Blossoms

A cutting-edge book about the genetics behind flowers in five parts, explaining what plants are and what they can do, how genes work, the timing of flowering in terms of temperature and light, the shaping of flowers and decoration in terms of colour and scent. Functionally, the flower's task is to produce seeds and in order to optimise this process, they need to attract insects or birds. Flowers are big business and seeds are also important in terms of what we eat – rice and wheat, for instance. It is clear that huge progress has been made in this field over the last 20 years, but I did notice the absence of any discussion about the role of formative principles and the dynamic approach exemplified in the science of Goethe – in other words this is largely a quantitative rather than a qualitative approach in an area where I think both are required.