Penguin Audio presents The Plant Messiah by Carlos Magdalena, read by Roy McMillan.
Carlos Magdalena of Kew Gardens is not your average botanical horticulturist. He's a man on a mission to save the world's most endangered plants from ecological destruction and thieves hunting for wealthy collectors. He is a plant messiah.
From the planet's tiniest waterlily - the Nymphaea thermarum - to Huarango trees with roots over 50 metres long, Carlos has a miraculous ability to bring breathtakingly beautiful plants back from the brink of extinction. He has travelled to the most remote and dangerous parts of the world - from the mountains of Peru to isolated Indian Ocean islands to the deepest Australian outback - in search of the rarest exotic species. Then, back in the Tropical Nursery at Kew, he uses pioneering, left-field techniques to help them propagate and prosper.
Now he's here to spread the gospel. The Plant Messiah is the inspirational story of a man who has devoted - and risked - his life to save incredible species, all in the name of making this Earth a greener and happier place.
Amen to that.
The Plant Messiah
Adventures in Search of the World's Rarest Species
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
April 5, 2018 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780241982808
- File size: 231907 KB
- Duration: 08:03:08
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Narrator Roy McMillan puts passion into Carlos Magdalena's vows not to let endangered plants become extinct on his watch. Magdalena's love of plants was instilled in him by his mother in Spain. It played a role in his early jobs, whether he worked as a sommelier or a bird counter. Now his work for Kew Botanical Gardens in England gives him the chance to teach others how to conserve nature. As McMillan captures Magdalen's fascination with plants, listeners will share his thrills, such as the discovery of a patch of water lilies, and his frustrations, such as finding an envelope of rare seeds empty. Magdalena's stories open the world of plants and Kew for listeners. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from January 1, 2018
With evident passion for endangered and common plant species alike, Magdalena, tropical senior botanical horticulturist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in England, shares his experiences traveling the world in his quest to save plant species before they go extinct. Magdalena details his exploits in a wide array of environments—including the Mascarene Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, the desert of Peru, the Amazonian region of Bolivia, and the Australian outback—while demonstrating the critical role plants play in all facets of human life. He consistently discusses the need for conservation efforts and says that he wants people “to understand the importance of plants so much that we are moved to do something about it.” Balancing the excitement of fieldwork with the rigors of plant propagation, Magdalena works to find new strategies for germinating seeds from plants that are on the brink of extinction and to keep the last seedlings of a species alive. He is equally articulate about the role that institutions such as Kew play in global conservation efforts, both by growing and preserving plants, as well as through education efforts in all corners of the world. Magdalena’s paean to flora is bound to enthrall readers and get them thinking more fully about plants.
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