Flora of Middle-Earth: Plants of J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium

The book considers the importance of plants in Tolkien's conception of Middle-earth. It develops the theme that Middle-earth is our own world - and will awaken the reader to the connection between the plants of Tolkien's legendarium and those growing in our gardens and local natural areas of the Northern Hemisphere. It also demonstrates the connection between the various plant communities of Middle-earth and the elven and human cultures that occupy them, including those environments degraded by warfare, industrialization or pollution. The heart of the book is an alphabetical listing, arranged by common names, of all of the plants mentioned in Tolkien's legendarium; for each of these plants the treatment will include: 1) common and scientific name, along with an indication of the family to which the plant belongs, 2) a brief quote from one of Tolkien's works in which the plant is referenced, 3) a discussion of the significance of the plant in the context of Tolkien's legendarium, 4) the etymology relating to both English common name and the scientific name, and where relevant, the name in one or more of the languages of Middle-earth, 5) a brief statement of the plant's distribution and ecology (along with mention of major species), 6) economic uses, both traditional and current, and 7) an easy-to-understand description of the plant. The book provides guidelines to the use of plant descriptions, and the few technical terms used are carefully defined. Many plants are illustrated by original artwork, in the style of a woodcut print. The description along with an identification key, when used with the illustrations, allow easy identification of each plant, adding to the reader's understanding and appreciation of Tolkien's works. A glossary of descriptive terms is also included.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 - Introduction: The Importance of Plants in J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium Chapter 2 - Plant Communities of Middle-earth Chapter 3 - The Diversity of Life, with a Focus on the Green Plants Chapter 4 - Introduction to Plant Morphology - Learning the Language of Plant Descriptions Chapter 5 - Identification of the Plants of Middle-earth Chapter 6 - Telperion and Laurelin - The Two Trees of Valinor Chapter 7 - The Plants of Middle-earth Chapter 8 - A Note from the Illustrator

About the Author :
Walter S. Judd is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biology, University of Florida. His research focuses on the systematics and evolution of the flowering plants. He has published over 200 refereed articles and has described numerous new species of plants. Graham Judd holds an MFA in Printmaking, and received a Jerome Foundation Fellowship for Emerging Printmakers at Highpoint Center for Printmaking. He currently teaches at Augsburg College and Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Review :
"...This volume, with its handsome and haunting woodcuts, is best appreciated in small doses. It's heady stuff, quite concentrated. But it made me blow the dust off my copy of "The Silmarillion" and add it to my stash of winter reading." -- The New York Times Book Review "[Judd] has in this book produced an extremely detailed survey of the plants that create the distinctive landscapes of Middle-earth. Each plant is treated with the same botanical precision." -- Lynn Forest-Hill, Tolkien Studies "Walter Judd lifts lovely passages from Tolkien's prose to elucidate on different plant species. There is helpful basic botany to further offset [our] 'plant blindness'. Graham Judd's rich, black and white illustrations are intriguing combinations of botanical likenesses and psychological commentary." -- The New York Journal of Books "Moved by Tolkien's passion for plants, the retired botany professor spent years cataloging every plant that appeared in his writing, eventually compiling a list of 141 different species. He teamed up with his son, Graham, a professional illustrator. And together, they embarked on quest to transform that list into a botanical guide to Middle Earth." -- NPR "No one who dips into, or better still, reads this book will ever think of The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit in the same way again." -- Nature Plants "The clear, comprehensive alphabetical listing of each species, along with the visual identification key of the plant drawings, adds to the readers understanding and appreciation of the Tolkien canon." -- Ian Street, Annals of Botany