Two to four pages of photos showcase the inner workings of each of the flowers, ranging from those we recognise every day such as kōwhai, pohutukawa and korokio to lesser-known and intriguing flowers such as the bat-pollinated blossoms of kiekie. The macro photography is simply stunning, worthy of gracing a gallery’s walls.
But what a surprise when I found the 3D viewer — a whole new level of appreciation was then reached.
As the author says in the book, conventional photography presents images on a flat page, so it is hard to see the flower’s true shape, or the way that a pollinator would see it.
Using the 3D viewer, the photos came alive. I could now understand the excitement the author had many years ago when he first became hooked on stereo magnification after looking through his first stereo microscope in a botany class. That is where he first found his passion for flowers which became “objects for scientific study as well as things of beauty”. And that’s exactly what this book highlights.
Garnock-Jones is a botanist, emeritus professor and former chair of botany at Victoria University. He uses plain language where he can, backed up by a glossary of botanic terminology and includes an introductory chapter on the importance of flowers and their reproduction methods.
At 448 pages, it’s a large, heavy book, probably best described as part textbook, part photography book.
It’s a book to be treasured, to sit proudly on display in the bookshelf or on the table for all to enjoy and to be passed down through generations of budding botanists, horticulturists or photographers alike.
