Includes bibliographical references and index.

Will trade food for sex -- First flowers and their ancestors -- The go-betweens -- Pleasure gardens ancient and modern -- Flowers for eternity, and appeasing the gods -- Best of show -- Arriving by jumbo jet -- From the kitchen to your plate -- A little dab behind the ear -- The secret language of flowers -- Flowers on the page -- Flower power: the meaning of flowers in art -- The flower and the scientist -- Good for what ails us?

An exploration of the roles flowers play in the production of our foods, spices, medicines, and perfumes reveals their origins, myriad shapes, colors, textures and scents, bizarre sex lives, and how humans-- and the natural world-- relate and depend upon them.