The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is home to some of the most magnificent trees in the world. From pines to palms to plum yews, they are an awe-inspiring, majestic presence in the gardens. Many are decades and even centuries old, including the iconic “Old Lions,” trees that have stood since the Revolutionary War.Royal Heritage Trees is a fitting tribute to Kew’s signature trees and a celebration of their beauty. Japanese artist Masumi Yamanaka illustrates the oldest and finest trees growing at the gardens with forty paintings created exclusively for this collection. Her paintings capture both whole trees and fine details and show the trees’ foliage and flowers at different stages throughout the year. Martyn Rix’s lively descriptions outline the natural distribution and cultivation history of the plants, while Yamanaka provides engaging commentary on the process of painting each tree and capturing the garden’s beauty. Christina Harrison provides an introductory chapter on the history of tree collecting, from the appearance of trees in the botanic gardens of sixteenth-century Europe to the world’s passion for plant hunting over the next few centuries, which established trees as integral to garden design and landscaping. She also highlights the importance of trees today, from their practical applications to the sheer wonder of their beauty. This book is an ideal gift for all those lovers of trees and botanical art and a beautiful reminder of our long-standing adoration of these leafy giants.

Treasured Trees

Arts & Photography

Rix, Martyn

Yamanaka, Masumi

Harrison, Christina

History & Criticism

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Botanists, horticulturalists, and ordinary plant lovers have been fascinated by Japanese indigenous plants for more than two centuries now, dating back to early discoveries by Western botanists visiting Japan who collected specimens that influenced horticulture and breeding throughout Europe. The excitement generated by Japanese plants in the West led botanical painters in Japan to take note, and thus began a long tradition of depicting their native flora. Flora Japonica honors that legacy with a stunning celebration of modern Japanese botanical art. It features over eighty specially commissioned paintings of Japanese wild plants from thirty six of Japan’s best contemporary botanical artists. Each painting is accompanied by information about its natural history, as well as a botanical description. An introduction explores the history of Japanese botanical illustration, paying particular attention to the work of the influential botanist and illustrator Tomitaro Makino. The result is a book suited for any plant lover—a beautifully produced and scientifically up to date celebration of Japan’s incomparable flora.

Flora Japonica

Ohba, Hideaki

Graphic Design

Flora japonica

Photography & Video

ULMER

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Books by Yamanaka, Masumi