Murder your dinner guest

Not since that monstrosity from Little Shop of Horrors have we seen plants this deadly. Amy Stewart, author of Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities, discusses evil foliage at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Sunday 31 (bbg.org). Stewart instructs us on what to do with a pesky dinner guest below.—Drew Toal

Illustrations: Atsuhiro Saisho

Step 1: Pick your poison(ous plant)
“Choose an innocent-looking plant that’s widely available at garden centers so as not to attract suspicion,” Stewart says. “For instance, the leaves of monkshood (Aconitum) bear a dangerous resemblance to flat-leaved parsley and the spires of its blue flowers will blend in with the rest of the flower garden.”

Step 2: Bury the plant
“Plant in moist, fertile soil—but wear gloves. Seriously. Even a little skin contact can bring on numbness and tingling,” she says. And as fun as that sounds, it leads to paralysis and asphyxiation. Egad!

Step 3: Prepare the meal
“Plan your dinner for late fall or winter, when the poison aconitine is strongest in the roots. Slice or grate roots into a curry or stew, being sure not to lick the spoon.” Stewart’s dinner parties are to die for.

Step 4: Cover your tracks
“Early symptoms of sweating and shivering could be mistaken for a sudden attack of influenza; bundle them up and get them out of the house before vomiting, diarrhea and paralysis occur,” she says. “They’ll be dead within a few hours, and with any luck, it’ll look like a heart attack.” What, no dessert? But we made tiramisu!

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