Best Books On Botany – 15 Must-Read Books On Botanical Science & More

I am sure there are millions of readers here who love to study botany. Me being a botanical nerd nowadays, I have decided to list out the best 15 must-read books on botanical science and history. All of these books are amaze. I have read dew of them thrice and even more. So if you are also a bookworm like me who wants to gain botany basics knowledge, then do have a look at my top books. 

Best Books On Botany

Below is the book’s overview as per my sense, and if you have these books, then do comment your reviews too in the box below.

1. Botany: Introduction to Plant Biology and Botany: A lab Manual 

AUTHOR: JAMES D. MAUSETH

Finding something to start reading? Botany: Introduction to plant biology is the perfect book to begin with. It had all the basic fundamentals of plant science. And it feels like a Botany teacher explaining things in depth. This book deeply demonstrates the structure and functioning of a plant and its understanding. It has high-quality imagery and combines easy writing approachable to understand for the readers. The latest 7th edition of the lab manual helps understand plant biology and dig into molecular biology.

2. The Imagination of Plants: A Book of Botanical Mythology

AUTHOR: MATTHEW HALL

This book will simply blow your mind when it comes to deep understanding and knowledge of plants. It tells us about the importance of plants taught from the ancient Greek times and its importance in our culture. It has numerous stories that present plants in different meaningful ways. It has all the botanical mythology of plants and instances that leads us to keep believing in nature. Whether it be tree-hugging of India or referring to The Kalevala, this book explains it all.

3. Plants as Persons: A Philosophical Botany

AUTHOR: MATTHEW HALL

Remember those school days when we used to write autobiographies on normal objects. Similarly, this book is about plants but imagine if a plant would be a person. This book will help you to understand the moral standing of plants and their vision. It helps understand the ethical behaviour every human being should have for plants. It also shares a brief history of botany and how humans should take care of them. If you want a reality check of how important a plant is, then you must read this book. 

4. RHS Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers

AUTHOR: CHRISTOPHER BRICKELL

If you are someone who opts for imagery learning for things, then this is the book for you guys. It has many pictures showcasing plants flowers and how they grow, history and introduction to botany. If you are an amateur or even a professional gardener, you must go through this book and learn. This comprehensive edition of the book covers a detailed description of 4000 plants, and you can keep this book forever on your bookshelf. 

5. Botanicum 

AUTHOR: KATIE SCOTT & KATHY WILLIS

Botanicum is for someone who loves to understand botany and for those who don’t love botany too. I will make you understand how this book has detailed information on the plant world and the history of botany. Not only this, but it also has extensive illustrations explaining plants in depth. To those who don’t understand botany yet love plant frames or plants, find this book useful as it has posters to frame on a wall. 

6. Natural History: The Ultimate Visual Guide of Everything on Earth

AUTHOR: BECKY ALEXANDER 

This book is compiled with an abundance of knowledge about plants, its history, the importance of botany, botany basics and much more. From rocks to woods, microbes and mammals, it has a precise survey. Users can learn in-depth studies on plants with every detail. For better understanding, it has more than 5000 images too. There are separate pages dedicated to specific life forms and charts for an explanation. 

7. Flora: Inside The Secret World Of Plants

AUTHOR: DK

To understand the exquisite diversity of the plant world and know how plants work, this is the book you need to refer to. With the extraordinary photographic explanation of flowers, plants, trees and foliage, readers can easily grab the context. The whole book explains how plants communicate through amazing stories. It is completely a very refreshing book with an abundance of creative writing. 

8. The Modern Herbal Dispensatory: A Medicine Making Guide

AUTHOR: THOMAS EASLEU, STEVEN HORNE

Learning herbalism is very difficult and needs a deep knowledge of plants. This book has covered everything from harvesting to low-cost administering and remedies to treat several diseases. There are DIY remedies allocated for the users to implement them and adapt the herbal medicines over high priced commercial products for a healthy life. If you are someone who wants to learn and produce herbal remedies, then this is it.

9. Atlas Of Poetic Botany

AUTHOR: FRANCIS HALLE 

This is a book completely based on tropical rainforests. It has a total compilation of plants observed by the author, who has the expertise of more than 40 years in botany. The author has explained every characteristic of a plant which is very rare to find. This poetic botany book will leave you in bizarre and draw you to read more about it. Gain all the aesthetic satisfaction reading about the plants around the world with a poetic perspective. 

10. Around The World in 80 Trees

AUTHOR: JONATHAN DORI

This book is a spectacular blend of culture, history and science, explaining the relationship between plants and humans for ages. It is loaded with information and interesting facts that will leave you in a great surprise. It has a very crisp formation of the book and has beautiful drawings by Lucille Clerc. This niche book is a must-have to suspect the magic of love for trees. Fall in interaction with the quirky stories and pictures to add fun in reading.

11. Practical Botany For Gardeners: Over 3000 Botanical Terms Explained And Explored

AUTHOR: GEOFF HODGE

If you are a gardener or are interested in learning about botany, then this is the book you should begin with. It explains all the botanical terms and introduces you to the basic concept of botany, its history and how traditional botany is neglected a bit. This book helps the readers to easily navigate the terms used for plants. With the help of this book, you can surely grow and nurture your own garden and improve your skills as well. 

12. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

AUTHOR: ROBIN WALL KIMMERER

This book is one of the bestsellers in many states and is named with “Best Essay Collection of the Decade”. Well, truly, this book has it all. This book has this special power that reminds every reader to cultivate more and more love for nature. If we cannot contribute to expanding the natural habitat, then we can protect nature. Once you start looking at plants through the lens of love, you will do everything to keep yourself surrounded by nature. 

13. Botany: Plants, Cells and Photosynthesis

AUTHOR: APRIL CHLOE TERRAZAS

As the name suggests, this book gives a detailed study of plants, its cells and the photosynthesis process. If you are someone who wants to explore plants through every medium, then you must read this book and understand the microscopic view of cells. The attractive candy coloured illustrations will grab your attention and reinforce you to read more. 

14. Botany In A Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification

AUTHOR: THOMAS J. ELPEL

Well, nothing can be learned in a day, but once you start reading this book, you will get the hang of it from day 1. Anyone who’s interested in botany can start reading it. It gives a brief explanation to identify the members of the aster family. You need to focus and learn through it. It will definitely not help you to understand botany in a day but help you understand the concepts from day 1. So in a week, you will become a Pro. 

15. The Big, Bad Book of Botany: The World’s Most Fascinating Flora

AUTHOR: MICHAEL LARGO

Just like the name suggests and the whole appearance of the book, it is sassy and has quirky meanings too. Imagine a plant giving a polygraph test and a flower having the power to turn a human into a zombie! It is so exciting, right? This book holds answers for the craziest questions one can have and learn about horticulture and botany. Stay focused and enjoy this big, bad ride of botany.

Bottom Line:

All of these books are read by me, and this is the overview, in my opinion. If you find any other book more interesting and beneficial for our gardeners, then do mention it in the comment. I will review them as well and update you with it. That’s all for now; keep growing plants, save nature, Tadda.