From the author of the The Tao of Physics comes a completely new work that follows the success of his last book The Science of Leonardo: Inside the Mind of the Great Genius of the Renaissance, in which the ultimate 'Renaissance man' is portrayed as the first authentic systemic thinker: a scientist able to develop, for the first time, an experimental method of observation of nature though still maintaining and exalting a deep respect for life in his art. In this book Capra returns to the same theme and focuses on the extensive botanical studies that Leonardo carried out throughout his life. From observation to careful illustration of the plants in his works, Capra draws interesting points to analyse from a perspective of the science of quality, which Leonardo himself made use of, capturing nature in its process of development. Embellished with beautiful drawings from the world's major museums, this book examines the Renaissance scientist's studies of botany, and shows how the master's drawings had a solid "scientific" basis that was able to produce faithful representations of nature at all stages of its evolution. The dynamic nature of the manner in which Leonardo illustrated nature attests a different approach to knowledge of the subject, one that prompts us to reflect on the complexity of living systems, and which reveals a surprising continuity between Leonardo's intuitions and the most advanced frontiers of modern science.