As European modes of civilization and cultivation were exported worldwide, botanical study was revolutionized – through the work of Charles Darwin and many others – and the new science of biology was born, based on cells, nuclei and molecules. As Darwinism took hold, plants came to be seen as a way of thinking about the connectivity of nature and life itself. The six-volume set of the presents the first comprehensive history of the uses and meanings of plants from prehistory to today. The themes covered in each volume are plants as staple foods; plants as luxury foods; trade and exploration; plant technology and science; plants and medicine; plants in culture; plants as natural ornaments; the representation of plants. is Emeritus Fellow at Wadham College, University of Oxford, UK; Emeritus Professor at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands; and Adjunct Professor at Macquarie University, Australia. is the fifth volume in the six-volume set, , also available online as part of Bloomsbury Cultural History, a fully-searchable digital library (see www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com). General Editors: Annette Giesecke, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and David Mabberley, University of Oxford, UK.