By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch

A coincidence? I think not. In March, before spring begins in Michigan, I was out admiring some Hen & Chicks succulents out in the rock garden, that I’d only planted last year, delighted with their liveliness when everything else was still asleep.

Then I opened Planthropology later that day, and the book fell open to page 172, where the author discusses Sempervivum (Semper = “always”, vivum = “live”), thus in Latin, “live forever” plant. Yay! The perfect plant for me, who like the reptilian mother, loves to give birth (or plant) all kinds of trees and perennials, only to then walk away and completely forget about them.

Wherever you happen to open this gorgeous book there is something surprising and interesting to read. It’s full of natural history, design, philosophy, myth, and of course plain old growing tips. Reading about Skunk Cabbage alone involves Thoreau, physics, history. It’s one of those odd little facts that Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is able to metabolize starch to raise the interior temperature of the spathe up to 70 F., which is why you often see a little melted snow patch around them. Well, who knew? This is just a great book, whether or not you plan on taking shovel in hand this year.

And in case you are going to look up the name (as I did)– “Planthropology” is a name that the author made up to reflect a combination of “anthropology” and “plants”. Or, in the author’s own words:

Planthropology= plăn’thrə-pŏl’ə-jē, The study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of plants.

Ken explains further:

“I invented the word Planthropology to tell the stories about the plants we appreciate and even those that people take for granted. I felt that I needed to communicate to both gardeners and non-gardeners just how remarkable plants are. Every plant has a story to tell, and they are often sensational. Stories about plants that were once worth their weight in gold; others that are potential cancer cures; some that were thought to be extinct; and a few plants that gave rise to wars.”