Plant Resins: Chemistry, Evolution, Ecology and Ethnobotany

Plant Resins: Chemistry, Evolution, Ecology, and Ethnobotany

by Jean H. Langenheim

If you ever wanted to know about resins (amber came from plant resins), then this is the book!

Few people are aware of the great diversity of resin-producing plants or the remarkable roles resins play for plants and people. Often, the first resin that comes to mind is the glue-like sap of conifers, but in fact many tropical trees and arid-zone shrubs also produce resin. Resins evolved millions of years ago to defend plants against their enemies, as recorded by fossil resins like amber, and humans have used them since prehistory. Plant Resins tells the whole story about these fascinating plant products.

For ages, the term resin has been vaguely defined, referring to any sticky plant exudate. Based on recent scientific advances, Jean Langenheim provides the first operational definition of resin, distinguishing true resins from other substances such as gum and latex.

This book takes a unique multidisciplinary approach to the study of plant resins and is the only complete, scientifically up-to-date treatment of them. Divided into three parts for ease of use---production of resin, geologic history and ecology, and ethnobotany---it is accessible to anyone interested in understanding plant resins and their uses.

The author's writing reflects her enthusiasm for this complex subject, and is both precise and uniquely presented. The book is richly illustrated with maps, color and black-and-white photographs, and exquisite line drawings by Jesse Markman. Several appendices, a glossary, and an extensive bibliography with more than 1000 references offer further welcome information. This comprehensive and integrated discussion of resins will appeal to botanists, ecologists, ethnobotanists, chemists, anthropologists, archeologists, museum conservators, and amber enthusiasts.

Here are some pages from the book:

Page 1

Just click on the image on the right to get a 'readable' page.

Table of Contents 1 2 3 4 5 6

About the Author
Jean H. Langenheim is Professor Emeritus of Biology and Research Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz. She has researched resins for many years, publishing extensively with her students about resin-producing plants along the North American Pacific coast, throughout the New World tropics, and in other parts of the world. Her unusual breadth of background, as demonstrated in Plant Resins, has been recognized by her election as president of the Ecological Society of America, Association for Tropical Biology, International Society of Chemical Ecology, and Society for Economic Botany.

Back cover of the book:

What a reference book! It is 576 pages long.

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