[Sca-cooks] Deadly Weeds

Johnna Holloway johnnae at mac.com
Wed May 27 05:01:34 PDT 2009


There's a new book out plus an exhibit that people may want to check out.

Author Amy Stewart's new /Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's 
Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities
came out last week.
/In /Wicked Plants/, Stewart takes on over 200 of Mother Nature's most 
appalling creations, offering 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.

Enjoy this A to Z of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate, and otherwise 
offend. Amazon already has copies.

The exhibit is at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.
http://www.bbg.org/exp/wickedplants/
Download and print the self-guided tour and information brochure 
<http://www.bbg.org/exp/wickedplants/bbg_wickedplants.pdf>, or pick one 
up when you come to the Garden.

New York Times article and blog:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/garden/21poison.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=wicked%20plants&st=cse
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/plants-show-off-their-sinister-sides/?scp=1&sq=wicked%20plants&st=cse

Johnnae



More information about the Sca-cooks mailing list