What a Plant Knows

A captivating journey into the inner lives of plants - from the colours they see to the schedules they keep.

How does a Venus flytrap know when to snap shut? Can a fern get jet lag? Do roses remember the romance springtime?

In What a Plant Knows, renowned biologist Daniel Chamovitz presents a beguiling exploration of how plants experience our shared Earth in terms of sight, smell, touch, hearing, memory, and even awareness. Combining cutting-edge research with lively storytelling, he explains the intimate details of plant behaviour, from how a willow tree knows when its neighbours have been commandeered by an army of ravenous beetles, and why an avocado ripens when you give it the company of a banana in a bag (it's the pheromones). And he settles the debate over whether the beloved basil on your kitchen windowsill cares whether you play Led Zeppelin or Bach.

Whether you are a green thumb, a science buff, a vegetarian, or simply a nature lover, this rare, inside look at the life of plants will surprise and delight you.

About the Author

Daniel Chamovitz, PhD, is the director of the Manna Center for Plant Biosciences at Tel Aviv University. He grew up in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, and studied at Columbia University before receiving his PhD in genetics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has been a visiting scientist at Yale University and at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and has lectured at universities worldwide. His research on plants and fruitflies has appeared in leading scientific journals. Chamovitz lives with his wife and three children in Hod HaSharon, Israel.