Botanica North America: The Illustrated Guide to Our Native Plants, Their Botany, History, and the Way They Have Shaped Our World

With over 420 entries and more than 670 pages, this encyclopedia by Canadian gardening writer Harris (In the Garden, Favorite Garden Tips, etc.) provides a comprehensive celebration of the trees and flowers native to North America. (Harris defines""native"" as""a plant that can be documented to have been in North America prior to European contact."") Her book emphasizes the historical and medicinal aspects of its entries. For example, under""Flowering Dogwood,"" Harris notes that Native Americans used the tree as""an indicator plant"" whose blooms let them know when it was time to plant corn and that dogwood's bark contains the same malaria-treating ingredient as quinine. This volume is a good choice for those who are interested in ecologically conscious gardening and botanical history.