�two Amazon lists, Outdoors & Nature and Home & Garden."What we forget is that most of what the plant kingdom produces is not food," said Stewart, in a phone interview from her home in Eureka, California. "You shouldn't go around eating just anything that comes out of the ground."In fact, it's surprising how many ordinary garden plants are actually quite dangerous. Oleander, a common shrub that's prized for its drought-resistant qualities, is poisonous if ingested — and in fact, a woman in Southern California tried to kill her husband by putting oleander leaves in his food.Foxglove, which is used to make a medication for heart disease, can also be harmful in large amounts. And castor bean, Stewart reveals, is the source of ricin — a deadly poison that the KGB used to assassinate Communist defectors."Wicked Plants," however, is not just about the plants. What Stewart did was dig up the dirt (so to speak) on famous murders, scandals and even wars that can be pinned on the plants.Stewart's fascination with the subject started several years ago, when she began growing poisonous plants at home, just for the fun of it. This garden includes such felonious fauna as monkshood (also known as "plant arsenic"), hemlock (Socrates' suicide choice) and tobacco, which of course, has probably killed more people than any other plant in history.The author has further enhanced her poison garden with little tombstones and faux bones, in case a visitor doesn't get the point.And the danger from plants isn't just from eating them, Stewart points out.Interview with Amy Stewart, Author of "Wicked Plants"
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