Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities [Hardcover]

Amy Stewart (Author), Briony Morrow-Cribbs (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 2009

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

They may look sweet and innocent, but anyone who has ever broken out in a rash after picking a hyacinth blossom or burst into violent sneezing after sniffing a chrysanthemum knows that often the most beautiful flowers can pack the nastiest punch. This comes as no secret to mystery writers, who have long taken advantage of the nefarious properties of common garden plants to create the devices by which a deadly dose of poison is administered to an unsuspecting victim. But, as Stewart so entertainingly points out, such fiction is based on pure fact. There are plants that can kill with a drop of nectar, paralyze with the brush of a petal. From bucolic woodland streams choked by invasive purple loosestrife to languid southern fields overrun by kudzu, some plants are just more trouble than they’re worth. Culling legend and citing science, Stewart’s fact-filled, A–Z compendium of nature’s worst offenders offers practical and tantalizing composite views of toxic, irritating, prickly, and all-around ill-mannered plants. --Carol Haggas

About the Author

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.


Briony Morrow-Cribbs studied studied art at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver, British Columbia, and currently lives in Brattleboro, Vermont, where she owns and operates Twin Vixen Press.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 223 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; 1 edition (May 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565126831
• ISBN-13: 978-1565126831
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Plants
  • #56 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Horticulture

More About the Author

Welcome! I am the author of five books on the perils and pleasures of the natural world. I live in Eureka, California, where my husband and I own an antiquarian bookstore called Eureka Books.

When I'm not writing books or traveling to do research, I'm on the road speaking to audiences at garden clubs, bookstores, botanical gardens, libraries, and universities. I've even started doing "virtual" author visits by webcam or videoconference.

Check the blog posts below for more information and updates. I hope you'll get in touch!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

120 of 127 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for plant-lovers and those just looking for a good yarn, May 24, 2009

By 

Gen of North Coast Gardening (California) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities (Hardcover)

Length:: 4:17 Mins

I'm a huge fan of Amy Stewart, and I've read everything she's written, including her bimonthly gardening column in our local newspaper and her writing at Garden Rant, so I was thrilled when I heard about her latest book, Wicked Plants.

I'm a pro gardener and a total plant geek, so reading all about the wicked deeds of the plants I know and love (and learning some new ones as well!) was a blast. But you don't have to know or even care much about plants to enjoy this book.

Amy blends the human stories and the plant details with such humor and depth that even the black-thumbed among us will enjoy reading. As she says, "I looked for plants that had an interesting backstory. There had to be a victim - a body count."

She goes on, "These are plants you do not want to meet in a dark alley." Indeed not. When I read about Mussolini's guys chasing Communists down the streets with bottles of castor oil, a laxative made from the beautiful but deadly Castor Bean, I just howled with laughter. Earlier, I'd read with bated breath how the KGB injected a tiny pellet of ricin, from the same plant, into Communist defectors to murder them. I think I'd prefer being chased by the Fascists!

The book itself is gorgeously done, with hand-drawn copper etchings of the plants, brown detailing on the pages which makes it look deliciously ancient, and one of those cool ribbon bookmarks. It would make a great gift book, and indeed, I've already bought three copies to give to friends - it's just that nice of a book.

I'm lucky enough to live locally to Amy Stewart, and she invited me to do a video review of the book in her Wicked Plants-inspired poison garden. In the video, Amy introduces us to a few of the botanical miscreants she writes about. Check it out!

55 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent dangerous plant book that is lacking in two areas, February 18, 2011

By 

Kathleen San Martino (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities (Hardcover)

"Wicked Plants" is a pocket-sized 235-page book that is very entertaining, enlightening (for example, red kidney beans are poisonous if not cooked thoroughly), and easy to read. The author covers some of the common plants, fungus and other related genre of the natural world that are deadly, dangerous, or just irritating to humans and animals. She also talks about some of the myths and truths associated with some of these plants.

I consider "Wicked Plants" an excellent reference except for two drawbacks. First, it doesn't have an index. If, for example, you remember that XXX was dangerous you'd have to flip through the entire book to find it. Second, there are no color photos for the plants discussed, only pencil sketches are shown.

In summary, this book is not a complete reference nor is it a typical book either. However, "Wicked Plants" balances entertainment, fact, and myths about plants and related "items" of the natural world in one neat little package.

I gave this book three stars because of the absence of an index and no color pictures. However, I still consider this a worthwhile purchase. If it had these items, I would have given it 4-1/2 to 5 stars. If you have a Kindle, then the Kindle edition would resolve the lack of an index because of its search capability.

Since I intend to use this book as one of several valuable references in my library, I am sharing below the alphabetical list of the plants or fungus outlined in the 2009 version of the hardcover book that I created for myself. Please note that this list is not all inclusive as it excludes the scientific names and the "meet the relatives" plants that were mentioned throughout the text. This list is also messy due to the lack of tabbing ability in this review. Where the item is located in two places, I separated the page numbers with a comma. For instance, in the below example Aconite is located on pages 1 and 127.

Absinthe 58
Ackee 41
Aconite 1, 127
Agwa de Bolivia 60
Aloe 164
Alstroemeria 126
Angel's Trumpet 103
Ant Plant 211
Ayahuasca Vine 7
Azalea 116
Bermuda Grass 85
Betel Nut 11
Birthworts 181
Black Locust 117
Bladderworts 179
Bleeding Heart 125
Blister Bush 96
Blue-Gree Algae 187
Bottlebrush 85
Burdock 218
Burning Bush 201
Butterworts 179
Calabar Bean 18
Cannabis Vodka 60
Carolina Jessamine 119
Carrot Family 73
Casca Bark 19
Cashew 40
Cashew Familiy 71
Cashew Tree 159
Cassava 41
Castor Bean 15
Caulerpa Taxifolia (algae) 79
Celery 96
Cerbera Odollam 177
Chacruna 7
Chamise 202
Christmas Cherry 29
Christmas Rose 118
Chrysanthemum 127
Coca 21
Cocklebur 218
Cogon Grass 89
Cola Tonic 61
Colchicum 117
Corn 38
Corpse Flower 202
Cortinarius 48
Cowhage 102
Coyotillo 25
Curare 3
Daffodil 164
Daphne 117
Darnel 91
Deadly Nightshade 31
Death Camas 35
Death Cap 48
Delphinium 125
Devil's Claw 217
Dieffenbachia 28
Diffenbachia 164
Diviner's Sage 136
Dodder 147
Draco 205
Dumb Cane 28
Dwarf Mistletoe 191
Dwarf Nettle 171
Elderberry 40
English Ivy 28
Ergot 43
Eucalyptus Trees 201
False Morel 48
Ficus Tree 29
Figs 210
Finger Cherry 103
Fly Mushroom 48
Foxglove 118
Foxtail 218
Gas Plant 201
Giant Hogweed 95
Giant Salvinia 148
Gorse 190
Grapple Plant 217
Grass Burr 219
Grass Pea 37
Habanero Chile 51
Hellebore 118
Henbane 55
Herbal Remedies 97
Himalayan Cedar 85
Hyacinth 126
Hydrangea 118
Hydrilla 147
Iboga 63
Inky Cap 49
Jerusalem Cherry 29
Jimson Weed 67
Johnson Grass 91
Jumping Cholla 216
Juniper 85
Kalanchoe 164
Kentucky Bluegrass 91
Khat 75
Kombe 4
Kratom 136
Kudzu 87
Lacquer Tree 159
Lantana 119
Larkspur 125
Lenten Rose 118
Lillies 164
Lilly-of-the-Valley 125
Limes 96
Lobelia 119
Magic Mushroom 49
Mala Mujer 93
Manchineel Tree 99
Mandrake 105
Mango Tree 159
Marijuana 109, 165
May Wine 60
Mexican Jumping Beans 210
Mezcal 59
Milkbush 29
Milky Mangrove 102
Mokihana 97
Morning Glory 137
Mouse Trap Tree 217
Mulberry 84
Nandia 165
Nettle Familiy 72
Nettle Tree 171
Nightshade Family 71
Oleander 113
Olive Tree 84
Ongaonga 171
Opimum Poppy 121
Pampas Grass 90, 201
Parsley Family 73
Peace Lily 28
Peacock Flower 129
Pencil Cactus 29
Pepper Tree 84
Peruvian Lily 126
Peyote Cactus 133
Philodendron 28
Pitcher Plants 180
Poison Arrow Plant 5
Poison Hemlock 139
Poison Ivy 157
Poison Oak 157
Poison Sumac 101, 157
Potato 41
Prairie Cordgrass 90
Pterocarpus Tree 205
Purple Loosestrife 143
Purple Nutsedge 148
Rafflesia 202
Ragweed 83
Ratbane 151
Rattan 211
Red Kidney Bean 40
Rhododendron 116
Rhubarb 39
Rosary Pea 155
Rubber Tree 29, 190
Sago Palm 161
Sambuca 60
San Pedro Cactus 136
Sand Burr 219
Sandbox Tree 189
Sangre de Drago 205
Sassy Bark 19
Skunk Cabbage 203
Slobber Weed 204
Southern Cut Grass 90
Spurge Family 72
Squirting Cucumber 190
Stgrychnine Tree 173
Stinging Nettle 171
Stinging Tree 167
Stinking Benjamin 204
Stinking Hellebore 203
Stinking Iris 203
Strangler Figs 149
Strychinine Tree 19
Strychinine Vine 4
Sweet Pea 126
Tanghin Poison-Nut 19
Tansy Mustard 102
Teddy Bear Cholla 216
Tequila 59
Timothy Grass 91
Titan Arum 202
Tobacco 183
Tonic Water 61
Tree Nettle 171
Tulip 126
Tulip 164
Unicorn Plant 217
Upas Tree 5, 19
Valley Oak 209
Venus Flytraps 180
Voodoo Lily 204
Water Hemlock 193
Water Hyacinth 197
Whistling Thorn Acacia 207
White Plumed Grevillea 203
White Snakeroot 213
Witch Hazel 191
Yellow Jessamine 119
Yew 221
Yew Pine 84
Yopo 137
Zubrowka 59

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A mixed quality book whose primary value is as reference...., April 5, 2010

By 

Dr. Allen K. Ream "Sam" (ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities (Hardcover)

A very entertaining book, and highly readable, five stars for that classification. The literary references are fascinating, and many of the minutiae are obscure but interesting.
However, as a physician and scientist, I found a number of loose ends that I would relate to the author's failure to be sufficiently critical when evaluating sources. Three stars for verification and detail.
Some of these appear to be just careless, as in listing eucalyptus as a pyromaniac, and citing the famous Oakland, California fire. It's true that eucalyptus wood has high calory content, and burns, and that Oakland spent a lot of money removing eucalyptus after the fire. On the other hand, that campaign was mostly hearsay (California Oaks and pine, both profusely represented, also burn, and often benefit from a fire for germination), and probably stimulated by the California Native Plant Society's campaign to eliminate non-natives...
In a more practical vein, the numerous descriptions of toxic reactions could have been far more precise without lengthening the book. One has the impression that many of the effects cited were from others without medical experience, sort of like passing a rumor around a circle of people and seeing how it changes. A shame in a book that spends so much time on pharmacology.
The other major frustration is the lack of an index. The book is rife with references to common and taxonomic names of toxic plants, and cross references to related plants... I would love to use it as a reference for further reading (when I found details wanting)... but the only way to find a plant again is to read the book again... this is a shame for a book that could be quite useful as a preliminary reference.
But for all of that it was thoughtful and entertaining!