that have crossed my desk that I think would be good for a first step into creating a lush, vibrant biome.
THE PLANT HUNTERS: The Adventures of the World’s Greatest Botanical Explorers by Carolyn Fry
Don’t let the title fool you. Plant hunters, and orchid hunters especially, are some of the world’s greatest thieves. The plants we take for granted in our gardens are the result of someone taking a native plant from somewhere else, often without permission. The irony is that this book is published by the Kew Botanical Gardens, which I’m convinced is one of the world’s largest repositories of stolen plants.
Humans are pretty awful to each other when they covet plants. Even when they aren’t being awful to each other, stealing plants is a time-honored gardening tradition (for example, I might have stolen some flowers off government property in the dead of night). How did plants get from here to there? Who started importing plants? If your world has cultures that regularly communicate, you’ll have plant crossover, and plant theft.
OF NAKED LADIES AND FORGET-ME-NOTS: The Stories Behind the Common Names of Some of Our Favorite Plants by Allan Armitage
Why is arugula called rocket? (Spite, probably.) Who is the famous Susan, she of the black eyes? Who decided Sleepy Dick was a good name for a plant? This book doesn’t go the most in-depth, but I’m sure a thorough etymological journey isn’t what you’re looking for here. This one is a fun, entertaining, and easy read.
WICKED PLANTS: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities by Amy Stewart
This one’s also an easy and fun read, full of tidbits to pique your curiosity. Or not, considering many of the plants in this book are deadly and you’d do better to simply read about them. By the way, don’t eat lantana berries. Don’t eat the plant in general, but really don’t eat the berries.
HERBARIUM by Caz Hildebrand
This book is less a gardening how-to and more a beautifully illustrated primer on what herbs you should be growing. It’s a graphic designer’s dream, with saturated colors and a debossed cover that’s sure to be a conversation starter. Oh, and there’s good advice on how to eat the herbs.
SOUTHERN FOLK MEDICINE: Healing Traditions from the Appalachian Fields and Forests by Phyllis D. Light
The rural south and Appalachia once had a thriving tradition of herbal and diagnostic medicine. This is the first, but hopefully not the only, book that details Southern Folk Medicine methods. It’s fascinating to see humorism combine with Native American and African knowledge. Phyllis Light is a master herbalist and an excellent storyteller, and not one to shy away from the painful, bloody history of the South. Take time to sit down with this one.
MYCOPHILIA: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms by Eugenia Bone
Okay, this one doesn’t quite fit, even though humans have been using fungi as medicine for thousands of years. Fungi aren’t plants, but they certainly have a place in any ecosystem, and many plants wouldn’t exist without their companion fungi. I had to consider how deep a dive was warranted; Eugenia Bone’s book is part memoir and part “did you know?” and as introductions go, it’s not bad. And honestly, I could have included an orchid book, and if there’s anything you need to know about orchid people, it’s that we’re really… intense. You’re welcome.
I hope this list helps you out on your journey. Nothing is too weird or too unbelievable when it comes to the natural world. Be as wild and creative as you like! Nature probably already has you beat.
(Your picture was not posted)
