Plant Cuttings

Remarkable trees by Christina Harrison & Tony Kirkham, 2^nd edition, 2024. Thames & Hudson, in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

In a bit of a déjà vu (Julia Teale & Akira O’Connor, 2015) moment – see the previous post re Remarkable plants by Helen & William Bynum – I discovered that a book entitled Remarkable trees by Christina Harrison & Tony Kirkham [which tome is here appraised] had recently been published. However, as for that same publisher’s Remarkable plants, Remarkable trees is also a new edition of a book that sat – unread, I’m embarrassed to admit – on my bookshelf*. Not having read the previous edition of this title, I was pleased to now have the opportunity to appraise its 2^nd edition.

What you get…

The 242 pages of Main text of Remarkable trees is divided into an Introduction, and six named sections – each of which has between 8 and 13 separate plant entries. In terms of coverage of the tree-containing categories of the plant kingdom, 48 of the 65 name-checked plants are angiosperms (which includes three palms), and 19 gymnosperms. The text is very well written; touching upon a very broad range of topics, it delivers excellent plants-and-people stories, with an understandable bias towards trees. The book is also abundantly and lavishly illustrated (in a fairly even mix of black-and-white and colour), with many of the 180 illustrations from the collection held by RBG, Kew. Throughout, it provides lots of interesting and appropriate facts** (although none of these are explicitly linked to sources!), supporting the view that the authors are well aware of the importance of trees, and keen to share that knowledge with a wider audience. Also, helpfully, although a number of technical terms are used, where they occur they are explained within the text – e.g. vivipary, monotypic, heterophylly, and dioecious – which can only help to improve the readers’ ‘botanical literacy’ (Fay Baudains; Kimberley Beasley).

The four, 4-columned pages of Index lists people, places, tree products, plant families, tree uses, record-breaking trees, scientific names and common names, from ‘Abies: grandis’ to ‘Yushan, National Park’. Believing you can tell a lot about a book from its index, I trust this selection of entries gives you a good insight into the topics covered in Remarkable trees: Aboriginal people; Aesculus hippocastanum [which isn’t even a showcased plant]; Agincourt, Battle of; alkaloids; anti-microbials; Ayurvedic medicine; Banks, Sir Joseph; beehives; Brazil; Brazil nut; Brown, Lancelot ‘Capability’; caffeine; Catherine of Aragon; Chinese medicine; cinnamaldehyde; Columbia, space shuttle; Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); coppiced wood; Culpeper, Nicholas; David, Father (Père) Armand; diabetes; Xylella fastidiosa; Druids; dyes; East India Company, Dutch; Egypt, ancient; Etruscan amphoras; extinction threat; FitzRoy, Robert; Fitzroya cupressoides; fruit: largest, coco de mer; Garden of Gethsemane [which I was surprised to read still exists, see here, and Reuven Doron…]; Gilgamesh, Epic of; gin; Gondwana; Grimm’s Fairy Tales; hallucinogens; Hecate, goddess of magic; Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs [also listed in Further Reading]; Hsu, Professor Hu Hsien; ink, iron gall; International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN); Japan; Karnak (Temple of Amun); Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens: Arboretum and Gardens collections; largest trees; Lauraceae family; lignotuber; mace; malaria; Malay Archipelago; Māori people & customs; Mary Rose; Mesopotamia; Midsummer Night’s Dream, A; Morus alba, Morus nigra; mulberry; musical instruments; Nanjing Forestry College; NASA, space agency; Native American peoples & customs; North, Marianne; nyctinasty; cork; oldest tree: bristlecone pine; olive oil, uses of; Paclitaxel; Pando (quaking aspen); Paul I, Tsar of Russia; perfumes; pharmaceuticals; Plasmodium; Pliny; Pliocene epoch; pneumatophores; poisons; quinine; Redwood National Park, California; Rhizophora mangle; Rosaceae family; Rossetti, Dante Gabriel; sago palm; saponin; Sharon fruit; shipbuilding; silk production; Spanish missionaries; Spice Islands; strychnine; tallest trees: Centurion mountain ash; tannins; Thisleton Dyer, Sir William; threatened trees; Tradescant, John, the Elder; treenails; umbellone; UNESCO World Heritage Sites; Vancouver, Captain George; Veitch Nurseries; vitamins; Wallace, Alfred Russel; whisky, Scottish; Wollemia noblis [sic., the only ‘typo’ I found – the specific epithet should be nobilis, which is shown correctly in the entry for this plant]; Wright brothers; Yemen; and yew: European [there are no entries under ‘X’ or ‘Z’].

A two page listing of 3-columned sources for Further Reading is also provided, in alphabetical order, but with no indication of the sections to which the items relate. Heavily biased towards books, all bar three of the 2024 listing appear to be identical to those in the 2019 edition of the book. The trio of sources new to the 2^nd edition are: Botanic Gardens Conservation International’s 2021 report State of the World’s Trees; Mark Nesbitt & Kim Walker’s Just the Tonic: A Natural History of Tonic Water; and Paul Smith’s Trees. But, and as for Remarkable plants, it’s a great pity that there are no explicit links between the sources and the fact(s) in-text to which they relate.

The main text in a bit more detail…

Introduction

In terms of ‘setting out your stall’, the authors have chosen “a wider definition of what constitutes a tree and have included some palms too, even though they do not produce secondary growth in their stems (they are monocotyledons), and so could not be called ‘woody’” (p. 9). I’m more than happy for those arborescent monocots (Sean Carrington) to be included here – and it’s nice to see their inclusion justified. In terms of their aims, the authors tell us “In this book, we want to bring you closer to over sixty special trees, representing most of the world’s major habitats – just some of the species that could be considered remarkable” (p. 10). Which ambition they achieve. Furthermore, “Many of these trees have changed the course of history and have added to our culture, economy and society. All have intriguing stories to tell” (p. 11). And some of those stories form the ‘people’ component of the individual plant entries. By way of ‘teasers’ to draw the reader in, Harrison & Kirkham pose a few questions: “did you know that nutmegs were once worth more than their weight in gold? And do you know where wild frankincense trees still grow, and how this precious resin, once the world’s first Christmas present, is still harvested? Or which tree has the largest fruit in the world; which can give you a serious headache just by sitting under it; and which can kill you in three hours?” (p. 11). Intrigued? Read on to discover the answers.

Sections

At the start of each section there’s a very short – a single page – introductory account that places the section’s assemblage of trees into some sort of context. Although short, they represent useful summaries of the section, and usually highlight the species that are covered. The layout within a section is standardised. Each plant entry is headed-up with the tree’s common name [which isn’t always the English one*** – e.g. the Māori names are given for the New Zealand trees, Pōhutukawa and Tōtara], and its scientific name. Although it may be mentioned in the detailed species account, something that could usefully be added at the start of each entry is the name of the plant family to which the tree(s) belong. Generally, the focus is on a single species, but the account for ‘redwoods’ deals with two species. Although plant entries varies in length – e.g. 2 pages (e.g., frankincense, soap bark tree, annatto), 3 (mahogany, neem, coffin tree), 4 (cricket bat willow, quinine, nutmeg), 5 for such trees as cedar, gingko, and olive, and a whopping 6 pages for cacao – they each provide informative and insightful essays of the highlighted trees. In addition to a botanical account of the species selected, each entry provides thoughtful plants-and-people information, and is abundantly illustrated with portraits of the plants portrayed or of their products. Because I couldn’t find this information easily elsewhere, the trees included in each of the book’s sections are as follows.

1. Building and Creating, which covers: cedar; mahogany, black locust tree; cork oak; cricket bat willow; English oak [which gives us two species – Quercus robur and Q. petraea]; foxglove tree; hazel; paper birch; Sitka spruce; yew; and sweet chestnut.

2. Feasting and Celebrating, celebrating Brazil nut, cacao, cinnamon, coconut, nutmeg, olive, pecan, Japanese persimmon, sago palm, pomegranate, ands stone pine.

3. Healers and Killers, extolling the virtues – or otherwise – of: maidenhair tree, fish poison tree, headache tree, manchineel, strychnine, neem, quinine, and tea tree [which is not to be confused with tea, the bush-like plant that gives us the beverage known as tea…].

4. Body and Soul, which explores baobab, the coffin tree, dragon’s blood tree, ebony, Indian banyan fig, frankincense, hawthorn, mulberry, soap bark tree, and annatto.

5. Wonders of the World, which include: mountain ash**, alerce, bristlecone pine, candlestick banksia, the handkerchief tree, coco de mer, dawn redwood, Douglas fir, kauri, durian, red mangrove, quaking aspen, and redwoods (two species considered under this common name – Sequoia sempervirens (coast redwood) and Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant redwood)).

6. Threatened and Endangered: Although many tree species are threatened (globally which the authors frequently remind us), showcased here are juniper, Pōhutukawa, the Franklin tree, monkey puzzle, Chinese silver fir, Wollemi pine, St Helena gumwood, café marron, and Tōtara.

Comparing the two editions

The full title of the 2019 book is Remarkable trees, as is the title of the 2024 version, but nowhere on the back or front covers of the latter does it declare that it is a second edition. The only clue to this fact is the statement – in rather small font – on p. 4: “This second edition published in 2024”.

What justifies publication of a 2^nd edition? Is there any difference between the text of the two versions, and therefore the information that it contains? Are there new insights – or new interpretations of those previously shared – that require an updated version of the book [Ed. – that seems unlikely with just a 5-year publication gap]? I don’t know [although my reasonably critical reading of, and comparison between, the text of both editions leads me to conclude that there are no differences in content]. But, I do think that there’s at least one place where one might have expected an appropriate amendment to the 2019 text in the 2024 edition, and that relates to an estimate of the number of tree species. Consistently, throughout their book, Harrison & Kirkham cite a figure of ‘around’ or ‘approximately’ 60,000 tree species . However, Roberto Cazzolla Gattia et al. (2022)’s publication concluded that there were “∼73,000 tree species globally, among which ∼9,000 tree species are yet to be discovered”. Although that information would not have been available when the first edition was published in 2019, it is something that’s worthy of mention in 2024’s 2^nd edition.

In fact, the only difference I’ve noted is the addition of three items of Further Reading in the 2^nd edition [specified above in What you get…]. Unfortunately, since there is no link between sources and statements in the book, one cannot know what this trio of ‘sources’ adds to the 2^nd edition – particularly since the text appears identical in both editions.

So, why has the 2024 2^nd edition been published? Again, I don’t know. Those who own or have read the 1^st edition will probably not be interested in what appears to be just a reissue of that version. Those who are not familiar with the 1^st edition, will be encouraged to buy the 2024 version – especially since it is offered for sale at a price that’s £5 cheaper than the older edition on the publisher’s web site(!) [compare £20.00 here with £25.00 here].

Link those sources!

The list of Further Reading presumably indicates – at least – some of the sources used by the authors to provide the numerous facts shared in the text. An addition that would have made that listing even more useful is for the authors to have indicated – in-text and explicitly – which sources provided which facts. Some of the many ‘unsourced’ statements include: “From as early as the twelfth century the paulownia seal was the private symbol of the Japanese imperial family, before the chrysanthemum seal” (p. 45); “Moreover, it [paper birch] is an effective laxative, is considered helpful in easing burns and healing wounds, and is now being investigated for its potential in the treatment of cancer” (p. 53); “The wood of alerce was once even used as a form of money called Real de Alerce” (p. 180); “In fact Schulman sampled but never studied a bristlecone that is probably even older, at over 5,000 years old” (p. 183) [although we are told that his “article describing his amazing discoveries was posthumously published in National Geographic Magazine” (p. 183), there appears to be no listing of this item in the book’s Further Reading section]; “In addition, mangroves have adapted to tolerate high salt levels (they are halophytes) and can excrete salt from their roots” (p. 209); and “While it is hard to place a monetary value on trees, according to a recent WWF report the goods and services offered by mangrove forests are worth US $**** 186 million per year to the world economy” (p. 210) [although a specific publication is mentioned as the source of the information, that publication does not appear to be amongst the book’s Further Reading].

Undertaking the research and tracking down sources for the many facts that are provided is a very important part of writing a book such as Remarkable trees. But, that job is not finished until the statements made are clearly linked to the sources shown in Further Reading. I know how arduous a task that can be, but showing those connections makes for a much better book – and is a much appreciated service for, and courtesy to, the readers. Adding such links – and integrating the facts introduced from the three new items of further reading – would have been a great way to show how the 2024 version of the book is a considerable improvement over the 2019 edition.

Comparing Remarkable trees and Remarkable plants

Remarkable plants by Helen & William Bynum has a number of similarities – both good and not so good – with Remarkable trees. For example, both of the versions I’ve reviewed [in this post, and here] are almost 100% unamended reprints of earlier editions of the titles, and neither make explicit links between stated facts and sources of further reading. They are also similar in that, of the 91 or so plants considered in Remarkable plants, approx. 30 are trees. And, of the tree species covered by the Bynums, approx. 17 [which includes olive, nutmeg, willow, oak, yew, mahogany, cacao, redwoods, mangrove, frankincense, pomegranate, baobab, and gingko] are also dealt with by Harrison & Kirkham. However, even for those ‘duplicated’ species, both sets of authors find different facts to share in their respective plant-based books. So, if you are looking for a pair of books to satisfy your thirst for titles in the plants-and-people genre, you could do worse than acquire both Remarkable trees and Remarkable plants.

Summary

Despite the absence of links between stated sources and its many factual statements – and the fact that this 2024 publication appears to be little more than a reissue of the 2019 version – Remarkable trees by Christina Harrison & Tony Kirkham is an excellent book that delivers a fact-filled celebration of dozens of remarkable trees and the remarkable stories of their interactions with people.

* Although my 1^st edition of the book states that the text and illustrations are copyright of Thames & Hudson, it was published by The University of Chicago Press].

** Some factual statements that were new to me (or, facts that maybe I used to know but had forgotten and was grateful to be reminded of…) include: “This phenomenon of a tree [the ‘whistler cork oak’] has been stripped for cork at least twenty times, and in 1991 was famous for generating 1,200 kilograms (2,645 pounds) of bark, which produced over 10,000 corks, more than the average cork oak tree would produce in its entire lifetime” (p. 29); “Cork taken from 225 cork trees in Portugal was used, with other materials, to insulate the space shuttle Columbia’s external fuel tank” (p. 31); “It [paper birch] is the perfect fire starter, igniting even when wet” (p. 52); “There was a serious shortage of bow staves [re yew] until Edward IV created the Statute of Westminster in 1472, which required every ship arriving at an English port to pay a tax of four bow staves for each tonne of cargo” (p. 61); “A small golden olive branch was left on the Moon by astronauts of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, representing a wish for peace for all the peoples of Earth” (p. 90); and “the dried seeds [of American persimmon] were made into buttons for the uniforms of soldiers in the American Civil War” (p. 101).

All of which are proof – if such proof be needed – that no matter how many similar plants-and-people-focussed books there are on this subject (e.g., Stefano Mancuso’s Tree stories, Jonathan Drori’s Around the world in 80 trees, and The story of trees by Kevin Hobbs & David West), there’s still plenty of information to be found and – importantly – shared.

*** The trees are listed in the table of contents by common name, which can cause a bit of confusion. For instance, believing that the entry headed ‘Mountain ash’ was about Sorbus aucuparia (which I know by its common English name as mountain ash), I was surprised to discover that it was in fact an account of Eucalyptus regnans. For that very reason it’s comforting to know that the scientific names of the trees considered in the book are also included.

**** It’s hard to say how pleased I am to see the particular dollar currency specified here. For years I’ve been trying to get my students to be specific when referring to amounts shown in dollars. With no qualification – i.e. just showing an amount as $40,000 – I can’t know if this is Hong Kong dollars, American dollars, Canadian dollars, Australian dollars, New Zealand dollars, etc. This issue is compounded for those countries that use the dollar symbol – $ – but whose currency is called the peso, e.g. Chilean peso, Colombian peso, Mexican peso (Gert Svaiko). Don’t make the reader guess. For more on this important point, see Cory Mitchell, here, and here.

REFERENCE

Roberto Cazzolla Gattia et al., 2022. The number of tree species on Earth. PNAS 119(6): e2115329119; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2115329119