Download or read book Wily Violets and Underground Orchids written by Peter Bernhardt and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2003-05-17 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, Peter Bernhardt takes us on a grand tour of the botanical realm, weaving engaging descriptions of the lovely shapes and intriguing habits of flowering plants with considerations of broader questions, such as why there are only six basic shapes of flowers and why the orchid family is so numerous and so bizarre. Everyone from amateur naturalists and gardeners to plant scientists will find Wily Violets and Underground Orchids a lively guide to botanical lore.