Readers' rating:
Published May 2009
256 pages
Genre: Science, Health and the Environment
Publication Information
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.
"Deliciously eerie ... Entertaining, informative—and a little unsettling." - Los Angeles Times
"Amy Stewart, who has written engagingly about her first garden, earthworms, and "the good the bad and the beautiful in the business of flowers," has a new book called Wicked Plants: A Book of Botanical Atrocities ... [Stewart is] a smart gardener who is drawn to the plant kingdom's criminal element ... After reading Wicked Plants you'll probably - if briefly - look at every inhabitant of your garden with caution." - Philadelphia Inquirer
This information about Wicked Plants was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Terrence McNally
Amy Stewart is the New York Times best-selling author of the Kopp Sisters series, which are based on the true story of one of America's first female deputy sheriffs and her two rambunctious sisters. The books are in development with Elizabeth Banks' production company, Brownstone, for a television series.
Her popular nonfiction titles include The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Plants, and Flower Confidential. While they have not been adapted for television, there are a few bars around the world named after The Drunken Botanist, which is even better.
Her books have sold over a million copies worldwide and have been translated into 17 languages.
She lives in Portland with her husband Scott Brown, a rare book dealer who can usually be found at his shop, Downtown Brown Books.
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Amy Stewart's Website
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