Plant Magic : The Supernatural Side of Botany

Author: Kenicer, Gregory J.

Botany & plant sciences

Published on 1 October 2026 by Birlinn General (Birlinn Ltd) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback / softback | 192 pages, b/w throughout
139 x 214 x 17 | 368g

Plants have played an enormous role in human culture since time immemorial. This fascinating book explores some of the many ways in which trees, herbs, ferns, mosses and other organisms such as fungi have been used in supernatural and magical traditions across Europe. Individual entries are packed with historical examples and anecdote to explain exactly why and how each of the plants listed came to be used in particular ways. Covering such diverse themes as alchemy, luck, curses divination, magical medicine, transformations and witchcraft, this foray into the supernatural side of botany underlines that for thousands of years our use of plants has been astonishingly diverse and has played a vital role in the way we make sense of both the natural and supernatural worlds around us.