The Pink Palace has a scary exhibit on display: plants that will kill you. Inspired by Amy Stewart’s book Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities, the exhibit features 100 of the world’s most diabolical botanicals.
The culprits range from greenery you might find in your own backyard to more exotic examples of poisonous, carnivorous, and just plain menacing flora. You’ll see some infamous plants, ones that have left their mark on history and claimed some notable but unfortunate victims.
To cite the Pink Palace’s website: “Upon entering a decrepit old home, meet the crime family of the plant world, the deadly Nightshades. In the conservatory, weeds of mass destruction have taken over. A crime scene in the potions laboratory teaches that things aren’t always what they seem, especially in the plant world.”
The exhibit also features “a supper served in the dining room that could be your last” and some moldy stuff that will take all the fun out of fungi. Not to mention a selection of weaponry that uses plant derivatives to immobilize and kill prey.
So, if you want to see some stinky, sap-sucking, secreting, sticky stuff that grows, the Pink Palace should be your destination. But don’t say you haven’t been warned. It’s not always easy being green. Sometimes, it’s deadly.
“Wicked Plants” opened last weekend and will stay open through September 7th. Call 901-636-2362 or visit memphismuseums.org for more information.
