Helen Yoest didn’t set out, as she said recently, to write a horticultural Kama Sutra. It was sort of an accident. Ms. Yoest, a garden writer, was researching an article on avocados when she learned that the fruit was considered an aphrodisiac. What makes it so, she wondered: The nutrients? The shape? Bingo. Turns out their reputation dates to the Aztecs, who marveled at how avocados grew in pairs, and named the plant “the testicle tree.”

“I was fascinated to learn that during the harvest, the ancient Aztecs would lock up their virgin daughters,” Ms. Yoest said. “That’s a very powerful image.”

So began her exploration of what she calls “plants with benefits,” or plants that have aphrodisiac qualities. Some, like the avocado, derive their oomph from their suggestive shape. Ditto the banana, the fig, the papaya and so on. Others affect brain chemistry, increase blood flow to the nether regions or mimic human hormones. Some, like the pomegranate, are also super-foods, so-called because of their powerful nutritional content. The results of going down this diverting rabbit hole are collected in “Plants With Benefits: An Uninhibited Guide to the Aphrodisiac Herbs, Fruits, Flowers and Veggies in Your Garden,” out this week from St. Lynn’s Press.

Q. I was amused that you quoted Virgil on arugula (“the rocket excites the sexual desire of drowsy people”) since I eat the stuff every day. And I was most surprised to learn of boring old celery’s properties as an erection-enhancer and pheromone-jogger. What were you most surprised by?