Botany of Desire | 3.26.2020

Botany of Desire is a four-part film that our class watched and discussed together, that talked about how apples, tulips, cannabis, and potatoes have all had an influence in the way humans reproduce organisms. These organisms may not seem like they have something in common, but they are all plants! Each has also been incredibly important in representing how sweetness, beauty, potency, and reproducibility have caused humans to grow mass numbers of these items.

The first part of the video talked about apples, and I found it interesting that the narrator said that plants, such as apples, cause humans to do the plant’s work. Apples would not have been as successful if the fruit was not sweet, easily transportable, and diverse in variety. If the fruit had never been as sweet as it is, there is a good chance that the apple would not be the world’s “universal fruit”. Today, Americans use apples through apple pies, cider, crisps, sauce, and countless other foods. Popular quotes have also been associated with the apple, such as “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” when people were emphasizing a healthy and balanced diet. Another interesting part of the video was that the fruit in the Garden of Eden was most likely a pomegranate and not an apple, but Renaissance painters decided to paint an apple since the apple was viewed as a “perfect fruit”. 

Interested in apples? Watch this video describing why there are so many different kinds of them, produced by Ted-Ed:

The second part of the video, the narrator mentioned how the more beautiful or sweet smelling the flower, the more likely it is to be replicated by humans. This reminds me of the tactic that apples used, because the sweeter the fruit, the more likely someone would want to eat or reproduce it. One thing that surprised me was that after the “tulip mania” faze of the 1600s was over, many people were blaming tulips for being the cause of society’s economic burdens. Many people had spent fortunes on these flowers, but once the flowers were overvalued, they soon became worthless when nobody bought them. These flowers in particular were very popular because they had been infected with a virus that caused them to have two different colors on the bulb of the flower and were extremely rare to find. Behind every famous or popular plant, like apples and tulips, there seems to be times when they are loved and hated by society due to the influence they have on people to reproduce and sell them.

Tulips originally were discovered in Europe, specifically the Netherlands. This country has become extremely popular in producing tulips that are exported throughout the entire world! If you’d like to learn more, check out this video:

The third section of the video covered cannabis, and the reason why people are so attracted to cannabis is because of the chemical THC. This chemical provides people with a high that changes their ability to experience the normal everyday life in a completely new way of thinking. For example, Louis Armstrong used cannabis in order to cause a difference in the way his music was played. Something about the way that he played the notes or blended with the other instruments made people sense a change in his music. One thing that I found interesting was that forgetting information is prefered in nature because it’s simply about editing out the unnecessary information that is stored in the brain. It is not beneficial to the human brain to hold on to every face, object, and sentence that occurs in their life, so it is up to the brain to forget some bits of information. Another way THC is used medicinally is through treating patients with PTSD or anxiety, in order to calm them down or lessen the extreme fluctuations of feelings they may experience.

Another popular chemical found in cannabis is CBD, also known as cannabidiol. This chemical can be found in items such as drinks, lotions, and chocolate, but do not provide the same high as THC. For more information check out this video from Vox:

The fourth and final section talked about the potato, which is an important staple to people all around the world, and originally developed in the Andes region around 8,000 years ago. One thing that I found interesting was that humans found a way to produce many varieties of potatoes on the same hill/mountain depending on the altitude the plant was growing at or if the potato faced the sun. This way, if one crop suddenly died on one side of the mountain, farmers had plenty of other crops they could rely on for food in the same area. The diversity of the potatoes on one mountain alone was able to produce countless varieties in the colors, shapes, and sizes of the potatoes that descended from the original crops. Another thing that I found interesting was that since all of Ireland was dependent on one monoculture of potato, and when a wind-borne fungus was spread throughout the country, the country found itself in a devastating famine. If Ireland had not become dependent on one type of potato, then the death toll in the country would not have been as high. This event was known as the Irish Famine, and one in every eight Irish people died due to starvation.

Potatoes are a staple to human life today and are extremely versatile in their uses. To learn more about the history of the potato, check out this video:

Overall, I really enjoyed watching this movie because it opened my eyes to how plants can manipulate humans to grow and reproduce them. If apples, tulips, cannabis, or potatoes had never been discovered by humans to have many desirable traits such as beauty or versatility, then they never would have been reproduced and delivered to all parts of the world. In this way, plants have a tactic of controlling humans, whether they “know” it or not, to ensure the survival and reproduction of their species.

If you’re interested in watching the full Botany of Desire movie, check out the trailer here:

Works Cited:

“The booming CBD craze, explained”. Vox. Youtube. 28 November 2018.

“The Botany of Desire Trailer”. Kikimmedia. Youtube. 20 May 2013.

“History through the eyes of the potato – Leo Bear-McGuinness”. Ted-Ed. Youtube. 14 December 2015.

“Why are there so many types of apples? – Theresa Doud”. Ted-Ed. Youtube. 22 September 2016.

“Why the Netherlands Is The Tulip Capital Of The World”. Insider. Youtube. 17 April 2019.