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 Video - FilmsWildlife and Plant Species: PlantsNote: The title is followed by the length, producer, distributor (if different from producer), and year film was made. Unless otherwise noted, the videos listed below are VHS format. Many are available in Beta, 16mm and other formats. Some are on laser disks.
+ Indicates video sold or rented with teacher’s instruction guide.
"The Tree of Music." 60 minutes. Nature. PBS. WNET. 1992.
Tanzania's Mpingo Tree, a type of ebony, is threatened with extinction. Once widespread, it is now confined to a small area. It is in decline mainly as a result of logging for the manufacture of reeds for musical instruments and for carving tourist curios. The solution presented in the film is to plant more trees, and a botanist raises seedlings for planting. The film fails to note the importance of finding alternatives, since the commercial demand for reeds cannot be met by these trees, even with artificial planting. The remaining forests should be protected.
"The Plant Hunters." 60 minutes. Nature. PBS. Lodestar Productions. WNET/BBC. 1985.
The search for medicinal plants worldwide is now being sponsored by major pharmaceutical companies as well as universities and private organizations. This film follows botanists as they take plant samples in rainforests and interview native shamans on the medicinal properties of wild plants. Although hundreds of medicines are derived from plants, including many heart and cancer drugs, only a tiny percentage of plants have been tested for medicinal properties. The destruction of tropical forests, and with them potential medicinal plants, adds urgency to this quest.
"The Private Life of Plants." Six one-hour parts. TBS/BBC. Turner Broadcasting System Productions. 1995.
This ambitious series, written and narrated by David Attenborough, has already won awards. It is very impressive as an in-depth study of plant biology, evolution, conservation, distribution, habitats, ecology and physiology. The narrative is fast-paced and fascinating, and the photography is magnificent. The parts are titled, "Branching Out," "Putting Down Roots," "The Birds and the Bees," "Plant Politics," "Living Together" and "It's a Jungle Out There." Each is a different window on plants, from massive trees to tiny Arctic flowers. Oddities such as the Rafflesia, the world's largest flowering plant native to Southeast Asia, a carnivorous and highly odiferous species, are seen. Some of the vast diversity of plant pollinators, including bats, lemurs, other primates and birds, as well as insects, were filmed fertilizing plants. A book of the same title provides additional information and illustrations (see Books--Plants).
"The Road to Extinction: Will We Save the Plants?" 28 minutes. Georgia Department of Natural Resources. 1991.
Plants are rarely the focus of nature films produced by state departments of natural resources, and this film is an excellent precedent. Of 3,600 rare and endangered plants in the state of Georgia, 250 are near extinction. Pitcher plants, tiny pool sprites and many others are seen, and the causes for their endangered status are discussed, as well as the attempts to save them.
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