Anatomy of a Rose by Sharman Apt Russell

Why is a frangipani flower white?

It is white the same reason snow is white — because of the pockets of air in the petal. If you find that a preposterous idea, the next time you walk under a frangipani tree, pick up a flower from the ground and crush out the air pockets in the petal with your fingernail. The result? A limp, transparent petal that is no longer white. This is true for the majority of white flowers.

I am falling love with the way Russell writes. In this book, she introduces her readers to the secret life of flowers: the pollen and the pollinators, the subterfuge and the sex. It is a fantastic world out there, with colours we cannot see and fragrances our noses can't pick out.

Did you know that some trees give out toxic substances to keep other plants from growing too close? One Greek scientist in 1 A.D. described the shade of a Black Walnut as "heavy" and "poisonous".

Other plants such as the Alpine Pennycress absorb large amounts of lead, zinc, and cadmium, storing them safely in their cells. In Boston, the Alpine Pennycress was used to clean up a backyard that was contaminated with toxic waste! Apparently, Sunflowers are also capable of absorbing radioactive material. That bit of information made me a bit worried about eating too many sunflower seeds...

Scientists analyzed the mutation of genes in the chloroplasts of plants and found that a little known shrub known as the Amborella is the oldest living flower we have. It is practically a living fossil, a prototype of the "original flower". And the second oldest flower? The water lily, followed by the star anise, and then by the magnolia. The next time I walk by a pond of water lilies, I will try to imagine water lilies bobbing in the water a long long time ago.

Sharman Apt Russell writes with sprachegefuhl. She makes Latin and Botany come to life with her pen. If you have felt the wonder of a meadow of wild flowers, you will love this book as well.

(Like my photos? Smole and I took these at MacRitchie a while back. Flowers make the best models.)