Seeing Seeds: A Journey Into The World Of Seedheads, Pods, And Fruit (Seeing Series)

Llewellyns images reflect a depth of detail that until now, only the best botanical illustrators could approach. The Washington PostA centuriesold saying goes, Great oaks from little acorns grow. But as this dazzling book reveals, there is much more to a seed than the plant it will someday become: seeds, seedheads, pods, and fruits have their own astounding beauty that rivals, and sometimes even surpasses, the beauty of flowers. Bitter melon seeds resemble a handful of rubies. Poppy pods could be art nouveau salt shakers. And butterfly vine seeds look exactly like those delicate insects captured in midflight.Seeds also come with fascinating stories. Jewels of Opar got its name from a fabled city in Edgar Rice Burroughss Tarzan stories. Lotus seeds sent into orbit by Chinese scientists came back to earth mysteriously altered. And fava beansbeloved of foodieshave a JekyllandHyde personality: they can cause the debilitating condition known as favism in some individuals and at the same time combat the microorganism that causes malaria.In these stunning pages youll gain an understanding of how seeds are formed and dispersed, why they look the way they do, and how they fit into the environment. Seeing Seeds will take you to strange and wonderful places. When you return, its safe to say that youll never look at a seed the same way again.