Gods and goddesses in the garden : Greco-Roman mythology and the scientific names of plants / Peter Bernhardt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bernhardt, Peter, 1952-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Plants--Nomenclature.

Plants.

Plants--Mythology.

Plants--Folklore.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (262 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Greco-Roman mythology and the scientific names of plants

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Zeus, Medusa, Hercules, Aphrodite. Did you know that these and other dynamic deities, heroes, and monsters of Greek and Roman mythology live on in the names of trees and flowers? Some grow in your local woodlands or right in your own backyard garden. In this delightful book, botanist Peter Bernhardt reveals the rich history and mythology that underlie the origins of many scientific plant names. Unlike other books about botanical taxonomy that take the form of heavy and intimidating lexicons, Bernhardt's account comes together in a series of interlocking stories. Each chapter opens with a short version of a classical myth, then links the tale to plant names, showing how each plant "resembles" its mythological counterpart with regard to its history, anatomy, life cycle, and conservation. You will learn, for example, that as our garden acanthus wears nasty spines along its leaf margins, it is named for the nymph who scratched the face of Apollo. The shape-shifting god, Proteus, gives his name to a whole family of shrubs and trees that produce colorful flowering branches in an astonishing number of sizes and shapes. Amateur and professional gardeners, high school teachers and professors of biology, botanists and conservationists alike will appreciate this book's entertaining and informative entry to the otherwise daunting field of botanical names. Engaging, witty, and memorable, Gods and Goddesses in the Garden transcends the genre of natural history and makes taxonomy a topic equally at home in the classroom and at cocktail parties.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Preface: The Face in the Flower

Acknowledgments

Disclaimer

Chapter 1. In the Cyclop’s Orchard

Chapter 2. Constructing a Centaur

Chapter 3. Mother Earth and Her Children

Chapter 4. The Triumph of Zeus

Chapter 5. The Gods of Olympus

Chapter 6. Mortal Monarchs and Monsters

Chapter 7. Troy and Its Aftermath

Epilogue: A Plant for Persephone?

Glossary

Selected and Annotated Bibliography

General Index

Index of Scientific Names

About the Author

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-215) and indexes.

ISBN:

1-282-27275-6

9786613815156

0-8135-4472-6

OCLC:

808381521