We all love beautiful flowers. The nice smells, vivid colours and symmetric features captivate our minds. That’s why we love to take care of them. Some of them, however, can put you in the grave quite easily.
Most people don’t realise that even plants common in the backyards of people are poisonous too. Many of those plants aren’t deadly, some can just cause a rash or just have poisonous parts, but there are also those who will absolutely put you in a lethal toxic shock given the chance.
Plants tend to be poisonous in different parts, rarely being entirely toxic. Some have poisonous fruits, others have toxic leaves. There are also plants that have poisonous stems and roots. In the world of greenery, every part can be harmful to people. And let’s not forget the mantra of toxicology as we go about this:
“The dose makes the poison.”
Another interesting thing about poisonous plants is that they can be harmful to one another. For example, seasoned gardeners know that you should never plant tomatoes and a walnut tree in the same garden as the tree will kill the tomato plant.
Let’s take a look at some of the most beautiful, yet poisonous flowers.
The mountain laurel is a very dangerous plant mainly because it doesn’t look sinister at all. The leaves and nectar taste sweet, so animals aren’t put off by it. An interesting thing is that bees love to gather nectar from this plant. If they spend too much time on it, the honey will be poisonous and can cause irritating effects. Some known issues are vomiting, runny nose and stomach pains.
There are cases in which kids have tasted the nectar of the plant and have experienced the above-mentioned symptoms. In some cases, pets have died from eating the leaves of the plant. One thing that you have to keep in mind is that the poison seems to be working even after the plant’s leaves have begun to rot. Because of that, it’s fairly easy for pets and unattended small children with a tendency to put anything in their mouths to poison themselves.
The veratrum flowers are one of the most dangerous and poisonous blossoms out there. Although the family includes many beautiful plants, most of them could lead to a horrific death. They are so poisonous that if ingested it causes rapid cardiac failure and death.
Because of the high toxicity symptoms occur between 30 minutes and 4 hours. Some of the first signs are vomiting, abdominal pain, headaches and seizures. Some species of this family grow in Australia.
This small, yellow, dandelion looking shrub isn’t as toxic and deadly as the veratrum, but can still damage livestock and pets. The shrub has poisonous leaves, which if ingested can lead to kidney failure in animals and pets that consume it.
The leaves are poisonous both fresh and dried. That’s why they can pose a threat to animals.
The beautiful white flowers of the Cerbera Odollam are fatal if ingested. They are so dangerous that the plant is called a suicide tree.
With a name like that you know things are serious. The kernels of this plant are so lethal that the toxins when consumed cause disruption of the heartbeat that oftentimes ends fatally. So, needless to say, it is best to keep your distance from this one.
This beautiful plant is so dangerous that its poison effects can be mistaken with arsenic intoxication. No cure is known, so you better stay away from the luring beauty of this flower and it’s good to keep the rest of the family and pest away, too.
If you are not sure whether you’ve encountered this exact plant, it would be best to stay clear of it just in case it is precisely the Naked lady.
Although it isn’t as beautiful as the plants mentioned above the water dropwort has roots that look like white carrots. They are also so poisonous that one root can kill a cow. Needless to say what such a root can do to a human.
Mother nature at its worst here, so staying clear of the Water Dropwort is definitely something to remember.
Speaking of dangerous plants, check out the next one!
The toxicity of this plant is so strong that if enough is ingested it could lead to instantaneous death. As dangerous as it is, this plant is still absolutely beautiful with its purple colours.
Some of the symptoms of aconitum poisoning include nausea, dizziness and difficulty breathing. If you or another family member experience any of these and you have doubts you’ve been in contact with this plant, seek immediate help.
As beautiful as it may be, all parts of this plant are poisonous if swallowed. Additionally, contact with a body part might lead to skin irritations. The clump-forming parts got their name because of the shape of the flowers. They resemble little gloves, so it is easy to recognise them.
In some parts of the world, they are known as gnome gloves, and in France, people call them “Lady’s gloves”.
The intimidating name fits quite well as this plant can be potentially lethal if ingested in bigger quantities. And it happens a lot.
Devil’s weed has a psychoactive effect on humans, so many recreational users get hospitalised because of this. Intoxication is recognised by bizarre behaviour and hallucination.
Although it’s in the genus of the naked lady, the oleander is the less poisonous cousin. The beautiful colourful flowers of this plant might be a real gem to look at, but they can also be lethal to your pet.
However, a very small amount of people have died because of this plant. In fact, there have been only 3 documented deaths in the last 30 years. Still, we would suggest staying away from this flower.
This little yellow flower might not look dangerous, but when consumed by livestock it can have horrendous results. If ingested the little flower causes blisters in the mouth and bleeding inside of the body.
Even touching it is not completely safe. If handled, it should be done carefully because the flower can damage the skin leading to dermatitis. Needless to say, if you ever come in contact with this plant, wearing gloves can is a good precautionary measure.
Almost all of these plants are found in Australia. You need to keep away from them because, well… they’re dangerous. While some of them are okay to grow in the garden, most of them are too dangerous to be close to humans. Also, did you know that a very large part of all plants on Earth are somewhat toxic? Pretty cool, huh?
The professional gardeners know what should be nurtured and what should be removed from your garden.
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