A Contemplation upon Flowers

"Bobby J. Ward traverses the mundane to the mystical in this passionate study of eighty garden plants as they appear in literature and myth." "Quotations from poems, novels, plays, and stories, some as recent as the nineteenth century, some dating from ancient Greece, vividly illustrate the rich histories of our favorite plants. This book traces the origins of both scientific or Latin names and common names for each plant. And Ward explains each plant's place in historical events, its connection to Greek and Roman - or other - mythologies, its use in religious ceremonies, its symbolism in the arts, or its traditional medicinal uses."--Jacket.