Book Review: Plants From Roots to Riches by Kathy Willis and Carolyn Fry

The book and accompanying radio series were produced at a time when funding was in doubt for Kew Gardens and this book serves as a reminder of, not only the deep history, but also the ongoing services that Kew provides in the realm of botany.

Some of the most important giants of British botany have been part of Kew, from Joseph Banks to the father and son, Hooker. The history of Kew is not just stored in the herbarium or in dusty books, but also in the form of Encephalartos altensteinii, the oldest pot plants in the world - arriving at Kew in 1775. This is important. This plant has been potted up and at Kew for around 20 years: making it a year older than the United States of America.

But Kew doesn't rely on history to keep its place. The scientific study of plants for economic reasons seems to have been a foundation stone. Kew, thoughout its history, has attracted the best scientists and plant hunters, and this has enabled Kew to be relevant not just today, but for an unlimited time in the future.

However, this isn't just a book about Kew. It is a book that delves into the worldwide history of botany. We read of heroic people starving to death in the Siege of Leningrad so that Hitler couldn't plunder the seed bank there. We read of the wonderful Beatrix Potter and her diagrams of fungi and of De Barry and his study of potato pathology. We hear of people that travelled the globe in search of plants that would not just provide a welcome sight and beauty for the eyes, but that would heal us (such as Cinchona), that would feed us (such as yams), and that would help us make products to enrich our lives (such as rubber).

Wonderfully written and well illustrated, this book was a joy to read. Broken down into bite size chapters that match the radio series, the rich content of this book does not overwhelm. I restricted myself to two chapters per day, so I'd have time to digest what I was reading - but could have easily read more!


I was hoping that the hardback version would be a lavish glossy book with all of those illustrations placed on the relevant page, but sadly, this doesn't seem to be the case. However, some illustrations are provided on the standard pages,but there appears to be no difference betweek hard and paperback versions.

The radio series is available for download from the BBC here both as individual episodes and 5 omnibus downloads. I read the paper copy that has 4 sections of plates for illustrations and photographs.

Well worth a read.