Planting Our World

Mancuso (plant neurobiology, Univ. of Florence; The Nation of Plants), an Italian botanist and the author of several books on the concept of plant intelligence, fills this essay collection with thought-provoking stories about the ways plants communicate with each other and the world around them. These include the origins of forensic botany in the Lindbergh kidnapping, the potential environmental benefits of rewilding urban spaces, and the discovery of spontaneous root grafting that allows zombie tree stumps to survive for years. Narrator David Stifel’s upbeat, gravelly tones conjure the image of a slightly nerdy professor delivering a classroom lecture on his favorite subjects. He smartly combines that impression with a more conversational emphasis when Mancuso ranges off the direct path to chase an obscure topic or example. Listeners may struggle with the density of some chapters and the occasional stilted bit of translation, but Stifel deftly guides the narration back to compelling solid ground.