Bilingual Book on 33 Plant Species

‘Persica,’ a bilingual book on 33 major plant species growing in Iran, will be presented at the 30th Tehran International Book Fair (May 3-13) at the ‘Shahr-e- Aftab’ (Sun City) Exhibition Complex in south Tehran.

The 75-page book in English and Persian is the result of 3-year library research by Azadeh Attar who has collected information on 33 plant species with ‘Persica’, ‘Persicum’, ‘Iranica’ or any other epithet in their taxonomy denoting Iranian origin, Mehr News Agency reported.

But the above terms alone do not necessarily mean that all the plants mentioned have Iranian origin, like in the case of peach whose scientific name is Prunus persica. The tree is native to northwest China where it was first domesticated and cultivated, but the specific epithet refers to its widespread cultivation in Iran and its satrapies during the Achaemenid era (550-330 BC).

Nevertheless, some of the plant species mentioned in the book grow only in Iran while have habitats extending beyond the country.

Most of the described plants do not have English common names, but all have been illustrated and described with interesting information.

Published by Mosbat Publication in Tehran, Persica is written primarily for eco-tourists. The idea of the book was in fact suggested by the former head of Iran Federation of Tourist Guides Association, Arash Nouraqaee. He found the book a useful tool for better understanding and appreciating biodiversity.