Wicked Plants (25 page)

THE ARTIST AND THE PLANT

Briony Morrow-Cribbs creates copper etchings, fine bound books, and ceramic “cabinets of curiosity” that reflect her fascination with the ways in which the rational language of science meets the grotesque and absurd natural world. A graduate of the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Morrow-Cribbs’s work has been exhibited around the world. She resides in Brattleboro, Vermont, and is represented by the Davidson Gallery in Seattle. She is also the cofounder of Twin Vixen Press.

Briony shares her name with a wicked plant,
B. cretica.
Native to central and eastern Europe, this sturdy, twining vine produces red berries that cause vomiting, dizziness, and even respiratory failure. White bryony,
B. alba
, has been called “the kudzu of the Pacific Northwest” for its invasive behavior in that region. All plants in the
Bryonia
genus are poisonous to humans and livestock; common names include snakeweed, bastard turnip, and devil turnip.

THE ARTIST

Brooklyn-based artist Jonathon Rosen’s clients include Tim Burton,
I.D.
magazine,
Popular Science, Details, Sony, Outside
magazine,
Psychology Today, New York Times Magazine, Screwgun Records, Salon, Rolling Stone, Fortune
, MTV,
Time
magazine, and
Mother Jones
, among others. He has authored and illustrated two books,
Intestinal Fortitude
and
Birth of Machine Consciousness
, and his work has been collected by the New York Metropolitan Museum, David Cronenberg, and Si Newhouse.

This garden in Northumberland, England, is surely the best place in the world to see wicked plants. Fans of the Harry Potter movies will recognize the medieval Alnwick Castle, which served as Hogwarts in the first two films. In the gardens surrounding the castle is an elaborate poison garden where henbane and belladonna flourish alongside tobacco and a caged cannabis specimen. Well worth a visit. Check
www.alnwickgarden.com
to find out more, or call +44 (0)1665 511350.

The world’s oldest university botanical garden is situated near Venice in Padova, Italy. It includes an impressive collection of poisonous plants. Find out more at
www.ortobotanico.unipd.it/eng/index.htm
, or call +39 049 8272119.

This walled, centuries-old apothecaries’ garden in the heart of London, includes a number of medicinal and poison plants, as well as a fascinating “order bed” garden that shows how families of plants are related to each other. Go to
www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk
, or call +44 (0)20 7352 5646.

This world-class botanical garden includes a small, fenced toxic plant garden and a medicinal garden. They even include poison ivy in their collection. Check out
www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/en/menu.htm
, or call (514) 872-1400.

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia has a museum devoted to our sometimes gruesome medical history. In addition to antique medical equipment and pathological specimens, there is a medicinal garden filled with powerful plants. Visit
www.collphyphil.org
or call (215) 563-3737.

Cornell University maintains a poisonous plant garden in Ithaca, New York, as part of its veterinary school. Most of the plants will be familiar to North American gardeners; the goal is to help familiarize students of veterinary medicine with the plants that animals are most likely to encounter. Visit
www.plantations.cornell.edu
, or call (607) 255-2400.

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