TREES OF LIFE

Among the 60,000 species of trees on our planet, the author has selected just 80 for this celebration, gloriously illustrated not just by first class photography but also by famous artists including Van Gogh, Klimt and Cezanne. Trees have been used since the earliest times for food, building, shelter and medicine, while mythology has also seen them as connecting the heavens and earth, with a propensity to host spirits. Starting with trees of practical value, the author moves on to trees that provide food and others that are a source of dyes, essences and medicines. Finally "Supertrees" are trees that punch above their weight in their range of useful qualities. In a world of plastics, concrete and steel, trees continue to provide not only essential materials for survival but also the inspiration of beauty and a calming presence. Among useful trees, those producing kapok, balsa, cork and rubber are featured, while wood for furniture is represented by the mahogany tree, found in west Africa and Jamaica. Timber aside, mahogany is used for leather curing and as an antiseptic, and its rich decorative patterning makes it popular for guitars. Medicinal trees include the white willow, source of aspirin, the lemons and limes that provide vitamin C, and the camphor tree native to Japan which is distinctive for its essential oil used as a decongestant. Other fruit and nut bearers include Brazil, pistachio, wild cherry, and peach, illustrated here with some gorgeous paintings including Van Gogh's "Pink Peach Tree" and Sisley's "Walnut Tree". The spectacular photography includes a ripe nutmeg just splitting open, a solitary baobab tree in Madagascar and a wild olive grove in Crete. Supertrees include the oak, illustrated with an atmospheric photo of oak woodland on Dartmoor, date palms fringing the oasis of Um el Ma in the Libyan Sahara and a Scots pine photographed at Loch Tulla. Most impressive ecologically is the Moringa tree with its potential to purify water and halt desertification. 272pp, 20 x 15cm, lavishly illustrated in colour.
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