cover image Victoria: The Seductress: A Cultural and Natural History of the World's Greatest Water Lily

Victoria: The Seductress: A Cultural and Natural History of the World's Greatest Water Lily

Tomasz Ani%C5%9Bko. Longwood Gardens (Beckon, dist.), $69.99 (468p) ISBN 978-1-935442-22-6

Ani%C5%9Bko (When Perennials Bloom), curator and plant explorer at Pennsylvania's Longwood Gardens, has compiled an exhaustive and lavish natural history of the gigantic water lily native to South America. Studied in the 19th century by a number of European and American botanical explorers, Victoria's immense size, color-changing flower, and heady scent inspired the creation and expansion of many botanical gardens. Ani%C5%9Bko begins with how this plant, with leaves up to 9 feet in diameter, became known to the world, before exploring species cultivation; the many difficulties experienced in botanical classification; and finally the plant's basic features, with measurements taken around the world under various cultivated and natural environments, details about the structure of the leaves, how the flowers generate heat, and the symbiotic relationship with pollinators. Ani%C5%9Bko concludes with chapters regarding greenhouse and conservatory design, how Victoria has inspired artists and architects, and the plant in mythology around the world. Those not familiar with the plant might wish to read later chapters first, as Ani%C5%9Bko gives little introduction regarding why it is considered so remarkable. With colorful photographs and reproduced paintings throughout, this work is a pleasure for botanists and laypersons alike. (May)