Plants Go To War: A Botanical History of World War II

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Lecture and book signing by author Judith Sumner

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.7″ text_font_size=”20px”]As the first botanical history of World War II, Plants Go to War examines military history from the perspective of plant science. From victory gardens to drugs, timber, rubber, and fibers, plants supplied materials that played key roles in winning the war. Vegetables provided the wartime diet both in North America and Europe, where vitamin-rich carrots, cabbages, and potatoes nourished millions. In England and Germany, herbs replaced pharmaceutical drugs; feverbark was in demand to treat malaria, and penicillin culture used a growth medium made from corn. Rubber was needed for gas masks and barrage balloons, while cotton and hemp provided clothing, canvas, and rope. The list is endless. But Sumner will educate us all.

Judith Sumner is a botanist and author who lives in Worcester, Massachusetts.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]