Wicked Plants : : the Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities

Locations
Call Number: Adult Book / Nonfiction / Science & Nature / Plants / Stewart, Amy
On Shelf At: Pittsfield Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Science & Nature / Plants / Stewart, Amy	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Science & Nature / Plants / Stewart, Amy	4-week checkout	Due 05-05-2024

Murder & mayhem -- Blisters, boils, & gashes -- Drunk & disorderly -- Offensive, unwelcome, & ill-mannered.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Botanical Trivia & Gore submitted by sdunav on July 21, 2011, 1:32pm This was arranged alphabetically - from aconite to yew. I learned some interesting trivia, and had fun, but it wasn't as in depth as I would have liked. But I think more details would have turned a lot of general readers off, so overall, a good compromise.

My only problem with reading this on the nook was that the illustrations didn't show up very well, and there was no way to enlarge them. I think this is one of the few books I've read that would be better on paper (especially for browsing) than as an e-book.

White snakeroot killed Lincoln's mother (she drank contaminated milk from a cow that had eaten it), btw, along with his aunt and uncle.

Very Interesting submitted by Jacy on June 16, 2013, 3:31pm An interesting botanical book. A bit macabre but worth reading.

informative submitted by Jackie77 on July 29, 2015, 9:55pm Nice book telling about poisonous weeds and plants. Explains how Abe Lincoln's mother died when he was 9

Interesting, could have been better submitted by FordAlpha on July 17, 2018, 11:49pm This book is not written in narrative style but as a series of brief, (mostly) alphabetically arranged entries, like a reference work. However, it is not intended as nor suitable for use as a field guide, pharmaceutical guide, diagnostic manual, or other reference work, so the choice of format is a bit puzzling. Really it's a book of interesting trivia. The plants are mostly arranged alphabetically by common name, but the sequence is frequently interrupted by thematic collections of plants with similar properties, and it's not always clear why these entries are placed where they are. This also leads to a fair amount of repeated information, which would make sense in a reference work where you're going to pick it up to find a particular entry, but not in a fun/interesting read that you're going to consume straight through. So overall, the organization feels scattered and not well thought out.

The prints illustrating the plants are quite well done, beautifully crisp and botanically accurate, but the little macabre cartoons accompanying the thematic entries are only occasionally amusing, and their reproduction is strangely pale and blurry. The text is well researched and does a good job with the facts, though there are some stumbles with terminology and one or two glaring botanical errors (ginkgoes have nothing to do with the cashew family). A particular strength is the historical anecdotes, which are not all the same ones you've heard before. There are some interesting ethnobotanical tidbits as well. But there is almost no mention at all of the roles that the toxic chemicals, etc. play in the plants themselves -- a disappointing omission. And although I appreciate the inclusion of invasive weeds among the roster of the "wicked", I don't think the harmless-to-human carnivorous plants belong here at all.