Poison alert over trendy edible flowers

SUMMER’S most coveted food trend could actually lead to poisoning, experts have warned.

Thanks to social media apps such as Instagram, edible flowers are the go-to garnish for salads, cake-toppings and cocktails.

Sainsbury’s has launched its own range, which includes marigolds, monkey flowers, viola and dianthus in a £3 ready-to-eat punnet.

But Guy Barter, Chief Horticultural Advisor at the Royal Horticultural Society, warned that delphiniums and aconitum, or wolf’s bane, were deadly. He said: ‘I think there is a risk that there are some plants that are potentially harmful If in doubt, leave it to the professionals.’

The RHS itself has even established an information page to help its members. And Ian Denholm, of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, cautioned: ‘In the UK there are some extremely poisonous species. I think the majority of people struggle to identify even common plants.’