This document summarizes several poisonous plants, including their key characteristics and effects of ingestion. It describes the Rosary pea plant, which contains abrin toxin that can be fatal even in small amounts. Deadly nightshade contains atropine and can cause dilated pupils, sensitivity to light, and potentially fatal convulsions. The castor bean plant contains ricin toxin in its seeds and leaves, which can be deadly if enough is ingested. Oleander and foxglove contain cardiac glycosides that can cause digestive issues, seizures, comas and even death from ingestion of their leaves or berries. The strychnine tree contains strychnine, which is usually fatal within 1-2 hours

1. CLASS-8
SUB- GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
CHAPTER- 5
TOPIC- POISONOUS PLANTS
prepared by:- Abhinish sahoo
Under guidance:- Amit kumar
sahu

2. POISONOUS PLANTS
Many plants have chemicals in them which help them from being eaten. These chemicals can cause stomach upset, skin
reactions, burning eyes, or even death if eaten or touched by animals and humans, especially children and these can
be harmful or fatal to an organism or any plant capable evoking a toxic and/or fatal reaction.

3. ROSARY PEA
Rosary pea, commonly known as jequirity bean or Abrus precatorius, is a herbaceous flowering
plant in the bean family Fabaceae. It is a slender, perennial climber with long, pinnate-leafleted
leaves that twines around trees, shrubs, and hedges. The plant is best known for its seeds, which
are used as beads and in percussion instruments, and which are toxic because of the presence of
abrin. Ingestion of a single seed, well chewed, can be fatal to both adults and children. The plant is
native to Asia and Australia. It has a tendency to become weedy and invasive where it has been
first introduced in AbrinThe median toxic dose for humans ranges from 10 to 1000 micrograms per
kilogram when it ingested and is 3.3 micrograms per kilogram will inhaled.

4. DEADLY NIGHTSHADE
Deadly Nightshade is also called belladonna, which means ’beautiful
woman’ since it was used as a cosmetic by women in Elizabethan England.
Atropa belladonna, commonly known as belladonna or deadly nightshade, is a
poisonous perennial herbaceous plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae, which
also includes tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant (aubergine). It is native to Europe,
North Africa, and Western Asia. the deadly poison paralyzes nerve endings in the
involuntary muscles of the body, such as the blood vessels, heart and
gastrointestinal muscles. Symptoms of deadly nightshade poisoning include dilated
pupils, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, headaches, confusion and convulsions.

5. CASTOR BEAN
Castor bean is a fast-growing tender
perennial large shrub or small
tree. Castor bean is an evergreen
herbaceous or semi-woody large shrub or
small tree. This robust tender perennial
can grow to 40 feet tall, developing
woody stems over a few years in frost-
free climates. Ricinus communis, the
castor bean or castor oil plant, is a
species of perennial flowering plant in
the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is
the sole species in the monotypic genus,
Ricinus, and subtribe, Ricininae. Castor
beans are processed to make castor oil,

6. DATURA
Datura is a genus of nine species of poisonous
vespertine flowering plants belonging to the
family Solanaceae. They are commonly known
as thornapples or jimsonweeds but are also
known as devil's trumpets (not to be confused
with angel's trumpets, which are placed in the
closely related genus Brugmansia). If you will
take Datura then Ingestion of the
plants can cause disturbing hallucinations,
paralysis, tachycardia, and memory loss
and can be fatal. Datura kills hundreds of
people a year, according to the American
Association of Poison Control Centers.
Datura is a poisonous plant that can have
deadly side-effects.
Rank: Genus

7. DIEFFENBACHIA
Dieffenbachia is also called as Dumb cane.
Dieffenbachia is a genus of tropical flowering
plants in the family Araceae. It is native to the
New World Tropics from Mexico and the West
Indies south to Argentina. Some species are
widely cultivated as ornamental plants,
especially as houseplants, and have become
naturalized on a few tropical islands. If a leaf is
chewed, these crystals can cause a temporary
burning sensation and then numbing of the
tongue, which gave the plants their common
name, dumb cane. However, despite the bad
publicity they are getting, no one is known to
have actually died from accidentally ingesting
the plant.

8. OLEANDER
Oleander is a dense, fast-growing evergreen shrub that has been growing since ancient times and
is native to North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean regions. Oleander, however, is toxic to
humans and pets, every part of it, and the outcome of ingesting even a small amount of it can be
dire.
Are oleanders poisonous to touch? Symptoms: Poisoning as a result of eating an oleander plant
can cause severe digestive problems, seizures, comas and even death. Additionally, those that
touch the leaves on an oleander plant may experience skin irritation.
While the shrub is beautiful and sounds like a gardener's dream, it's also deadly: Ingesting a
single leaf can kill an adult. Due to the plant's extreme toxicity, oleander may not be a suitable
shrub for households with small children or pets, and the risk may be too great even in an adults-
only home. Ingestion of oleander results in diarrhea, vomiting, intense stomach pain, drowsiness,
dizziness, an irregular heartbeat, and often, death. If the victim survives the initial 24 hours after
ingestion, his or her odds of surviving increase dramatically.

9. FOXGLOVE
Foxglove is also called digitalis, this beautiful plant has been
used for the extraction of medicines for the heart, like digoxin.
Foxglove is an attractive plant that grows throughout the
United States. It grows in the wild and is cultivated in private
gardens for its beauty. Its bell-shaped flowers are usually
bright purple but can sometimes be white, cream yellow, pink,
or rose and generally bloom in the spring. Itis a genus of about
20 species of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and biennials
commonly called foxgloves.
Is Foxglove poisonous to touch? Toxicity and symptoms -Take
care when handling this plant. All parts of it can cause allergic
reactions, but the berries are particularly poisonous. The plant
contains minute needle-shaped crystals which can severely
irritate the skin. For Digitalis, the same cardiac glycosides
which strengthen the heart beat and saves a life are the
chemicals which can cause death, the epitome of the maxim
“the dose makes the poison”. The Herbarium has a number of
specimens of the two Digitalis species most common in the UK,
D. purpurea and D.

10. STRYCHNINE TREE
Strychnos nux-vomica, the strychnine tree, also known as nux vomica,
poison nut, semen strychnos, and quaker buttons, is a deciduous tree
native to India and to southeast Asia. It is a medium-sized tree in the
family Loganiaceae that grows in open habitats. Its leaves are ovate and
2–3.5 inches in size. In persons killed by strychnine, the highest
concentrations are found in the blood, liver, kidney and stomach wall.
The usual fatal dose is 60–100 mg strychnine and is fatal after a period
of 1–2 hours, though lethal doses vary depending on the individual.
Scientific name: Strychnos nux-vomica
Higher classification: Strychnos
Family: Loganiaceae
Rank: Species
Kingdom: Plantae