Saturday, January 24 – Sunday, May 17, 2015

Step into a macabre world where plants hold all the power at the Science Museum of Virginia. Wicked Plants, the Museum’s latest featured exhibition, opens Saturday, January 24th.

Wicked Plants unearths 75 poisonous, carnivorous and diabolical plants inside of a dilapidated, Victorian home. Guests traverse through each room to uncover the biochemical, physical and neurological processes between botanicals and the human body.

Guests will solve the mysterious death of the home’s last remaining occupants – so don’t worry about ringing the doorbell. The adventure begins in the foyer of the home, where guests meet the deadly Nightshades and continue onward to discover plants that explode, ooze, blister, bite and sting. Each room reveals a plethora of plants – uncover the stinkiest plants known to man, find out how weapons can be made even more lethal and discover the mind-altering capacity of plants.

Inspired by Amy Stewart’s book,Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities, the exhibition provides a hands-on experience with some of the world’s most dangerous plants.

Wicked Plants is generously sponsored by Dominion Virginia Power.

Wicked Plants is included in general admission. Tickets are $11 with $1 discounts for ages 4-12 and 60+. Visit www.smv.org or call 804.864.1400 for details.

About Amy Stewart

Amy Stewart is the award-winning author of six books on the perils and pleasures of the natural world, including four New York Times bestsellers, The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Bugs, Wicked Plants, and Flower Confidential. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, the American Horticulture Society’s Book Award, and an International Association of Culinary Professionals Food Writing Award. In 2012, she was invited to be the first Tin House Writer-in-Residence, a partnership with Portland State University, where she taught in the MFA program.