Like animals, many plants have evolved mechanisms to avoid predation. Unlike animals, they do not have the option to run away, and thus must rely on other ways of protecting themselves.
Such poisonous plants have a very important place in human
culture, from their homicidal uses to their medicinal benefits.
Here are 10 Of The World’s Poisonous Plants.
1-
Deadly Nightshade (Atropa
belladonna)
Perhaps the most famously lethal on our list is Atropa belladonna, the
aptly named Deadly Nightshade. This toxic plant belongs to the same family as
tomatoes, potatoes and aubergines, and can be found across Europe, including in
Britain, as well as North Africa, Western Asia and some parts of the USA and
Canada.
Despite being one of the most toxic plants known, with as few as
10 berries thought able to kill an adult, its name actually comes from its use
as a beauty product (bella
donna being Italian for beautiful woman). Drops prepared from
the plant were used to dilate pupils to make ladies’ eyes seem bigger, brighter
and more attractive.
2-
Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)
One of the world’s most famous, and for some beloved, plants is
also one of the most toxic. Tobacco is the most widely grown commercial
non-food plant in the world, and in 2020 it was used by an estimated 22.3% of
the global population. Despite this popularity, all parts of the plant,
especially the leaves, contain the toxic alkaloids nicotine and anabasine.
Tobacco is designated as a cardiac poison and if eaten directly
may even result in death. Indirectly, tobacco is still remarkably dangerous,
responsible for the deaths of 8 million people a year according to the
WHO, primarily as a consequence of cigarette smoking. It certainly deserves its
place on our deadly list.
3-
Manchineel (Hippomane mancinella)
The lethality of this tree is made evident by one Spanish name
for it, manzanilla
de la muerte, or “little apple of death”. Manchineel trees are
found in tropical parts of the Americas, and it is known as ‘the world’s most
dangerous tree’ for a good reason. Every part of the tree, from the bark to the
sap is highly toxic.
The fruits, as the part most likely to be unwittingly consumed,
are the most dangerous. Just a single bite of the small green crabapples can
cause agony, and potentially death. Even standing beneath the tree when it
rains is perilous, as the dripping sap causes the skin to burn and blister.
Definitely best left alone!
4-
Lily-Of-The-Valley (Convallaria majalis)
Beautiful, sweet-smelling… and poisonous. Lily-Of-The-Valley, an
expensive flowering plant renowned for its delicate perfume and symbolism of
love and happiness (it was even featured in the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding
bouquet) is in fact highly toxic. This is due to a high concentration of
heart-active cardiac glycosides, and its flowers and attractive red berries may
be fatal if eaten.
Like many toxic plants, Lily-Of-The-Valley has been used in folk
medicine for centuries, from a supposed treatment for gout to a cure for
muteness. There is however no scientific evidence that the plant can treat
human diseases.
5-
Oleander (Nerium oleander)
Another toxic but beautiful flower is Oleander. Known for its
striking flowers, and portrayed by painters from Klimt to Van Gogh, unfortunately,
this pretty pink plant is packed with poison. Like Lily-Of-The-Valley, it
contains toxic cardiac glycosides. Somewhat fortunately, however, it has a very
bitter taste, meaning that people are not tempted to eat it, and oleander
poisonings are rare.
The plant has a very long history of cultivation, with Pliny the
Elder writing of its poisonous properties in his famous work Naturalis Historia in
AD 77. Characteristic of the book’s dubious accuracy he also talks of its
usefulness as a snakebite antidote, when in reality it would probably just kill
you quicker.
6-
Rosary Pea, or crab’s eye vine (Abrus precatorius)
The tiny beans of this plant pack a massive punch. Also known as
the jequirity bean this climbing plant of the bean family (Fabaceae) is native
to Asia and Australia but is highly invasive in other parts of the world,
including parts of the Caribbean and the USA.
It is popular as an ornamental plant but also has a deeper
cultural and religious significance in various countries. For example, in
Trinidad, the bright red beads are strung into bracelets and worn to ward off
evil spirits. This is all despite the fact that ingestion of just a single seed
can be fatal.
Its toxicity is such that it has been even used for the illegal
killing of cattle, using just a small spike coated in the seed paste.
7-
Cerbera odollam
With the gruesome colloquial name of ‘suicide tree’ it’s not
hard to see how this plant made it to our list. Native to south and southeast
Asia and Australia, this tree bears a highly toxic fruit called othalanga which
when ingested can stop a heart. It has been used both for homicidal and
suicidal purposes.
Astonishingly a 2004 study found that the fruit was responsible
for approximately one death per week in the southern Indian state of Kerala,
primarily suicides. Its popularity as a murder weapon derives from the fact
that it is difficult to detect in autopsies and its taste can be masked by
strong spices.
8-
Hemlock water-dropwort (Oenanthe crocata)
Another plant with a gruesome moniker and an even creepier story
is the hemlock water-dropwort, sometimes known as ‘dead man’s fingers’. This
plant is actually a member of the carrot family, and although is reported to
have quite a pleasant taste, is definitely something that should not be put in
a stew.
It is thought that this
plant may have given rise to the term ‘sardonic grin’ as hemlock water-dropwort
poisoning causes (in addition to lung collapse, brain haemorrhage and death)
the facial muscles to spasm and contract, leaving a body with a striking
‘smile’. The ‘sardonic’ part of the name is thought to derive from the use of
the plant for the ritualistic killing of the elderly and criminals in ancient
Sardinia.
9-
Monkshood, wolf’s bane (Aconitum genus)
Monkshood, also known by names including wolf’s bane, leopard’s
bane, mousebane, devil’s helmet and women’s bane, is actually a whole
genus of plants, rather than a species. Almost all members of this genus are
highly poisonous, but despite this their tall violet-blue flowers make them
prized by gardeners and florists.
The toxin derived from these plants is called aconite and in
several parts of the world, it has been used as an arrow poison to hunt ibex
and bears for example.
It has also been used in grisly historical human ‘medical’
trials. In 1524, Pope Clement VII is said to have intentionally administered
aconite to two condemned prisoners in order to test the efficacy of a potential
antidote. The prisoner that was given the antidote survived and was rewarded
with a life sentence rather than death, the prisoner that was not given it died
an agonising death.
10-
Thornapples (Datura genus)
Another deadly and dangerous genus is that of thornapples, also
appropriately known as devil’s trumpets, and hells bells. All species in this
genus are extremely toxic, as well as potentially psychoactive.
Their hallucinogenic properties have led to them being used by
indigenous groups of the Americas to elicit visions and go on spiritual
‘trips’. This can be a very dangerous practice however as the difference between
a recreational dose and a lethal one is very small. Only very intimate
knowledge of its properties can make it a remotely safe experience.
The plants have also been associated with western witchcraft and
are said to have been used by witches in their hallucinogenic ‘flying
ointments’.
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