# Atlas of Poetic Botany - Hardcover

by **Francis Halle** (Author), **Eliane Patriarca** (Contribution by)

**Botanical encounters in the rainforest: trees that walk, a leaf as big as an awning, a plant that dances.**

This _Atlas_ invites the reader to tour the farthest reaches of the rainforest in search of exotic--poetic--plant life. Guided in these botanical encounters by Francis Hall , who has spent forty years in pursuit of the strange and beautiful plant specimens of the rainforest, the reader discovers a plant with just one solitary, monumental leaf; an invasive hyacinth; a tree that walks; a parasitic laurel; and a dancing vine. Further explorations reveal the _Rafflesia arnoldii_, the biggest flower in the world, with a crown of stamens and pistils the color of rotten meat that exude the stench of garbage in the summer sun; underground trees with leaves that form a carpet on the ground above them; and the biggest tree in Africa, which can reach seventy meters (more tha 200 feet) in height, with a four-meter (about 13 feet) diameter. Hall 's drawings, many in color, provide a witty accompaniment.

Like any good tour guide, Hall tells stories to illustrate his facts. Readers learn about, among other things, Queen Victoria's rubber tree; legends of the _moabi_ tree (for example, that powder from the bark confers invisibility); a flower that absorbs energy from a tree; plants that imitate other plants; a tree that rains; and a fern that clones itself.

Hall 's drawings represent an investment in time that returns a dividend of wonder more satisfying than the ephemeral thrill afforded by the photograph. The _Atlas of Poetic Botany_ allows us to be amazed by forms of life that seem as strange as visitors from another planet.

### Author Biography

Francis Hallé is a botanist and biologist who specializes in tropical rainforests and tree architecture. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Montpellier.

**Number of Pages:** 128

**Dimensions:** 0.5 x 10.4 x 7.5 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** November 27, 2018

## Details

- **Price:** 24.95 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 24.95 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Atlas of Poetic Botany - Hardcover

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