Books about Chilean gardens and plants are rare, especially in English. So it is particularly exciting to have a new book, this being about the country’s native flora. “Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile” was published by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and includes 81 exquisite plates of Chilean plants, each with engaging, full page write-ups that include the importance of the plant both to native peoples and in today’s culture, its ecological niche and conservation status, and general propagation and cultivation advice.
All of the selections are also quite beautiful, and the botanical artistry is of the finest quality. Many of the plants are familiar, including Arboretum plants such as monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) and Chilean firebush (Embothrium coccineum). This publication is very much of the quality and in the style (and large size) of the great 18th and 19th century floras and as with those, we keep it in the rare book room of the Miller Library where it is available for viewing by appointment.
Excerpted from the Spring 2016 Arboretum Bulletin.