Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow Lives of Plants

Product Information

At a fundamental level, we are all sustained by plants, either from the oxygen they supply or from the food they can provide or by using them to build shelters. But we would be foolish to think of them as passive lifeforms that can accept being munched by any passing animal. They have developed sophisticated defences to stop them from disappearing down the gullet of a herbivore. These defences can vary from the spiked leaves, sour-tasting stems all the way to the utterly lethal parts of some plants that can kill an animal in a short space of time. The book is beautifully illustrated by simple mono line drawings which stir the imagination and which give, along with the text, a comprehensive guide to the A-Z of Plants which could potentially do great harm. There is a disclaimer at the start of the book to not try any of these as the book is for information and entertainment only and not a medicinal guide to try plant based medicine at home. If you drink much from a bottle marked ‘poison,’ it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later.”– Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Botanical Curses and Poisons by Fez Inkwright | Open Library Botanical Curses and Poisons by Fez Inkwright | Open Library

So, grab a cup of tea, a comfortable chair, and prepare to delve into the dark, twisted world of botanical gothic literature. 1. Evil Roots: Killer Tales of the Botanical Gothic by Daisy Butcher All this is discussed, and more, in Botanical Curses and Poisons, the latest book by author/illustrator Fez Inkwright and a pretty direct followup to her charming 2019 publication Folk Magic and Healing. Inkwright cites botany, nature, early religions and folklore as her greatest passions, and all of these topics are seen in equal measure in both her books. Botanical Curses and Poisons makes a great companion piece, not just because the two books would look great on a shelf together, but also because it’s structured very similarly to its predecessor. With the exception of a few interesting short articles at the beginning, most of the book is set up like an encyclopedia of botanicals. Each entry starts with an excerpt from poetry or literature that references the plant, and most also include a beautiful and delicate ink drawing of what it looks like. They certainly do look nice together, though! This book is truly a stunning work of art as much as it is a writing on the A-Z of plants and their sometimes dark and nefarious history. The text flows around and between beautiful illustrations, and includes poems, quotes and various wisdoms about each plant as well as the history and folklore associated with it. The facts about the different plants, and the folklore and mythology that are included make it feel like such a rich tapestry of storytelling.

I’m a big gardener, and I’m also a fantasy author. When I started writing one of my current works in progress, I realized that after the pandemic and health issues and all the emotional upheaval and stress from that, I wanted to write a book that was maybe a bit softer, with a magic system that paid homage to the plant world that I love so much. But I didn’t really want a “kitchen witch” feel to the magic. I wanted something else entirely. I settled on a “flower magic” system. If you drink much from a bottle marked ‘poison’, it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later.’ – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland. What you get: If you drink much from a bottle marked ‘poison’, it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later.’

Botanical Curses and Poisons - Liminal 11 Botanical Curses and Poisons - Liminal 11

Unexpected additions to this list were plants such as broad beans, hydrangea, willow and even basil. There are some truly deadly additions to this list including one that is highly restricted under the terrorism act in the UK. As well as the plants that will make your life much shorter and painful, Inkwright has included plants that have been used in folklore to curse others, such as elder, hellebore and willow.Definitely one for anybody interested in folklore and myth, as well as plant lovers. This was truly fascinating. While each plant does get an overview of history, mythology, and the like, it is just an overview. Important information is given, and I used many of these bits of what I learned as I read to give me jumping-off points for further reading. IE: I went on many an internet deep dive doing research to learn more about these plants after I read about them. For this reason, I will say, this is a book best savored rather than devoured. There’s a ton of information here, but if you’re like me, you’ll be, “Oh, that’s interesting, I want to learn more” google searching as you read. It’ll slow your progress down a bit, but that’s okay, because this is one of those books that is best savored. It’s just, quite frankly, that good. Inkwrite takes readers on a historical and educational journey throughout the history of plants, using many of them to showcase not just their properties, but how they have been used, and their darker capabilities. And yet it was the accessible nature of his writing that captivated me almost as much as anything else. I was afraid when I bought this book that it would be full of academic jargon and heavy textbook-style prose that would put me to sleep, but what I got here were overviews of countless plants and their stories told in a style that I found surprisingly immersive rather than anything else. Added along with the line drawings in each section, and I was hooked. Plus, I must say, the production quality of this book is out of this world. I don’t typically buy physical books anymore, but this is absolutely one I’m glad I bought. It’s just gorgeous, from cover to cover. Today is my spot on the blog tour for 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐒; ᴛʜᴇ ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡ-ʟɪᴠᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴘʟᴀɴᴛꜱ by Fez Inkwright. Thank you to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours and Liminal 11 for sending me a copy of this beautiful book. But I really enjoyed my time with this, the witchy vibes are immaculate and this really is just such a beautiful book! The various connections drawn between the plants and both history and myth were really engaging as well and had me laughing more times than I thought (I mean, it's just a bit funny to read about a guy terrified of being poisoned, so he eats tiny amounts of poisons every day of his life and then finds he's immune to poisons when he tries to kill himself by using-you guessed it- poison).

Botanical Curses and Poisons - AbeBooks Botanical Curses and Poisons - AbeBooks

I’ll be honest, at first a book about just poisons didn’t seem as wide of a topic as a book about herbal medicine in general, and so I was surprised to see that Botanical Curses and Poisons is actually quite a bit longer than Folk Magic and Healing. But describing it as a book about poisons is selling it short. Lots of plants can be poisonous but only in specific ways—maybe only a certain part of the plant is toxic or it’s dangerous only if prepared in a certain way. (Inky cap mushrooms, for instance, are safe to eat unless consumed with alcohol, at which point they become poisonous.) Plus, in addition to poisonous plants, it covers all sorts of plants with sinister history, ranging from uses in dark magic to mythological associations with death. The latter is actually a huge category, as there are all sorts of fascinating reasons a plant would become associated with death—perhaps it’s the favored flower of a goddess of death, or it might grow in graveyards, or it smells like rotting flesh, or maybe it just has a pale and spectral look that made people think of ghosts. Beans were associated with death in the British Isles because people noticed that more accidents happened in the mines during the season when bean plants flower, which was definitely caused by the beans and not the fact that mines were more dangerous during the rainy season! Other plants have built-in abilities that can feel sinister or malevolent. Cogon grass is very flammable and burns hotter than regular flames, an ability it uses to burn down the other plants around it to make room for cogon shoots to sprout in the newly barren earth. It is well known how plants have been used through time for healing and their medicinal properties, but as with all nature where there is good bad will surely follow. The A-Z layout of the plants makes for a really manageable structure, and gives the reader regular natural breaks to allow for them to reflect and absorb what they have read. But the facts and stories themselves are so interesting that you can easily read a large portion in one sitting. Poisonings are among the most memorable deaths in history, from the Roman Empire to the Medieval era and beyond. Concealed and deliberate, it’s a crime that must be planned in advance. And yet there is a fine line between healing and poisoning – Paracelsus argued that only the dosage matters!The problem is, I don’t really grow flowers. I have an absolutely huge garden, but “flowers” is not really part of it. I grow vegetables and fruits, and a lot of them come from all around the world, but I don’t really grow flowers. So I knew when I set out to write this book that I needed to get books about flowers, and about the specific parts of them I need for this magic system. I already knew I had a few poisonous/toxic plants in my garden but I was amazed to discover the violet, which I always thought was such a happy little flower was so associated with death and the underworld. Some of these I know from childhood, I remember being told very sternly that I must never ever touch the glistening berries of the Deadly Nightshade that I used to see growing down the lane near my house. I grew to learn which plants could hurt when you fell off your bike into them and even contemplating touching a mushroom was forbidden. Thankfully in this beautiful book by Fez Inkwright, the knowledge of which plants to avoid has been brought bang up to date. I think I have found a new favourite Non-Fiction recommendation folks! I don't read a lot of Non-Fiction, and there is always an unknown around how accessible the writing is going to be... and there are no such worries here. This is a glorious book; beautifully and lovingly written, completely engaging and utterly compelling.

Botanical Gothic Books Plants with a Dark Side: 6 Must-Read Botanical Gothic Books

The facts presented about the plants are as varied as the range of plants covered. Each entry might span many different cultures and touch on information like how plants got their name, how they were used during different time periods, what superstitions people had about them and why. (And if you’re an academic nerd like me, rest assured that it’s all very well cited!) The broad nature of the knowledge conveyed is cool because it gives a more thorough picture of what life is like in these different cultures. Names, in particular, have a lot to say about the societal values of a time. One of my favorite examples of that is Devil’s Bit, named because the highly medicinal roots were also abnormally short, leading people to believe that the devil “bit” off the rest of the roots so less medicine could be made from them. The different utilities people found for plants that are toxic are interesting too—for example, bug collectors used to place live specimens in a jar with crushed laurel leaves so the toxic fumes from the laurel would kill the insect without damaging it. Fez Inkwright is an illustrator, author, and folklorist. Her greatest passions are botany, nature, primitive religions, and folklore, which flavor most of her work. For the past eight years she has produced work for children’s books, hand-drawn maps, and tattoo design, and now spends her time indulging in conservation work and writing. She lives in Bristol, UK, with two cats and several hundred bees. Available As:

Wikipedia citation

Gothic author Eleanor Sciolistein says: “Another gorgeous slice of eerie Southern Gothic from a talented writer whose gift for building memorable and relatable characters is matched only by her ability to send a chill up the reader’s spine. Perfect for anyone with artistic leanings, The Haunting of Willow Creek is a rewarding read for any fans of gothic literature. Highly recommended.” 6. Botanical Curses and Poisons: The Shadow-Lives of Plants by Fez Inkwright This book is a perfect mix of botany, folklore, and all things witchy. It is a very interesting read, especially for non-fiction, and is beautifully illustrated throughout. The book is a fascinating cornucopia, filled with a wealth of knowledge both botanical and historical so that reading it becomes more of a journey through the history of both herblore and folklore. Alongside the intricate descriptions of plants and their uses, I have loved reading the references to poets and writers which help to bring the book alive in such a glorious way. Reader, it was probably one of the best random decisions I’ve made in a while. This book was fantastic.