http://www.livescience.com/11356-top-10-poisonous-plants.html
No. 10 - WisteriaThe entire plant is poisonous. It is beautiful but don't eat any part of it.
No. 9 - Foxglove The leaves of Foxglove are a commercial source of the heart drug digitalis. If you are having a heart attack, chew on some of its leaves. . or better yet, get to the emergency room.
No. 8 - Hydrangea. It looks like both the leaves and the flowers would be yummy, but please don't try them unless you want a belly ache and maybe even go into a coma.
No. 7 - Lily-of-the-valley.This plant, if eaten, causes severe stomach distress and maybe a slow or irregular heart beat.
No. 6 - Anthurium.This plant will give you a painful burning in the mouth and even swelling and blisters can occur.
No. 5 - ChrysanthemumSome plant these to keep rabbits away. The flower heads are somewhat toxic to us if eaten but touching them can make you itch and swell up.
No, 4 - OleanderThis whole plant is poisonous. Even breathing the smoke if they are burned can be a problem. But they are pretty.
No. 3 - FicusI never heard of this plant, but it isn't too dangerous. Contact with it or the sap will irritate your skin and it will itch and fall off. . . your skin, not the leaves.
No. 2 - RhododendronThe leaves are toxic and so it the honey that is made from the nectar. It causes increased salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. It could slow your heart rate and put you into a coma.
No. 1 - Narcissus If you confuse them for onions and eat the bulbs, you will wish you hadn't. Probably will not kill you but you may wish you were dead (grin)
\
All the above plants are beautiful, of course, to look at only. If you have a young child that chews on everything or a dog, be extra careful of these pretty posies. Now, smell the roses and have a great day, you hear?
I think oleander and rhododedron are the most beautiful plants there are, but I wouldn't try to taste one!
ReplyDeleteNot only in flowers, but I think some of the most beautiful things in the world are really dangerous.
DeleteEver read "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" by Euell Gibbons? Great book about eating from the wild. I used to make jelly out of things like Redbud flowers, Queen Anne's Lace flowers, and even sumac.... It's mushrooms that I'm especially careful with... I stick with morels and puffballs.
ReplyDeleteOh yes. I purchased that book right after it was published. BTW, Queen Anne's Lace blooms can be dipped in batter and fried.
DeleteOne time my son got sick and we took him to the doctors. The doc took a stool sample and said that there was some unidentified green stuff in it. I told him it was Sheep Sorrel and he said, "What!! He ate sheep dung?" Got a big laugh out of that. He just had a stomach bug of some sort.
Wow, I didn't know so many of these beautiful plants are poisonous. The only one I knew for sure was the poinsettia plant. Thanks for the information.
ReplyDeleteIt is much better to just admire them than to eat them, unless you are really sure they are eatable.
Delete