Around the World in 80 Trees

by Jonathan Drori

Overview

"Beautiful to behold and to read" - THE SUNDAY TIMES

"An arboreal odyssey" – NATURE

"One of the most quietly beautiful books of the year" – DAILY MAIL

"Jonathan Drori's deep-seated love of nature is contagious in this tree-by-tree journey across countries and continents. A book to take your time over" – WIRED

Jonathan Drori’s number one bestseller, now available in paperback!

Bestselling author and environmentalist Jonathan Drori follows in the footsteps of Phileas Fogg as he tells the stories of 80 magnificent trees from all over the globe.

In Around the World in 80 Trees, Jonathan Drori uses plant science to illuminate how trees play a role in every part of human life, from the romantic to the regrettable. From the trees of Britain, to India's sacred banyan tree, they offer us sanctuary and inspiration - not to mention the raw materials for everything from aspirin to maple syrup.

Stops on the trip include the lime trees of Berlin's Unter den Linden boulevard, which intoxicate amorous Germans and hungry bees alike, the swankiest streets in nineteenth-century London, which were paved with Australian eucalyptus wood, and the redwood forests of California, where the secret to the trees' soaring heights can be found in the properties of the tiniest drops of water.

Each of these strange and true tales – populated by self-mummifying monks, tree-climbing goats and ever-so-slightly radioactive nuts – is illustrated by Lucille Clerc, taking the reader on a journey that is as informative as it is beautiful. The book combines history, science and a wealth of quirky detail – there should be surprises for everyone.

Perfect for fans of Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees, this new book will certainly whet the appetite of any tree lover to take an around-the-world trip, or simply visit your local botanic garden. The perfect travel guide for nature enthusiasts.

Winner at the Woodland Books of the Year Awards 2018.

"An irresistible mix of science, culture, botany, history and vicarious travel" - SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786276063
Publisher:	Laurence King Publishing
Publication date:	08/11/2020
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	137,872
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jonathan Drori is a Trustee of The Woodland Trust and The Eden Project, an Ambassador for the WWF and was for nine years a Trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He is a Fellow of the Linnean Society and the Zoological Society of London, and a Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. In 2006 he was made CBE.

Table of Contents

Introduction 8

The Trees

Northern Europe

London Plane, Platanus × acerifolia, England 12

Leyland Cypress, Cupressus × leylandii, England 14

Strawberry Tree, Arbutus unedo, Ireland 16

Rowan, Sorbus aucuparia, Scotland 18

Silver Birch, Betula pendula, Finland 20

Elm, Ulmus spp., Netherlands 24

White Willow, Salix alba, Belgium 28

European Box, Buxus sempervirens, France 32

Lime Tree, Linden, Tilia × europaea, Germany 34

Beech, Fagus sylvatica, Germany 36

Horse Chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum, Ukraine 38

Southern Europe and North Africa

Cork Oak, Quercus suber, Portugal 40

Argan, Argania spinosa, Morocco 44

Holm Oak, Quercus ilex, Spain 48

Sweet Chestnut, Castanea sativa, Corsica, France 50

Norway Spruce, Picea abies, Italy 54

Alder, Alnus glutinosa, Italy 58

Quince, Cydonia oblonga, Crete 62

Laurel, Bay, Laurus nobilis, Greece 64

Eastern Mediterraneans

Fig, Ficus carica, Turkey 66

Mediterranean Cypress, Cupressus sempervirens, Cyprus+p70

Date Palm, Phoenix dactylifera, Egypt 72

Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus libani, Lebanon 74

Olive, Olea europaea, Israel 78

Africa

Kapok, Ceiba pentandra, Sierra Leone 80

Kola Nut, Cola nitida, Ghana 84

Baobab, Adansonia digitata, Botswana 86

Mopane, Colophospermum mopane, Zimbabwe 88

Traveller's Tree, Ravenala madagascariensis, Madagascar 92

Whistling Thorn, Vachellia drepanolobium (also known as Acacia drepanolobium), Kenya 94

Frankincense, Boswellia sacra, Somalia 98

Dragon's Blood, Dracaena cinnabari, Socotra, Yemen 102

Coco-de-mer, Lodoicea maldivica, Seychelles 104

Central and South Asia

Pomegranate, Punica granatum, Iran 106

Wild Apple, Malus sieversii, Kazakhstan 108

Dahurian Larch, Siberian Larch, Larix gmelinii, Larix sibirica, Siberia 112

Cashew, Anacardium occidentale, Goa, India 114

Banyan, Ficus benghalensis, India 116

Areca Palm, Betel-nut Palm, Areca catechu, India 118

Neem, Azadirachta indica, India 120

Peepul, Sacred Bo, Ficus religiosa, India 122

East Asia

Szechuan Pepper, Zanthoxylum simulans, China 126

White Mulberry, Morus alba, Eastern China 128

Chinese Lacquer, Toxicodendron vernicifluum, Japan 130

Yoshino Cherry, Prunus × yedoensis, Japan 134

South East Asia

Rubber, Hevea brasiliensis, Thailand 136

Durian, Durio zibethinus, Malaysia 140

Upas, Antiaris toxicaria, Indonesia 142

Gutta-percha, Palaquium gutta, Borneo 144

Oceania

Jarrah, Eucalyptus marginata, Western Australia 148

Wollemi Pine, Wollemia nobilis, Australia 152

Blue Quandong, Elaeocarpus angustifolius, Australia 156

Sève Bleue, Pycnandra acuminata, New Caledonia 158

Kauri, Agathis australis, New Zealand 160

Paper Mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera, Tonga 164

Koa, Acacia koa, Hawaii, USA 166

South America

Monkey Puzzle, Araucaria araucana, Chile 170

Blue Jacaranda, Jacaranda mimosifolia, Argentina 172

Quinine, Cinchona spp., Peru 174

Balsa, Ochroma pyramidale, Ecuador 178

Brazil Nut, Bertholletia excelsa, Bolivia 180

Brazilwood, Paubrasilia echinata, Brazil 182

Mexico, Central America and Caribbean

Avocado, Persea americana, Mexico 184

Sapodilla, Chicle, Manilkara zapota, Mexico 188

Sandbox, Hura crepitans, Costa Rica 190

Breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis, Jamaica 194

Lignum Vitae, Guaiacum officinale, The Bahamas 198

North America

Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia, Canada 200

Tanoak, Notholithocarpus densiflorus, USA 202

Western Hemlock, Tsuga heterophylla, Canada 204

Coastal Redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, California, USA 206

Jojoba, Simmondsia chinenns, USA 208

Quaking Aspen, Populus tremuloides, Utah, USA 210

Black Walnut, Juglans nigra, Missouri, USA 212

Yaupon, Indian Black Tea, Ilex vomitoria, USA 214

Bald Cypress, Swamp Cypress, Taxodium distichum, USA 216

Red Mangrove, Rhizophora mangle, Florida, USA 218

Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima, Brooklyn, USA 222

Eastern White Pine, Pinus strobus, USA 224

Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum, Canada 226

Where to go next 228

Index 236

Editorial Reviews

"Around the World in 80 Trees is one of my most treasured volumes in the rather massive library of tree books that I accumulated over the years that I researched and wrote The Overstory" - Richard Powers, Pulitzer Prize winning author

From the Publisher

…exquisite…Beautiful illustrations by the French artist Lucille Clerc, strewn generously throughout, have the limpid calm of vernal pools…[Jonathan Drori's] sunny prose sparkles with authority…[Around the World in 80 Trees] abounds with discoveries.

The New York Times Book Review - Dominique Browning

★ 06/11/2018
Former BBC documentary filmmaker Drori and French artist Clerc take readers around the world in this fascinating volume on trees of all sorts. Drori begins in London, his hometown, before venturing through all the other continents save Antarctica. A lifelong nature lover who grew up near the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, Drori says he chose the 80 trees he profiles “for their interest and their diversity” and encourages readers “to contemplate the trees they encounter” every day. He describes the London plane, for instance, as “a tree of pomp and circumstance,” planted throughout the capital during the 19th century to complement its “imposing squares and thoroughfares” and now as much a part of London’s architecture as its buildings. Brief and accessible chapters highlight such trees as the Leyland cypress, slim, upright, used primarily to create privacy; the European box, popular for topiary; the cork oak, whose bark is stripped for cork; the sweet chestnut, whose “starchy, tasty fruit” is “nutritionally similar to wheat”; and the ornamental cherry tree, dazzling in full bloom. Each discussion is accompanied by Clerc’s meticulous drawings, which offer a level of detail even photographs might not easily reveal. This exploration is both educational and visually exceptional. Illus. (May)

Publishers Weekly