The flora that can floor ya!
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HORROR plant giant hogweed is thriving in the hot weather – and now a baby has been badly injured after being exposed to it.
The frightening flora can grow up to 20ft tall, cause the skin to blister and lead to blindness and scarring.
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Three-monthold Lottie Hardwick had to be admitted to a burns unit after an encounter.
But the toxic triffids aren’t the only plant perils out there, as JAMES MOORE
reveals…
Wolfsbane: With its purple hooded flowers, the toxins in Wolfsbane – also known as monkshood, aconite and devil’s helmet – can cause heart attacks. One of the UK’S most poisonous plants, even a tiny amount can cause an upset tummy. It was recently linked to the death of a 33-year-old British gardener and in 2010 Lakhvir Singh was convicted of murdering her lover after putting some in his curry.
Deadly nightshade: The black berries release toxins that lead to headaches, confusion, convulsions and can even paralyse the heart. Just two berries are enough to kill a child – 10 for an adult. It may have been used to murder Roman emperor Claudius.
Hemlock: This tall green plant with innocent-looking white flowers can kill within three hours by paralysing the lungs. Used to execute the Greek philosopher Socrates. In 1992, two foragers also died after mistaking it for wild celery.
Foxglove: Just skin contact with foxglove causes a rash, but letting it pass your lips can bring on vomiting, diarrhoea and heart attacks.
Yew: Almost every part contains poisonous alkaloids. Eating the leaves or seeds can cause dizziness, an irregular heart rhythm and even death. People have eaten yew to commit suicide.
Laburnum: The seeds contain the lethal toxin cytisine which can cause convulsions, coma, frothing at the mouth diarrhoea and death.
Laurel: Often used for hedging, when cut laurel produces deadly cyanide. It’s thought British serial killer Graham Young extracted it to poison victims.
Daffodils: When swallowed they can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Lots of cases are reported in the UK annually as people
mistake the bulbs for onions.
Oleander: Despite its beautiful flowers, this garden favourite is reckoned to be the most deadly on the planet. All parts are poisonous. It can stop the heart and eating a single leaf could kill a child. Soldiers who ate meat from oleander skewers died.
White snakeroot: This North American plant contains an extremely poisonous toxin called tremetol. It killed the mother of US President Abraham Lincoln when she drank milk contaminatd with snakeroot.
Castor bean plant: This gives us castor oil, but the seeds also contain deadly ricin, which has been used by terrorists. It causes vomiting, diarrhoea, seizures and organ failure.
Manchineel: Known as the world’s most dangerous tree, it grows in South America and the Caribbean.
Its sap can scald you even if you just stand under it in the rain, and eating the fruit can cause vomiting and diarrhoea so bad that it is fatal.