American Household Botany: A History of Useful Plants, 1620-1900

In this fascinating book, celebrated author Judith Sumner rescues from the pages of history the practical experience and botanical wisdom of generations of Americans. Crossing the disciplines of history, ethnobotany, and horticulture — and with a flair for the colorful anecdote — Sumner underlines a part of the American story often ignored or forgotten: how European settlers and their descendents made use of the strange new plants they found, as well as the select varieties of foods and medicines they brought with them from other continents. From turkie wheat (corn) to tuckahoe (a Native American source of starch), Sumner describes the transition from wonderment to daily use, as homesteads were built upon and prospered from the plants of the New World. It is a remarkable story of the interdependence of plants and the American home. Historians, herbalists, home gardeners, and ethnobotanists will find American Household Botany a treasure trove of original research and insight.