The Aliveness of Plants:

The Darwins at the Dawn of Plant Science

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Peter Ayres

The Darwin family was instrumental in the history of botany. For Erasmus (1731–1802), it was a hobby, for Charles (1809–1882) an inspiration, and for Francis (1848–1925), a profession. Their experiences illustrate the growing specialization and professionalization of science throughout the nineteenth century. Ayres shows how botany escaped the burdens of medicine, feminization and the sterility of classification and nomenclature to become a rigorous laboratory science.

Sample pages

• The Aliveness of Plants: Introduction
• The Aliveness of Plants: Index

Readership

History of Botany, History of Biology, Darwin Studies

Contents

Introduction: Green Threads across the Ages: A Brief Perspective on the Darwins’ Botany
1 The Fortunes of the Darwins
2 The Misfortunes of Botany
3 Erasmus Darwin’s Vision of the Future: Phytologia
4 Charles Darwin’s Evolutionary Period
5 Charles Darwin’s Physiological Period
6 Charles Darwin, Francis Darwin and Differences with von Sachs
7 Francis Darwin, Cambridge and Plant Physiology
8 Francis Darwin, Family and his Father’s Memory
9 Fortune’s Favourites?
Conclusion: Where Did the Green Threads Lead? The Botanical Legacy

Reviews

Recognized by CHOICE Magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title, 2008.

'Ayres comprehensively sums up the achievements of Darwinian plant science, successfully recreates the atmosphere of the times and assesses the personal strengths and frailties of each of the leading characters. All this is beautifully intertwined and placed in an enveloping framework of social and institutional change...The book is highly recommended.'
– Mike Jackson, Annals of Botany

'The Aliveness of Plants offers an engaging discussion of issues in the past and current history of plant physiology. Throughout, Ayres's emphasis on biography makes the history a human story of individuals, jealousies, and misunderstandings, as well as of friendships and the networks through which ideas and projects circulated.'
– Ann Shteir, ISIS

'This is the perfect book for every botanist to read and digest ... in fact it should be required reading for all biologists.'
– Marshall D Sundberg, Plant Science Bulletin

'Ayres has a fine understanding of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century plant science, especially in Britain. He gives due attention to the rich interactions and personalities of no less than five generations of Darwins.'
– Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis, British Journal for the History of Science

Related titles

• The British Arboretum: Trees, Science and Culture in the Nineteenth Century
• Sex, Reproduction and Darwinism
• The Works of Charles Darwin
• Until Darwin, Science, Human Variety and the Origins of Race
• Victorian Science and Literature
• The World of Carolus Clusius: Natural History in the Making, 1550–1610

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