Wicked Plants

Like a tuft of velvety green moss popping up in an unexpected place, this Gem of a book will charm and intrigue anyone who comes upon it. Wicked Plants is jammed with fascinating facts that will thrill the trivia hound and illuminate even the most experienced gardener. Did you know that the carrot-like tap root of a single kudzu vine can weigh up to 400 pounds? All manner of peculiar plants are covered, from hemlock to hemp, mandrake to deadly nightshade; along with stories about each one from throughout history.

A charming and fun book. You will not believe how many everyday plants are dangerously wicked. It's an informative book with the rich history of the worlds most naughty plants, some which you may be surprised to find in your own home or garden.

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.

Amy Stewart is the bestselling author of five books on the perils and pleasures of the natural world. Her essays and commentaries have appeared on NPR, in the New York Times, and in Fine Gardening, where she is a contributing editor. Stewart is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship and the American Horticultural Society’s 2010 Book Award. She lives in Eureka, California, where she and her husband own an antiquarian bookstore. Find her online at www.amystewart.com and at www.gardenrant.com.

Publisher: Algonquin Books
Distributor: Workman Publishing Company
Publication Date: 05-21-2009
Pages: 223
Measurements: 7.31in X 5.75in X 0.88in X 0.75lb