An impassioned memoir of saving extraordinary plants on the brink of extinction, by a scientist the media has dubbed “The Plant Messiah”

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 travelled to the remotest parts of the world in search of exotic species. Globally recognized 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 readers around the world—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, he develops groundbreaking, left-field techniques to rescue species from extinction, encouraging them to propagate and thrive. 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.