Origin of Cultivated Plants is Alphonse de Candolle’s pioneering investigation into the geographic and historical origins of the plants domesticated by humankind. Combining botany, archaeology, philology, and history, de Candolle traces crops such as wheat, rice, maize, and many fruits and vegetables to their wild ancestors and regions of first cultivation.
A foundational work in the study of plant domestication and the history of agriculture, the book anticipates later research on the centers of crop origin. De Candolle’s methodical use of evidence from many disciplines makes it a model of synthetic scholarship. For students of botany, agricultural history, and the relationship between plants and human culture, this classic remains an important and influential source.