Plants That Kill: A Natural History of the Worlds Most Poisonous Plants

(Hardback)

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Plants That Kill is not a field guide, clinical care manual, or pharmacology textbookit is a fascinating and beautifully presented natural history of the worlds most poisonous plants, the extraordinary strategies they employ for survival, and the impact these have on humans, other animals, and on other plants. Some of these seriously harmful and potentially lethal plants can cause their effects if eaten only once, others when consumed repeatedly over a longer period. For some, their effects are felt after skin or eye contact, or following inhalation. These extraordinary plants occur on all continents, and in many different plant families, producing a range of chemicals as part of their strategy for survival. The positive uses that humans and other animals have found for these plants and the chemicals they contain are also an important part of the story. This great diversity is showcased and brought to life through fascinating examples, beautiful illustrations andclear, explanatory diagrams. Anyone with an interest in plants, or with more ecological or pharmacological inclinations, will be fascinated and engaged by this book.

Author Bio

Elizabeth Dauncey has a degree in Botany and a PhD in Plant Taxonomy. She spent most of her career working for the Poisons Unit of Guys & St ThomasHospital NHS Trust in London. Since 2012, she has worked for Kews Medicinal Plant Names Services. Sonny Larsson worked as an associate professor in pharmacognosy at Uppsala University and Lule University of Technology, before taking up a position as a phytochemist. He has also worked at the Botanical Garden, Natural History Museum of Denmark, studying the evolution of chemical characters in plants.