Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities
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 the vine that ate the South), and which...
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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 the vine that ate the South), and which ones have been killing for centuries (like the weed that killed Abraham Lincoln's mother). Menacing botanical illustrations and splendidly ghastly drawings create a fascinating portrait of the evildoers that may be lurking in your own backyard. Drawing on history, medicine, science, and legend, this compendium of bloodcurdling botany will entertain, alarm, and enlighten even the most intrepid gardeners and nature lovers.
Contents Consider Yourself Warned....................1Aconite....................3Arrow Poisons....................7Ayahuasca Vine and Chacruna....................11Betel Nut....................15Castor Bean....................17Ordeal Poisons....................21Coca....................25Coyotillo....................27This Houseplant Could Be Your Last....................31Deadly Nightshade....................35Death Camas....................37Deadly Dinner....................43Ergot....................46Fatal Fungus....................51Habanero Chili....................55Henbane....................57The Devil's Bartender....................63Iboga....................67Jimson Weed....................70Botanical Crime Families....................75Khat....................79Killer Algae....................82Stop and Smell the Ragweed....................87Kudzu....................89Lawn of Death....................93Mala Mujer....................95Here Comes the Sun....................99Manchineel Tree....................101Don't Look Now....................105Mandrake....................109Marijuana....................113Oleander....................116Forbidden Garden....................121Opium Poppy....................124Dreadful Bouquet....................129Peacock Flower....................133Peyote Cactus....................135Psychedelic Plants....................139Poison Hemlock....................143Purple Loosetrife....................146Weeds of Mass Destruction....................151Ratbane....................155Rosary Pea....................157The Terrible Toxicodendrons....................161Sago Palm....................163More Than One Way to Skin a Cat....................167Stinging Tree....................169Meet the Nettles....................173Strychnine Tree....................177Suicide Tree....................179Carnivores....................183Tobacco....................187Toxic Blue-Green Algae....................189Duck and Cover....................193Water Hemlock....................197Water Hyacinth....................200Social Misfists....................207Whistling Thorn Acacia....................209Guess Who's Coming to Dinner....................213White Snakeroot....................216Don't Tread on Me....................221END NOTES....................227Antidote....................229About the Artists....................231Poison Gardens....................233
\ From the Publisher"Culling legend and citing science, Stewart's fact-filled, AZ compendium of nature's worst offenders offers practical and tantalizing composite views of toxic, irritating, prickly, and all-around ill-mannered plants." —-Booklist\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalAuthor Stewart presents an alphabetical compendium of hazardous plants (both native and exotic) that notes their harmfulness, whether it be deadly, illegal, invasive, or intoxicating, while incorporating pop culture, medicine, mythology, history, legalities, and botanical facts. The text is highly intriguing, but a lot of its charm (illustrations and presentation) is lost on the audio version, where the Latin plant names and botanical details often become repetitive. Reader Coleen Marlo is excellent and recites the botanical lingo with ease. Recommended to lovers of fascinating trivia, history, botany, and horticulture. [The Algonquin hc was a New York Times best seller.—Ed.]—Phillip Oliver, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence\ \
