Synopsis Plants, being regenerative resources, are studied generally from fundamental and economic point of views.  Their origin, evolution, diversification, domenstification and migration however remain largely untouched especially from historical and cultural perspectives.  The present author has attempted to focus the classically useful plants from these standpoints.  While doing so, the author has endeavoured to collate brilliantly the two sciences viz., economic botany and ethnobotany, and divulged their contacts inter se.  naturally, the role of plants in agriculture, horticulture, gardening, forestry, food science, medicine, in development of various industrial products and related technology have been touched appropriately.  The data is also accrued from history, geography, culture, archaeology, linguistics/etymology, mythology, anthropology etc.  The subject matter has been handled coherently and written lucidly.  The book will be useful to the students, teachers, and research workers from all the fields, apart from botany and agriculture.  The book covers plants exclusively having historical, cultural and economic significance which brought about changes world wide.  It also brings in sharper focus their utility and chemical contents of useful parts.  In a nutshell, the book attempts at elucidating the role and influence of plants which brought about changes in the history and culture of human societies world wide.