Horticulture meets history, anthropology, and more in this collection of essays about plants and their place in our lives. Each essay is a mini-visit to a plant or plants that examines their usefulness or uses. This is a book that can be opened to any page and enjoyed in a few minutes. Whether the topic is the nutritional value and sustainability of beans, or the historical use of pepper for money, self-medication of animals using plants, or the effect of plants on human psychology, the reader is sure to learn something new and be entertained, too.