The Plant Messiah

Adventures in Search of the World's Rarest Species

By: Carlos Magdalena

Narrated by: Roy McMillan

Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

An impassioned memoir of saving extraordinary plants on the brink of extinction, by a scientist who has been called a "codebreaker" (Telegraph) and "an inspiration" (Jane Goodall)

Carlos Magdalena is not your average horticulturist. He's a man on a mission to save the world's most endangered plants. First captivated by the flora of his native Spain, he has traveled to the remotest parts of the globe in search of exotic species. Renowned for his pioneering work, he has committed his life to protecting plants from man-made ecological destruction and thieves hunting for wealthy collectors.

In The Plant Messiah, Magdalena takes listeners from the Amazon to the jungles of Mauritius to deep within the Australian Outback in search of the rare and the vulnerable. Back in the lab, we watch as he develops groundbreaking, left-field techniques for rescuing species from extinction, encouraging them to propagate and thrive once again. Along the way, he offers moving, heartfelt stories about the secrets contained within these incredible organisms.

Passionate and absorbing, The Plant Messiah is a tribute to the diversity of life on our planet and the importance of preserving it.

©2018 Carlos Magdalena (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"A gripping account... The work done by Magdalena and others like him is nothing short of miraculous. [The Plant Messiah] illustrates just how much can be done to save even species that all but the greatest optimist would consider doomed." (The New York Review of Books)

“The Plant Messiah’s storytelling structure and loving descriptions of rare plants are an unabashed appeal to emotion, attempting to light the same passion for the living world in Magdalena’s readers.”(Los Angeles Review of Books)

"For anyone who might have considered plants dull stuff, Mr. Magdalena delivers a thrilling and inspirational account of adventures in the botanical world."(Wall Street Journal)

Great for anyone who cares about conservation and is interested in botany

Interesting personal story of Carlos Magdalena and anecdotes of species that he helped bring back. Nice introduction to horticultural practices as well.

Nice autobio

Nice autobiography of/by Carlos Magdalena. I'm a fairly recent fan of plant and plant pathology books. However I've been interested in plants since highschool genetics class and learning about Mendel's pea plant + my HS green house class.

This book maybe wasn't what I expected when I selected it.

Magdalena is a good storyteller and clearly passionate about plants. The one thing this genre has trouble with globally is the ability to tell me practical ways of helping.

I would like to read a book by Magdalena on maybe how to identify or propagate plants, how to ensure I don't accidentally introduce a chaotic invasive species into my local environment on some evangelical mission to preserve some exotic rare plant.

Or even how to figure out which species of plants are endangered in my area and the techniques and methods to test or determine propagation. Maybe even how or where to share this knowledge? Basically, how to be a citizen scientist.

4.5 stars.

An amazing book for the botanist in everyone.

A fascinating journey throught the life and career of a truly passionate man. Carlos is a true and clear voice for the plant kingdom in these uncertain times. His efforts have already saved several plant species from certain extinction. We owe this man a debt of gratitude for his unending work for the nature world.

Get this book

I Loved it. A must listen. Carlos shows the rarity and beauty of the planet.

Saving Endangered Species

Journey with Carlos Magalena around the world saving rare plants. From his base at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Carlos investigates the secrets of propagating rare and endangered plant species - to great success. Wonderful insights into the value and challenges that go into saving these rare species. A hero's journey, for plants.

Fabulous Book!

Amazing well written and I'm equally well read story of an amazing human being who's trying to save part of what is Earth and why there's too many people on the planet doing horrible things but we can change that and choose to be better!

Very informative, sometimes irritating

The author is very pleased with himself, to a degree that almost made me stop listening.
But there were some great plant stories and it does seem an important subject.
But come on, what kind of person would use the word Messiah, referring to themselves, even jokingly, in the title
of their book?