[EBOOK] Nature's Bounty: Four Centuries of Plant Exploration in New Brunswick, c. Mary Young, UNB Libraries, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB

Four centuries ago, European explorers intent on reaching the riches of the Far East sailed westward, encountering North America. Arriving on “Canadian” shores, they were appalled by the dismal and forbidding forests. They knew nothingof the local plants; which ones were useful as a food source or had medicinal value and which were poisonous? While native people willingly shared their knowledge, the Maliseet and Mi’kmaq names were difficult for European tongues. They then sent plant samples to European plant enthusiasts who identified them according to European botanical ideas and systems of plant naming. These early explorers and settlers were followed by entrepreneurs and traders who exploited the natural resources and stripped the forests of the white pine to provide spars and masts for the Royal Navy.

This study of plant exploration in New Brunswick from 1604 to 2000 is placed firmly within a regional framework. It encompasses short biographical sketches and tells the stories of naturalists and botanists in the light of the times in which they lived. The account illustrates the development of the science of botany and shows how, as museums and learning centres were established in the new land, North Americans became masters in their own house, taking over the botanical enquiry that had previously been the prerogative of Europeans. It examines early ecological studies and curious anomalies of plant distribution, as well as tire modern-day emphasis on plant diversity and the need for conservation. Furthermore, it embodies implicit lessons that speak to our present-day concerns with climate change and tire environment.

[EBOOK] Nature's Bounty: Four Centuries of Plant Exploration in New Brunswick, c. Mary Young, UNB Libraries, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB

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