Gods and Goddesses in the Garden

Greco-Roman Mythology and the Scientific Names of Plants
by Peter Bernhardt

Zeus, Medusa, Hercules, Aphrodite. Did you know that these and other gods, heroes, and monsters of Greek and Roman mythology live on in the names of trees and flowers? Some grow in your local woodlands or right in your own backyard garden.

In this delightful book, botanist Peter Bernhardt reveals the rich history and mythology that underlie the origins of many scientific plant names. His account is structured as a series of interlocking stories. Each chapter opens with a short version of a classical myth, then links the tale to plant names, showing how each plant "resembles" its mythological counterpart with regard to its history, anatomy, life cycle, and conservation. You will learn, for example, that as our garden acanthus wears nasty spines along its leaf margins, it is named for the nymph who scratched the face of Apollo. The shape-shifting god, Proteus, gives his name to a whole family of shrubs and trees that produce colorful flowers in an astonishing number of sizes and shapes.

“This is the reference guide on the origins of plant names based on classical mythology.” –Robbin Moran, The New York Botanical Garden

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