Chinese Plants (Kew Pocketbooks)

This book uncovers the broad variety of China’s plants, from the everyday staples of rice and tea to the sacred significance of lotus and peony flowers. For millennia, plants have played an important role in Chinese culture, with rich histories and symbolic weight. Even a humble houseplant like the lucky ‘money plant’, with round leaves resembling coins, is attached to multiple legends and utilised in Feng Shui to attract prosperity and abundance.

The Library and Archives at Kew is one of the most extensive botanical libraries in the world, with the oldest item dating back to the 1370s. In this pocketbook series from Kew, each book presents 40 botanical paintings from the collections, illustrating the variety within each group, as well as the diversity of the collection and artistic styles.

An introductory chapter by Kew expert Alex Sommers provides an overview of this plant group, and extended captions accompany each painting.

The luxury finish on these books makes them a must-have gift item, printed on uncoated paper and with a cloth and foil finish.