Saving Orchids : Stories of Species Survival in a Changing World.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Seaton, Philip.

Contributor:

Zettler, Lawrence W.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (291 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2025.

Summary:

A gorgeously illustrated ode to the beauty and significance of orchids—and to those fighting to save these unique plants across the globe. Until recently, a myriad of lifeforms enriched our lives. In some places, listening to a nighttime chorus of frogs in the neighborhood marsh was an archetypal touchstone of childhood. Children would search for tadpoles, just steps away from native Lady’s Tresses orchids. Year by year, the chorus became quieter. Today, only a few frogs and orchids remain. Is this the world we want our children to inherit? Do we want orchids to slip through our fingers and, eventually, to vanish? For biologists Philip Seaton and Lawrence W. Zettler, and the intrepid orchid defenders they introduce in this book, the answer is no. Seaton and Zettler have traveled the world over the past three decades, studying orchids—flagship species for plant conservation. Stunningly illustrated, this book is a culmination of stories about the people—young and old alike—dedicated to protecting these remarkable plants from extinction. In the 19th century, collectors removed, shipped, and sold vast numbers of orchids from the wild. Today, scientists strive to reverse this harm—to protect and rebuild remnants of orchids’ original habitats against human disruption, including climate change. Seaton and Zettler reveal these plants’ bizarre pollination partners, risky liaisons with fungi, and adaptation to human domestication to show that learning orchids’ scientific secrets—and finding human helpers—is key to these plants’ survival.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Introduction

1 Ghosts in the 'land of flowers'

2 The crown jewels of the plant kingdom

3 The way we were

4 Orchids (almost) everywhere

5 Islands

6 Where are we most likely to find new species?

7 What's in a name?

8 Why we should care

9 Life (and death) in the anthropocene

10 Orchids on the edge

11 Who is doing what and where?

12 Where do we go from here?

13 Education: the teachers and the storytellers

14 Reserves

15 Reintroduction, restoration, and enhancement

16 Slippers

17 Living collections: safeguarding plants for the future

18 Seed storage

19 The way ahead

Further reading

Acknowlegements

Index

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780226839424

0226839427

OCLC:

1499933265