{"product_id":"in-the-name-of-plants-from-attenborough-to-washington-the-people-behind-plant-names-9780226824307","title":"In the Name of Plants: From Attenborough to Washington, the People Behind Plant Names","description":"\u003cb\u003eA vividly illustrated meeting with thirty plants and their inspiring namesakes\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Shakespeare famously asserted that \"a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,\" and that's as true for common garden roses as it is for the \u003ci\u003eMegacorax\u003c\/i\u003e, a genus of evening primroses. Though it may not sound like it, the \u003ci\u003eMegacorax \u003c\/i\u003ewas actually christened in honor of famed American botanist Peter Raven, its name a play on the Latin words for \"great raven.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In this lush and lively book, celebrated botanist Sandra Knapp explores the people whose names have been immortalized in plant genera, presenting little-known stories about both the featured plants and their eponyms alongside photographs and botanical drawings from the collections of London's Natural History Museum. Readers will see familiar plants in a new light after learning the tales of heroism, inspiration, and notoriety that led to their naming. Take, for example, nineteenth-century American botanist Alice Eastwood, after whom the yellow aster--\u003ci\u003eEastwoodia elegans\u003c\/i\u003e--is named. Eastwood was a pioneering plant collector who also singlehandedly saved irreplaceable specimens from the California Academy of Sciences during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Or more recently, the fern genus \u003ci\u003eGaga\u003c\/i\u003e, named for the pop star and actress Lady Gaga, whose verdant heart-shaped ensemble at the 2010 Grammy Awards bore a striking resemblance to a giant fern gametophyte. Knapp's subjects range from Charles Darwin's grandfather, Erasmus Darwin (\u003ci\u003eDarwinia\u003c\/i\u003e), and legendary French botanist Pierre Magnol--who lends his name to the magnolia tree--to US founding figures like George Washington (\u003ci\u003eWashingtonia\u003c\/i\u003e) and Benjamin Franklin (\u003ci\u003eFranklinia\u003c\/i\u003e). Including granular details on the taxonomy and habitats for thirty plants alongside its vibrant illustrations, this book is sure to entertain and enlighten any plant fan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSandra Knapp \u003c\/b\u003eis a senior research botanist at the Natural History Museum in London and served as president of the Linnean Society from 2018-2022. She is the author of several books, including \u003ci\u003eFlora, Alfred Russel Wallace in the Amazon\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Gilded Canopy\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Chicago Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50645872181522,"sku":"9780226824307","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d4001084-663f-4d0e-a8f5-d33177d36d95.jpg?v=1733163663","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/in-the-name-of-plants-from-attenborough-to-washington-the-people-behind-plant-names-9780226824307","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}