Lincoln's Mother And Other Botanical Atrocities In Wicked Plants By Amy Stewart

Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities, by Amy Stewart was truly an interesting read. I chose this book because the concept of “killer” plants is truly fascinating to me. I was correct, this book was really interesting and was unlike any other book that I’ve ever read before. It discusses a variety of plants that can maim, injure, and even kill humans. It even tells quite a few stories about some of the deadliest plants that have killed humans. At first, the book just seems like it is a field guide to dangerous plants, but it is more than that. In the lengthy introduction there is a quote that perfectly exemplifies the thesis of the book, “When a baby comes home, we rush to add safety caps to electrical

The White Snakeroot is a plant that is very commonly found across the southern regions of the United States and was initially believed to be harmless. It was believed to be harmless because its appearance is very non threatening. It is a very beautiful plant with medium sized white flowers and a green stem. It wasn’t until after it had killed hundreds of people and livestock that we realized that it produced toxic chemicals, that if consumed, was cause certain death. The explanation of this plants deadly nature contributes to the author’s thesis. For many years this plant was viewed as harmless and people would let it grow freely on their farms because of its beauty. Its dangerous qualities were severely underestimated and it killed many

The author has a large section of the book on the kudzu plant. The kudzu plant is a n invasive vine like plant that has taken over the southern United States. This plant grows so fast that it can cover entire farms and take all of the water from crops, killing the crops. It can strangle trees, undermine buildings, and pull down power lines. It grows so rapidly that it can grow up to a foot a day. It is estimated to have caused over 100 million dollars in damages. This plant was originally introduced by farmers to help prevent soil erosion. They overlooked its dangerous qualities and now it is a major problem for millions of