A tree that sheds poison daggers; a glinting red seed that stops the heart; a shrub that causes paralysis; a climbing plant that strangles; and a leaf that triggered a war. Bestselling author Amy Stewart takes on two hundred of Mother Nature's most appalling creations in an A to Z of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate and otherwise offend. Menacing botanical illustrations render a ghastly portrait of evildoers that may be lurking in your back (or front) garden. Drawing on history, medicine, science and legend, this compendium of bloodcurdling botany will entertain, enlighten and alarm even the most intrepid gardeners and nature lovers.
Amy Stewart tends a poison garden of her own in northern California. She is the award-winning author of four books on the perils and pleasures of the natural world.