{"product_id":"atlas-of-poetic-botany-9780262039123","title":"Atlas of Poetic Botany","description":"\u003cb\u003eBotanical encounters in the rainforest: trees that walk, a leaf as big as an awning, a plant that dances.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis \u003ci\u003eAtlas\u003c\/i\u003e invites the reader to tour the farthest reaches of the rainforest in search of exotic--poetic--plant life. Guided in these botanical encounters by Francis Hall , who has spent forty years in pursuit of the strange and beautiful plant specimens of the rainforest, the reader discovers a plant with just one solitary, monumental leaf; an invasive hyacinth; a tree that walks; a parasitic laurel; and a dancing vine. Further explorations reveal the \u003ci\u003eRafflesia arnoldii\u003c\/i\u003e, the biggest flower in the world, with a crown of stamens and pistils the color of rotten meat that exude the stench of garbage in the summer sun; underground trees with leaves that form a carpet on the ground above them; and the biggest tree in Africa, which can reach seventy meters (more tha 200 feet) in height, with a four-meter (about 13 feet) diameter. Hall 's drawings, many in color, provide a witty accompaniment. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLike any good tour guide, Hall  tells stories to illustrate his facts. Readers learn about, among other things, Queen Victoria's rubber tree; legends of the \u003ci\u003emoabi \u003c\/i\u003etree (for example, that powder from the bark confers invisibility); a flower that absorbs energy from a tree; plants that imitate other plants; a tree that rains; and a fern that clones itself. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHall 's drawings represent an investment in time that returns a dividend of wonder more satisfying than the ephemeral thrill afforded by the photograph. The \u003ci\u003eAtlas of Poetic Botany\u003c\/i\u003e allows us to be amazed by forms of life that seem as strange as visitors from another planet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrancis Hallé is a botanist and biologist who specializes in tropical rainforests and tree architecture. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Montpellier.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50523510374674,"sku":"9780262039123","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ebdc5eb2-0a39-4a5f-be68-756d19622792.jpg?v=1731149648","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/atlas-of-poetic-botany-9780262039123","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}