This A–Z treasury of story and verse follows plants across Africa and the diaspora as they help humans heal, create, and celebrate.

A baobab tree misses his old friend Birago Diop, a poet of the Négritude movement. Basil comes to the rescue for a woman who’s had a rough day. On moonlit evenings in a square in Kingston, kids gather round a Rasta elder to hear tales of dates, guava, and the orishas—Yoruba divinities—linked to each plant.

The 88 entries, each accompanied by botanical information, blend age-old lore and modern sensibility to bring the plants of Africa and the Caribbean to life. Includes a glossary, multilingual species index, and references. With collage illustrations by Nancey B. Price.