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Cute Killers: 16 Unassuming-but-Lethal Poison Plant
Most plants contain some level of toxins (like alkaloids) for defense. After
all, they’re plants. They can’t go anywhere. Through millennia of trial and
error, both animals and human beings have figured out which plants are safe,
which are lethal, and which are somewhere in between. For example, did you know
that many grain-bearing plants contain a toxin known as lectins? And that the
African staple, cassava, must be thoroughly boiled and soaked to separate it
from its poisonous compound, cyanide? Even the humble lima bean has been bred to
contain less cyanide. Cherries, potatoes, peaches and apple seeds are all toxic
– eat enough of the latter, in fact, and it will prove fatal. Fortunately,
artificial selection and cooking methods have all but eliminated the threat of
toxins in everyday foods. But you may be surprised to find out the incredibly
lethal plants often hanging around the neighborhood park – or gracing your
tabletop in the form of a centerpiece.
Castor Bean
Images via UCC, My Sunshine Garden and remarc
Castor oil – for anyone unlucky enough to have been force spoon-fed this healthy
yet disgusting fluid as a child, you may be surprised to learn that an
ingredient in the castor bean just happens to be the deadliest plant poison on
earth. Literally. Just one tiny castor bean is enough to kill an adult within a
few minutes. Castor oil is made safe (but not palatable) with the removable of
the lethal compound known as ricin. Amazingly, castor bean plants are grown for
decorative purpose all over the place, particularly in California.
Rosary Pea
Image source unknown
As if a deadly legume weren’t bad enough, the pulses aren’t so benign, either.
The rosary pea may sound sweet and downright pious, but it’s actually one of the
most dangerous plants on earth. Its seeds contain a particular lectin known as
abrin; if chewed and swallowed, death will follow shortly. The seeds are easily
identified with their distinctive bright red jacket and single black dot (almost
like a reverse Black Widow spider). Abrin, which does its damage by inactivating
ribosomes, is one of the most fatal toxins on earth. After the vomiting, fever,
nausea, drooling and G.I. dysfunction but before the bizarre hyperexcitability,
edema and fatally convulsive seizures, renal tubular degeneration, bladder and
retinal hemorrhage and widespread internal lesions typically develop.
Monkshood
Image via About.com
Another unassuming plant – until you learn that the nickname for monkshood is
actually “wolfsbane”. That’s owing to its once common use by farmers as a very
effective wolf extermination tool. (Not to be left out, fowl are also fatally
affected by the related hensbane.) The monkshood has the distinction of
evidently being the bane of many creatures: its nicknames include womensbane and
leopard’s bane, though it is also known as blue rocket and devil’s helmet. It is
technically part of the aconitum genus, of which there are more than 250
species. The wolfsbane used to be a popular werewolf detection tool, by the way.
(Status was determined by holding the flower near the alleged’s chin; a
yellow-tinged shadow on the skin was thought to be confirmation.)
Bushman’s poison
Images via plantzafrica
The aptly-named Bushman’s poison has famously been used by the Khoisan of South
Africa to poison the tips of their arrows. Though the plant produces pleasantly
scented flowers and a tasty plum-like berry, the milky sap can be fatal. The
leaves, however, have medicinal properties. Bushman’s poison is also known as
thewintersweet.
Angel’s trumpet
Images via Direct Gardening and Wikimedia
What could be sweeter than the sound of an angel’s trumpet? Perhaps the moaning
agony of a trip that won’t end. Related to petunias, tomatoes and potatoes, the
angel’s trumpet (datura stramonium) is a highly effective hallucinogen, but
should not be consumed for recreational purposes as it can also be lethal.
According to wikipedia: “The active ingredients are atropine, hyoscyamine
andscopolamine which are classified as deliriants, or anticholinergics. Due to
the elevated risk of overdose in uninformed users, many hospitalizations, and
some deaths, are reported from recreational use.” This common plant also goes by
many other names, including jimson weed, stink weed, loco weed, and devil’s
snare. One 18-year-old who was house-sitting alone for his uncle recounts how he
decided to prepare some angel’s trumpet tea in curiosity and almost died (a
friend burst in on him convulsing on the bathroom floor and the authorities
assumed he was on an acid trip).
Water hemlock
Image via Rutgers
The poison hemlock famously drunk by Socrates is deadly, but thewater hemlock is
just as fatal. According to the USDA, water hemlock or poison parsnip is “the
most violently toxic plant in North America”. The flowers and stems are safe,
but the stalky roots contain chambers that are full of a deadly sap containing
the convulsant cicutoxin. Grand mal seizures are followed by a quick death if
even a tiny amount is consumed.
English Yew
Images via greenlover, c-r-alpacas, bomengids, and
Britannica
The English Yew, or taxus baccata (“taxus” meaning toxin), is one of the
deadliest trees on the planet. The evergreen has a majestic and lush appearance
and is fairly common in forests of Europe. The yew is considered by scientists
to be an odd and primitive conifer along with the monkey puzzle tree of Chile
and Gingko biloba tree of Asia. The yew has a rather sad history. All parts –
save for the flesh of the berries – are extremely poisonous. Because the toxin
causes convulsions and paralysis, it was once used as an abortifacient.
Apothecaries would dry and powder the leaves and stems and give desperate women
minute amounts in the days before birth control was available. Unfortunately,
death would often result. The yew has been quite popular throughout history for
a number of medicinal purposes at extremely dilute levels, but it is deemed too
dangerous in modern medical practice to be of use. The yew’s primary toxin is taxine, a cardiac depressant. The yew acts rapidly and there is no antidote.
Snakeroot
Images via Sonja Keohane and canalphotos
Snakeroot is most dangerous for livestock such as cattle and sheep. When cows
consume the attractive fluffy white blooms and stems of the snakeroot, their
milk and bones become saturated with the toxin tremetol and humans who consume
these contaminated animal products will develop milk sickness (tremetol
poisoning). In fact, milk sickness is what killed Abraham Lincoln’s mother,
Nancy Hanks.
Strychnine tree
Images via motherherbs, BRAIN and wikipedia
Queen Cleopatra famously forced servants to commit suicide by means of a
strychnine tree’s fruit seeds, which contain lethal levels ofstrychnine and
brucine, in order to determine if it would be the best means for her own
suicide. Upon seeing their agony (which included painful vomiting, facial
contortions and convulsions) she opted for the apparently less horrific choice
of the asp. (The asp was actually an ancient term for any number of poisonous
snakes, but experts think it was probably the cobra that Cleopatra chose to end
her life.)
Moonseed
Images via Missouri plants and paradisegardentx
A otherworldly name and a plant with often fatal effects. The seeds of this
Eastern North American drupe (stone fruit) are extremely toxic to humans,
although birds can eat them. Moonseeds first cause paralysis but are fatal in
larger doses and/or if treatment is not sought immediately.
Daphne
Images via Bonnie Day and Island Net
This plant, also called the spurge laurel, is a favorite ornamental shrub in
Europe. This drupe-producing evergreen with waxy, attractive foliage and
gorgeously fragrant blooms is also highly toxic. Consumption of the leaves or
red or yellow fruits will first cause nausea and violent vomiting, followed by
internal bleeding, coma and death. The daphne plant is rich in the toxin
mezerein.
Narcissus
Images via the Guardian and the flower expert
Narcissists are toxic enough when they come in human form, but the plant for
which they are named, also called the daffodil, is highly poisonous. Poet’s
narcissus is more toxic than daffodil, but in both cases it is the bulbs, not
the flower or stems, that cause illness. One famous fatal case in Toulouse in
the early 1900s occurred when the bulbs were mistaken for onions and consumed.
According toBotanical.com, “Socrates called this plant the ‘Chaplet of the
infernal Gods,’ because of its narcotic effects. An extract of the bulbs, when
applied to open wounds, has produced staggering, numbness of the whole nervous
system and paralysis of the heart.” Yet, there are medicinal properties, and
some cultures even believe they can cure baldness and serve as a potent
aphrodisiac. (Do not try at home.)
Oleander
Image via Bay Area Hiker
The oleander is the most deadly plant in the world. It is also tremendously
popular as a decorative shrub. Just one leaf can kill an adult, and fatal
poisonings have resulted from minimal exposure to the twigs, blooms and berries.
The plant contains numerous toxins, including nerioside, oleandroside, saponins,
and cardiac glycosides. Though native to parts of the Mediterranean and Asia, it
is now widely cultivated throughout the world. Fatalities among horses and other
livestock are common. Once ingested, oleander goes to work simultaneously on the
nervous system, the cardiovascular system, and the digestive tract.
Rhododendron
Images via SOUL, Netstate and Kew
The toxic rhododendron, a stalky tree-like evergreen shrub with large, brilliant
blooms, is famously seen throughout much of the Pacific Northwest and is the
state flower of Washington. Its relative, the popular garden shrub azalea, is
also poisonous. Both plants contain andromedatoxin, which can cause severe pain,
lethargy, depression, vomiting and nausea, progressive paralysis, coma and
eventual death. All parts are deadly.
Choke cherry
Images via Why Oh Why and BC
Chokecherry, or wild cherry, is a North American plant that is known for its
large sprays of tiny white flowers. The cherries are small and not eaten. The
plant’s woody stalks and leaves are full of hydrocyanic acid, which is fatal if
consumed. The poison affects the respiratory system, and rapid breathing,
choking and asphyxiation result.
Nightshade
Image via PBase
Also known as the devil’s cherry, black cherry, great morel and belladonna, the
nightshade is toxic from tip to top. Containing atropine, a deadly alkaloid,
those who ingest even a small amount of the plant will soon notice they have
lost their voice. Respiratory trouble and convulsions follow. The plant is
problematic because its cherries are so sweet and children are frequently
attracted to the wild fruit. Strangely, horses, birds, sheep, goats and pigs
seem to be immune to the effects of nightshade. Nightshade poisoning is
treatable with an emetic if treatment is sought swiftly. Plutarch spoke of
armies being wiped out by nightshade, and legend has it that Macbeth’s soldiers
poisoned the invading Danes with wine made from the sweet fruit.
There are many, many more toxic plants, but these plants were chosen for
inclusion in this post due to their their incredible characteristics.
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