Orchid : a cultural history /
Some flowers make us think of love or heaven, of political causes or drug cravings, while others are food, medicine or decoration. Almost every plant that humans have ever taken an interest in has acquired a rich web of associations. So it is not surprising that flowers as alluring as orchids are as...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Chicago : Richmond, Surrey, UK :
University of Chicago Press ; Royal Botanic Gardens,
2016.
|
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | Some flowers make us think of love or heaven, of political causes or drug cravings, while others are food, medicine or decoration. Almost every plant that humans have ever taken an interest in has acquired a rich web of associations. So it is not surprising that flowers as alluring as orchids are associated with a very specific set of images, ideas and symbols. Yet the precise significances we attach to orchids may be, Jim Endersby argues, the weirdest ever to have become linked to a plant. By following orchids through history, Endersby discovers unexpected connections that lead us into myriad other histories. |
|---|---|
| Physical Description: | viii, 292 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 23 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780226376325 022637632X 9781842466292 1842466291 |