Presents the experiences and contributions of early adventurers, explorers, and scientists responsible for discovering and documenting new types of plants, showing how their often dangerous voyages helped establish the field of botany.

From the earliest times, men and women explored their world. Some searched for trade routes, lost treasures, or new lands to colonize; others traveled as missionaries, to spread religious beliefs. More than anything else, however, what motivated the greatest explorers was simple curiosity.What was on the other side of that mountain? How wide was North America? Where was the source of the Nile River? Finding out often involved traveling incredible...