This document discusses 16 unassuming but lethal poisonous plants. Some of the most deadly plants mentioned include the castor bean, which contains ricin that can kill an adult within minutes from just one seed; the rosary pea, whose seeds contain the lethal toxin abrin; monkshood, also known as wolfsbane, which was used to poison wolves; and the oleander, which contains numerous toxins and just one leaf can kill an adult. Many of these poisonous plants are commonly found growing in neighborhoods or used as ornamental plants without awareness of their high toxicity.

1. UNASSUMING BUT LETHAL POISON PLANTS
Cute Killers: 16 Unassuming-but-Lethal Poison Plant
Most plants contain some level of toxins (like alkaloids) for defence. After all, they are 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 neighbourhood park or gracing your tabletop in the form
of a centrepiece.
01. Castor Bean
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.

2. 02. Rosary Pea
As if a deadly legume were not bad enough, the pulses aren’t so benign, either. The rosary pea may sound
sweet and downright pious, but it is 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.

3. 03. Monkshood
Another unassuming plant is until you learn that the nickname for monkshood is actually wolfs’ bane. That
is 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 hens’ bane.) The monkshood has the distinction of evidently
being the bane of many creatures: its nicknames include women’s bane and leopards 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 wolfs’ bane used to be a popular werewolf detection tool, by the way. (Status
was determined by holding the flower near the alleged chin; a yellow-tinged shadow on the skin was
thought to be confirmation.)

4. 04. Bushman’s poison
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 the winter sweet.

5. 05. Angel’s trumpet
What could be sweeter than the sound of an angels trumpet? Perhaps the moaning agony of a trip that won’t
end. Related to petunias, tomatoes and potatoes, the angels 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).

6. 06. Water hemlock
The poison hemlock famously drunk by Socrates is deadly, but the water 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.

7. 07. English Yew
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.

8. 08. Snakeroot
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.

9. 09. Strychnine tree
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.)

10. 10. Moonseed
An 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.

11. 11. Daphne
This plant, also called the spurge laurel, is a favourite 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.

12. 12. Narcissus
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. The 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 to Botanical.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.)

13. 13. Oleander
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.

14. 14. Rhododendron
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 Andromeda toxin, which can cause severe pain,
lethargy, depression, vomiting and nausea, progressive paralysis, coma and eventual death. All parts are
deadly.

15. 15. Choke cherry
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 plants 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.

16. 16. Nightshade
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 document due to
their incredible characteristics.