中文简介：

纵观历史，花卉一直是人类生存和文化的一个重要组成部分。它们不仅被用作食物、药物、表达感情、象征、纪念和庆祝以及装饰，而且其形状、颜色、气味和质地也一直吸引着我们，就像它们吸引着动物和昆虫一样。例如藏红花可以用作奢侈的香料，金盏花可以喂鸡使鸡蛋更黄，薰衣草则是伊丽莎白一世最喜欢的果酱调味剂之一。此外，每种花都有其独特的象征意义：紫罗兰代表谦虚，雏菊代表纯洁，水仙花代表无私的爱情等等。而且，它们在神话和传说、文学和装饰艺术等文化中一直扮演着重要角色。这本新书汇集了100种全球知名的花卉，并讲述了它们非凡的故事。每种花都配有精美彩图，并附有关于该品种的事实以及在我们文化与历史中所扮演的角色。

英文简介：

Throughout history flowers have been an integral part of human survival and culture – as food, for medicine, to express feelings, as symbols, to commemorate and celebrate, and to decorate. Their shapes, colours, scents and textures have always attracted us, as they do animals and insects. Flowers are used as luxury spices (saffron), and as colouring and flavouring agents – marigolds fed to chickens make eggs more yellow and lavender was Elizabeth I's favourite flavour of jam. Flowers are full of symbolic meaning: violets represent modesty, daises purity and daffodils unrequited love. And they have always played an important role in culture through myths and legends, literature and the decorative arts. This delightful new book brings together 100 of the world's flowers to tell their remarkable stories. Each flower is richly illustrated in colour and accompanied by facts about each species and what role it has played in our culture and history.