A Field Guide to Surreal Botany

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Two Cranes Press presents A Field Guide to Surreal Botany, an anthology of fictional plant species that exist beyond the realm of the real, fully illustrated in gorgeous full-color by Janet Chui. The specimens contained herein--dutifully and, in some cases, painfully recorded by our keen-eyed assortment of contributing cryptobotanists, field researchers, and graduate assistants --are organized according to geographical region, and described in erudite detail by our contributors.

Inside the book you’ll find specimens such as the Couch Kelp , a floating seaweed with an inflatable bladder resembling a sofa; the Big Yellow Flower of Unnecessarily Obvious Information , a plant with a flower that is big and yellow; Twilight Luon-Sibir , which has an extremely short life cycle and exists in a state of probability; and forty-five other plant species from all over the world and beyond.

Not since Cryptethnophytology of Latin America by Dr. Dean Jameson , Asian Pomological Fantastika by Sng Chen Whye , or Parallel Botany by Leo Lionni , has such a comprehensive volume of surreal flora been assembled in one place. Produced in conjunction with the Surreal Botanists Association, A Field Guide to Surreal Botany is an unforgettable tour through the fantastical plant kingdom.

Table of Contents

" Armor of The Dark Blue Heart, Armorea Navum," by Susan Fedynak
"Attercopp plant, Chelicereae Telacaulum," by Alexandra O'Neal
"Avian Trumpetflower, Trochilium avifructus," by Andrew Nicolle
"Baby cabbage, also regionally referred to as The Leaf, Squallroot or Mother's Little Helper, Cruciferae Brassica homogenesis," by Jay Lake
"big yellow flower of unnecessarily obvious information, Explanatum obviosis," by Elizabeth Langford
"Bitter Mortar, Cucurbitaceae Marah," by Steve Himmer
"Bone Garden, otherwise known as Adam's Ribcage, Aloe skelaphalia," by Eric J. Millar
"Burning Bush Fungus, Encephalitozoon Elysium," by John Bowker
"Clickweed, Everricula Pilolaqueus," by Ann Leckie
"Cloud Anemone, Bromeliaceae Tillandsia nebularia," by James Trimarco
"Couch Kelp, Siturfatarscea velvetorleva monthlypaymentis," by Jonathan Wonham
"Devil’s Pork, Tuberaceae Tuber," by John Black
"Dream Melons, Melo somnio," by Joe Hansen
"Esemtep, Unclassified," by Steve Berman
"Fairy apple, timewarp lemon, Atlantis Mandrake, Podophyllum sidhe," by Lucy A. Snyder
"firefly bellflower , Tintinnabulum photuris," by Francesca Forrest
"Flame Lily, Nymphaeaceae-flammiferum," by Matthew Baugh
"Forget-me-bastard, Myosovictimis uncertae sedis," by Elaine Clift
"Giant Cloud Lily, Liliaceae Lilium," by Patricia L. Havis
"Haunt Vine , Ipomoea Umbris," by Mark Teppo
"Kitty Willow, Salix ambulara," by Mary E. Lowd
"Kvetching aspen, Populus kvetchis," by H.F. Gibbard
"Lautokan Ear-blossom Plant , Auriculula cosmetales," by Brendan Carson
"Leonidas' Bloom, Campanula lacedaemia," by Adam Nakama
"Library Plum, Bibloteca prunus," by Merrie Haskell
"Nightmare Lotus, Nymphae somnium maledictus," by Kris Dikeman
"Ozymandias-plant, Lamiaceae ," by Cassandra Phillips-Sears
"Padmamukhi , Nelumbonaceae nelumbo," by Shveta Thakrar
"Poliphila, or 'Shriner Vine', Unclassified," by Victoria Elisabeth Garcia
"Queen Victoria’s Bloomers, Monkey Ho, Caligula homocopulus," by Eric Schaller
"Screaming Mimi, Datura clamo," by Yvonne Pronovost
"Shade’s Globe , Umberia medianus," by Darja Malcolm-Clarke
"Singing Grass, unknown," by David Kelly
"Stag-eye nettle, Urtica aboculus," by January Mortimer
"Swift River Hopping Pitcher Plant, Pseudosarracenia verdeverminus," by Suzanne Palmer
"Teslated Salishan Evergreen, Cupressuceaohm salishan nikola," by Livia Llewellyn
"The Faerie Hogweed, Heracleum ignotum," by Philip J. Lees
"The Nabokov, Unclassified, by Stephanie Campisi and Ben Peek
"The Poseur Nosehairs, Animaceae Sominus," by Toiya Kristen Finley
"The Sembla, Spasmodicus plasticosa," by Matthew Kressel
"Thuringian Shade-tree, Umbropsida noctalus," by Catherine Gunson
"Time Cactus, Chronocactus hematophageis," by Christopher M. Cevasco
"Twilight Luon-Sibir, Russica spectrata," by Vera Nazarian
"Ugly Tree, Medusa's Hairbrush, Acer horrendoturpis," by Tom Pendergrass
"Waterbaby Cress, Nasturtium Charleskingsleni," by Erik Amundsen
"Whistle tree, Catalpa musicalis," by Shweta Narayan
"Wild Homilywort , Quercus loquatium," by Alex Chambers
"Wind melon, Saturn melon, God's Eyes, Cucumis melo helioaero," by Dave Coulter

Pages: 76

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Two Cranes Press

Release: July 01, 2008

ISBN 13: 9789810810177

A Field Guide to Surreal Botany

Elizabeth Langford

4.1/5 ( ratings)

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Pages: 76

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Two Cranes Press

Release: July 01, 2008

ISBN 13: 9789810810177

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Reader Reviews

Pamela Lloyd

(5/5)

7

Apr 26, 2024

I'm calling this an anthology, but it's not, really. This is exactly what it claims to be: a field guide. But, you won't find the plants listed growing nearby, unless you live on the borders of Faerie and are able to wander back and forth at will. A lovely book, illustrated with gorgeous pictures of many of the plants.
Lynn Goodrich

(5/5)

1

Apr 26, 2024

A love story going back through time. A true winner!
Paige

(4/5)

1

Apr 26, 2024

I didn't "finish" this book, as in read it page 1 - done. But I did find time to get lost in it.
Trinity

(4/5)

2

Apr 26, 2024

A beautiful and intriguing book. True rating 4.4, excellent in every way, but not quite a 5.
Yvonne Eliot

(4/5)

2

Apr 26, 2024

Very creative and fun. I've slipped in onto the bookcase amidst my gardening books for the sheer whimsy of it.
Chris Lynch

(4/5)

4

Apr 26, 2024

Offbeat fun.My favourite is probably the ancient plant that generates a wormhole anchored in the space-time location of the budding flower. The wormhole slowly lengthens as the flower grows, allowing the plant to shift nutrients from periods of plenty back in time to periods of famine, ensuring survival over hundreds -- or in one case, millions -- of years. Various specimens are World Heritage-listed because careful use allows certified researchers to observe the American Civil War or a herd of
GUD Magazine

(4/5)

6

Apr 26, 2024

These days you have to crinkle the map a bit to find any edges, but that makes the edges no less real. And still at the edges of the map lie not only dragons and other fauna, but quite curious flora as well, though in some instances the distinction is difficult."A Field Guide to Surreal Botany" begins with an elegant introduction to the world of surreal botany, and its move to the underground of science since the eighteenth century. But:"The publishers of this book believe that the time for rema...
Barbara

(4/5)

6

Apr 26, 2024

This was a fun collection to read in short little bursts.

Pamela Lloyd

(5/5)

Apr 26, 2024

I'm calling this an anthology, but it's not, really. This is exactly what it claims to be: a field guide. But, you won't find the plants listed growing nearby, unless you live on the borders of Faerie and are able to wander back and forth at will. A lovely book, illustrated with gorgeous pictures of many of the plants.

Lynn Goodrich

A love story going back through time. A true winner!

Paige

(4/5)

I didn't "finish" this book, as in read it page 1 - done. But I did find time to get lost in it.

Trinity

A beautiful and intriguing book. True rating 4.4, excellent in every way, but not quite a 5.

Yvonne Eliot

Very creative and fun. I've slipped in onto the bookcase amidst my gardening books for the sheer whimsy of it.

Chris Lynch

Offbeat fun.My favourite is probably the ancient plant that generates a wormhole anchored in the space-time location of the budding flower. The wormhole slowly lengthens as the flower grows, allowing the plant to shift nutrients from periods of plenty back in time to periods of famine, ensuring survival over hundreds -- or in one case, millions -- of years. Various specimens are World Heritage-listed because careful use allows certified researchers to observe the American Civil War or a herd of

GUD Magazine

These days you have to crinkle the map a bit to find any edges, but that makes the edges no less real. And still at the edges of the map lie not only dragons and other fauna, but quite curious flora as well, though in some instances the distinction is difficult."A Field Guide to Surreal Botany" begins with an elegant introduction to the world of surreal botany, and its move to the underground of science since the eighteenth century. But:"The publishers of this book believe that the time for rema...

Barbara

This was a fun collection to read in short little bursts.

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A Field Guide to Surreal Botany

A Field Guide to Surreal Botany

A Field Guide to Surreal Botany

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