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Wicked Plants

The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities

Illustrated by Briony Morrow-Cribbs

By Amy Stewart

Drawings by Jonathon Rosen

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.

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Meet the Authors
Briony Morrow-Cribbs headshot

Briony Morrow-Cribbs

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Amy Stewart headshot

Amy Stewart

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Jonathon Rosen headshot

Jonathon Rosen

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Product Details
Categories
Number of pages
256
Publication date
May 21, 2009
ISBN
9781565126831
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