Episode Details

Poisonous Plants and Their Lore

Episode 315 Published 2 months, 1 week ago

Description

We all love plants, right? We give them names, talk to them like they’re our friends, and basically treat them like family. However, a lot of plants out there can actually really hurt you. That’s what we’re going to talk about today with my longtime friend and fellow plant podcaster Jane Perrone, host of ‘On the Ledge’ podcast and author of ‘Atlas of Deadly Plants.’ We’ll talk about poisonous plants, their chemistry, history, and their complicated relationship with us! Let's get right to it!

In this episode, we learn:

[02:39] How Jane became “Head of Inspiration” at Scribehound Gardening
[07:11] Jane’s evolving plant passions
[11:45] Her first book Legends of the Leaf… and its comeback story
[13:58] Behind Jane’s new book: The Atlas of Deadly Plants
[15:06] Espoma Organic
[16:48] The Water Smart Garden by Noelle Johnson
[18:36] What makes a plant poisonous?
[19:29] The tragic tales of Victorian children
[20:07] What’s the Manchineel tree?
[22:31] Why ancient medicines like ayahuasca, peyote, and tobacco made the list
[26:11] What are the two plants classified as biological weapons?
[28:48] How do plants classify as a biological weapon?
[32:39] How Arthur Conan Doyle experimented with poison on himself!
[34:04] Lords and Ladies: the plant of ancient Europe
[37:42] The real-life dangers of giant hogweed!
[39:28] Lily of the Valley
[42:45] The dark myths behind witches’ “flying ointments”
[44:57] How women’s herbal knowledge became demonized as witchcraft
[47:52] The deadly elegance of strychnine and why it’s easy to detect
[49:23] How modern toxins have replaced plant poisons
[49:58] Where can you find Jane’s books and Scribehound's written works?

Mentioned in our conversation:

Which common plants in your area are poisonous?

Check out the full show notes and blog here to learn more!

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