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Sto caricando le informazioni... The Plant Messiah: Adventures in Search of the World's Rarest Species (edizione 2019)di Carlos Magdalena (Autore)
Informazioni sull'operaThe Plant Messiah: Adventures in Search of the World's Rarest Species di Carlos Magdalena
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Iscriviti per consentire a LibraryThing di scoprire se ti piacerà questo libro. Attualmente non vi sono conversazioni su questo libro. This book is mostly what it says on the tin, anecdotes about Magdalena's travels seeking out the world's most endangered plants, and his subsequent conservation efforts to stave off their extinction. It starts off a little rocky, as my first impression of Magdalena was more evangelical than messianic, and the mini-biography at the start sometimes ventured into very self-satisfied prose. The biographical information was helpful, though probably could have been edited a bit. Once chapter 2 begins though, all of that is quickly forgotten. As someone who is deeply interested in conservation of both plants and animals (except roaches), I was enthralled as I read about efforts to save species plants on Mauritius and Rodrigues Islands, in Bolivia, and Australia (water lilies!). As the daughter of an orchid grower who very often had to MacGyver solutions for tricky breeding problems, I genuinely enjoyed the parts where he had to think on his feet, or think outside the box to overcome perceived roadblocks to cultivation. There's no denying his enthusiasm and his passion for his work; neither is there any denying the need for it, in a world where 2000 unknown plants can be identified in a given year, only to have many of them go extinct before they can even be named. I learned a great deal reading this, and hesitated to put it down, always wanting to know where he was going next and what he'd find when he got there. The author of this book is a botanist at Kew Gardens who specializes in tropical plants. He details his experiences in various tropical regions to explore and attempt to save indigenous plant life of these areas. The writing is not always great, but his passion for his subject shines through. His knowledge, commitment to preserving biodiversity, and uncanny intuition in working with plant life is admirable and inspiring. I received this book for free through the GoodReads first-reads program in exchange for an honest review. [b: The Plant Messiah|32887685|The Plant Messiah Adventures in Search of the World’s Rarest Species|Carlos Magdalena|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481032693s/32887685.jpg|53502735] is part biography, part short stories, and all call to the world to be more plant-conscious. [a: Carlos Magdalena|16053832|Carlos Magdalena|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1520009595p2/16053832.jpg] makes an impassioned plea through the pages of the book for us all to do our part to increase the biodiversity of the world itself, cultivate the endangered plants and trees of our locales in our own gardens, and in general celebrate the natural biodiversity around us rather than homogenize our own areas with non-natives and non-native invasives simply for the sake of it all. [a: Carlos Magdalena|16053832|Carlos Magdalena|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1520009595p2/16053832.jpg], affectionately called The Plant Messiah, is employed by the Botanical Garden at Kew. He spends his days collecting, propagating, and solving the mysteries of the various critically endangered plants of the world. While he has done much to help cultivate previously 'hopeless' plants and even discovered new species, his tone throughout the book remains humble and he remains far more passionate about teaching others than simply stroking his own ego. This book does a good job of explaining the importance of saving every plant we can, of unlocking the secrets of the rare and unusual and better understanding the ordinary. Carlos explains how the way plants have changed can help us understand our own world and what is happening in it, and how the ordinary person is indeed the most valuable asset in the fight against further extinctions. Carlos Magdalena is a botanist working at Kew Gardens whose success in propagating and saving near-extinct plants earned him the sobriquet The Plant Messiah. It is a fitting nickname as he has a messianic determination to capture the seeds and cuttings to safeguard the future of plants on the edge of extinction–even going so far as to wade into waters with crocodiles, piranhas, and snakes. The Plant Messiah is a fun and informative blend of action, adventure, and information. Much of his adventures seem a bit by the seat-of-his-pants, glimpsing blooms from his vehicle, asking his guides to stop here and there. There’s a bit of that in his experiments in propagating, too, trying different methods. The way he describes his process can sound like guesswork, but only if you think someone with years of experience and expertise is guessing. I enjoyed The Plant Messiah a lot. He is a happy writer who loves his work and his enthusiasm bubbles up from every page. The book is full of adventures and fascinating information about plants and what is happening in the plant world. It’s fascinating to learn that a plant once believed extinct was found by a student on a roadside for a school assignment. My favorite parts were the many different ways plants can be pollinated. So tricky, so varied, it’s simply amazing. Perhaps as a messiah, Magdalena is less people-oriented, so the other folks who are on these adventures are not even one-dimensional. This is his adventure. That also led to a misjudgment his editors should have caught and removed. Traveling in Peru, he is offered some human relics from an ancient burial ground and remarks grave-robbers in Peru would sell you anything even their grandmother. You know what, grave-robbers everywhere will sell you anything. It was an ugly moment in a book that is generally a fun and exciting read. I received a copy of The Plant Messiah from the publisher through NetGalley The Plant Messiah at Doubleday | Penguin Random House Carlos Magdalena on Twitter https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/05/15/9780385543613/ nessuna recensione | aggiungi una recensione
"Carlos Magdalena is not your average horticulturist. He's a man on a mission to save the world's most endangered plants. First captivated by the flora and his native Spain, he has traveled to the remotest parts of the globe in search of exotic species. Renowned for his pioneering work, he has committed his life to protecting plants from man-made ecological destruction and thieves hunting for wealthy collectors. In The Plant Messiah, Magdalena takes readers from the Amazon to the jungles of Mauritius to deep within the Australian outback in search of the rare and the vulnerable. Back in the lab, we watch as he develops groundbreaking, left-field techniques for rescuing species from extinction, encouraging them to propagate and thrive once again. Along the way, he offers moving, heartfelt stories about the secrets contained within these incredible organisms. Passionate and absorbing, The Plant Messiah is a tribute to the diversity of life on our planet, and the importance of preserving it."--Jacket. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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It is written in an open, easy-to-read style that kept my interest the whole time and made me want to go to the internet to look at the areas of the countries he visited and look at the flowers the author was describing.
I have always thought of Kew Botanical Gardens as simply a massive garden for the royalty of England...boy was I wrong. I quickly realized what an important role Kew has in preserving rare plant species and how involved they are all over the world in seeking to preserve environments, help local peoples learn to cultivate locally important trees and plants, and preserve rare species there at Kew Gardens.
It is also a call to action to stop the madness and environmental destruction happening all over the world right now. This is probably one of the most important insights this book gives the reader.
I would like to thank the author, Carlos Magdalena, and Doubleday, Penguin Random House LLC for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I hope everyone gets a chance to read it. ( )