This study looks at the way that Greeks and Romans thought about plants, covering the time period in Greece from the era of Epicurus (3rd c. BC) to the era of Plotinus (3rd c. AD), and continuing with Rome and its famous gardens. During these time periods, writers, philosophers, and doctors were interested in plants for their ways of growing and reproducing, their specific characteristics that differentiate them from animals and humans, their medical and nutritional utility, their roles in ritual and magic, and their silent but unmistakable presence in the natural world.