Allelopathy is a fascinating and perplexing topic that concerns the chemical interactions of
plants. It has profound implications in agriculture and forestry where species are grown
artificially in mixture with no evolutionary history of co-existence. The topic of allelopathy
is widely credited as commencing in 1937 when the term 'allelopathy' was coined by Molisch.
However the concept of allelopathy has been recorded since Greek and Roman times became
extremely controversial in the first half of the 19th century and remains so today. This book
concerns a virtually unknown treatise by Justus Ludewig von Uslar published in 1844 which
emerges as the first book entirely devoted to the concept of allelopathy. The book provides the
historical background to allelopathic knowledge from antiquity to c. 1840. It also provides
for the first time a biography of Justus Ludewig von Uslar who is best known as the first
Consul-General for Hannover in Mexico and Director of the Mexican Company a British venture
mining company. In many ways von Uslar epitomises the tradition of the gentleman scientist of
the 19th century. The book then offers a full translation into English of von Uslar's rare
treatise which foreshadows many ideas current in allelopathic research.
