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Book Cover for: Botanica Fantastica: The Illustrated Guide to Fictional Plants, Trees and Herbs from Fantasy and Folklore, Kew

Botanica Fantastica: The Illustrated Guide to Fictional Plants, Trees and Herbs from Fantasy and Folklore

Kew

Botanica Fantastica brings to life the astonishing fictional plant creations of some of the world's favourite authors and creators.

Featuring over 100 specially drawn illustrations that visualize these species as if real, this book will combine expert analysis of these iconic creations and the worlds they inhabit, as well as exploration of the real-life species that inspired the authors. From Middle Earth and Hogwarts to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Zelda, and from red weed and cordyceps to piranha plants and triffids, every self-respecting fantasy or supernatural imagining has its own botanical world full of characterful and powerful plants.

Created with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and New Scientist comment and culture editor Alison Flood, Botanica Fantastica is a sumptuously illustrated journey into the bizarre botanical creations of some of science fiction and fantasy's most ingenious minds.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Welbeck
  • Publish Date: Oct 20th, 2026
  • Pages: 192
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 0.00in - 0.00in - 0.00in - 0.00lb
  • EAN: 9781035438822
  • Categories: Cultural BotanyFolklore & MythologyGeneral

About the Author

Kew: - THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW is a world-famous scientific organisation, holding an unrivalled position for its outstanding collections of plants and fungi, artefacts and art, world-class Herbarium as well as its expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development. From its beginnings as a small physic garden in 1759 it has grown to become a top international visitor attraction and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kew's 132 hectares of stunning landscaped gardens and iconic glasshouses make it one of the world's best-loved gardens, a paradise for plant lovers, offering a wealth of ideas and inspiration to all.
Flood, Alison: - Alison Flood is New Scientist's comment and culture editor. She was previously books writer for The Guardian. She jusged the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction in 2024, chairs the British Book Awards' Crime and Thriller Book of the Year award and has also judged the Costa first novel award and the Orwell prize for political fiction. She has contributed essays and forewords for titles including Poor Souls' Light, a collection of stories inspired by Robert Aickman, and Literary Landscapes. She writes a monthly round-up of the best new science fiction for New Scientist, and also runs the New Scientist Book Club.