Slime pits, bribery, jaguars, murder . . . what would drive someone through such risks merely to find new plants? From Queen Hatshepsut's expedition to the land of Punt in 1842 B.C. in search of frankincense, to more recent botanical expeditions, here are the dramatic adventures of The plant hunters. We meet Pliny, Linnaeus, Sir Joseph Banks, Nathaniel Ward, and others and find out what they brought back and why. A fascinating collection for gardeners interested in how now-familiar plants arrived in their gardens, and for anyone with a thirst for adventure and scientific discovery.
