Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities

by Amy Stewart

Book Overview

A tree that sheds poison daggers; a glistening red seed that stops the heart; a shrub that causes paralysis; a vine that strangles; and a leaf that triggered a war. In Wicked Plants , Stewart takes on over two hundred of Mother Nature's most appalling creations. It's an A to Z of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate, and otherwise offend. You'll learn which plants to avoid (like exploding shrubs), which plants make themselves exceedingly unwelcome (like...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565126831
• ISBN13: 9781565126831
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Algonquin Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.7" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

This is going to be good!

Skimmed a few segments and so far I'm hooked. It's all very informative and we'll written... Who knew cashews were in the same botanical family as poison ivy, Yikes!

What You Don't Know About Plants Can Kill You, Make You High, Get You Arrested, and Bring Excrutiati

"I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins." -- Proverbs 24:30-31 Wicked Plants is a great combination of helpful information about harmful plants and good story telling. Both are valuable to people who wouldn't know one plant from another if they fell into them (until stuck full of thorns or inadvertently poisoned). When I visit people for the first time who have small children and pets, I'm always astonished to see rooms and yards full of poisonous plants located where they are easily available to inquiring mouths and teeth. When I point out the problem, the so-called adults usually tell me that I can't be right. A few minutes on the Internet quickly causes a major plant remodeling of the house and yard. I've also walked full of yards filled with marijuana plants being cultivated by the youngsters in the family while the parents remain blissfully ignorant of their crop's potential. This book will help you overcome any such ignorance that you have. But I do have a caution: If whoever prepares your food isn't too happy with you, don't leave this book lying around . . . it's full of potentially lethal advice for poisoning you. The book's main weakness is that if you don't already know these plants you may not be able to recognize them from the drawings. I suggest you look up color photographs on the Internet as you read the books. Well done, Ms. Stewart!

Facts about plants will fascinate and freak out

Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart is a fascinating if slightly creepy look at poisonous and harmful plants, some that may be in your yard, house, or even in you rrefrigerator ! First of all, I have to say I love the feel of this book. Too many publishers have forgotten that part of the joy of reading is holding the volume in your hands. Plants is a small hardcover without dust jacket with engraving on the front cover giving it the feel of a late 19th century volume; it even has a ribbon bookmark! It has a charming look inside as well with wickedly humorous engravings drawn with a delicate hand. Most people know about the hazards of deadly nightshade and monkshood, but who knew that corn and red kidney beans could cause serious illness if not cooked/handled correctly? Not all plants are necessarily hazardous to humans, also included are kudzu, killer algae, as well as plants that will make readers' skin crawl. As my librarian said, creative minds would have a hard time imagining the strangeness of Mother Nature, like silly-string look-a-like parasite dodder. Whether the plants are exploding or oozing, some of them are downright weird. One small complaint: I've always heard that apple seeds and peach pits contain arsenic, but neither are addressed in this volume. This is a book I would love to own and keep on my shelf to refer to when buying new plants or just to read aloud some of the stories to freak out friends and family.

The cold nature of mother nature

This is a thorough book, but don't take that the wrong way! It's full of charm and a sense of history, but it's really a book for the imagination. You will marvel at so many perilous things nature and pre-FDA entrepreneurs have in store for the unfortunate victims in this book. I don't want to ruin the surprises, but there's a lot of misfortune in this book! Plenty of illustrations and stories, this makes a great lounge book for hosts who want a guest to have something to do for a few idle minutes. The writing is intelligent and the topic is novel. I really appreciate that this is a carefully crafted and well thought out project, and you should come away wanting to meet the creative author. But if anyone in your house wants to poison you, you better not leave this out!

Hemlock, Opium, and Ratbane, oh my!

Amy Stewart's //Wicked Plants// takes readers into the dark heart of the plant world, where innocent-looking berries kill and lovely flowers intoxicate. The book lists plant-life in alphabetical order, beginning with the deadly Aconite (responsible for killing two priests at a dinner party in 1856) to the Yew, known as "the graveyard tree" in England. Interspersed between the details of individual plants are quirky little lists: the plants used to make arrow poisons, commonly consumed crops that can prove fatal, the weeds of mass destruction hall of fame. The details are fascinating. They include everything from the well-known (the Opium poppy as an illegal intoxicant), to the shocking (extract of Castor bean was allegedly used by KGB agents to murder a communist defector in 1978), to the downright bizarre (the Tanghin poison-nut was used in Madagascar as an ordeal poison). Visually, the book is very pleasing, with nice old-fashioned text and delicate, detailed black and white copper etched illustrations. Ms. Stewart communicates her love of all things botanical with well-written and witty enthusiasm; her fascination is infectious. This book would be an admirable choice to read while sipping a cold drink (but hold the Hemlock!) in the garden. Reviewed by Michelle Kerns