Victoria – The Seductress A Cultural and Natural History of the World's Greatest Water Lily

Out of Print

By: Tomasz Aniśko(Author)

468 pages, 400 colour & b/w photos and colour & b/w illustrations

Publisher: Longwood Gardens

Click to have a closer look

ISBN: 9781935442226 Hardback May 2013 Out of Print #208635

About this book

Images Additional images

About this book

Victoria: The Seductress is a sumptuously illustrated book that tells the fascinating story of the Victoria water lily and her discovery and introduction into cultivation. It also details the adventures of the countless people around the world who attempted to grow and understand this aquatic marvel.

Hailed as the Queen of the Plant Kingdom, Victoria has no equal among the plants of the world. Even today, she remains as elusive for home gardeners and nature enthusiasts as she was 150 years ago, when she first entered the princely homes and conservatories of Europe and America.

Victoria: The Seductress offers a new perspective on the majestic Victoria, presenting a vivid portrait of her for garden enthusiasts interested in natural and cultural history. It is written by Dr. Tomasz Anis'ko, curator of plants at Longwood Gardens, who oversees the proper naming and identification of plants, coordinates plant trials, and leads plant exploration efforts.

Customer Reviews

Review this book

Out of Print

By: Tomasz Aniśko(Author)

468 pages, 400 colour & b/w photos and colour & b/w illustrations

Publisher: Longwood Gardens

Media reviews

" [...] Victoria had me in raptures from cover to cover. After learning about the lily's discovery and ingenious biology, it will be difficult to consider Victoria a mere plant and not a sheer phenomenon from now on."
– Fine Gardening, May 2013

"No horticultural collection should be without this sumptuous and vivid exploration, very highly recommended as one of the top botany books to appear in print in the last five years."
– Bookwatch, June 2013

Current promotions