List Of Common Poisonous Plants

Believe it or not many of the plants you have around you everyday are actually poisonous. You may walk on, decorate with or even eat plants that contain dangerous or deadly poisons. Certain fruits and vegetables, garden and wild, as well as decorative plants could make you family or pets ill if ingested. In this article, we'll review some the common poisonous plants that may literally be right under your nose.

Poisonous Food Plants

Apples and potatoes, cherries and tomatoes. Throw in a little rhubarb and it could be your weekly grocery list but every one of these plants has parts on it, or in it, that are poisonous, The seeds of an apple contain a toxin, cyanogenic acids, that in a large enough does could prove fatal to humans and animals. Luckily the seeds from just one or two aren't enough, you would need many many apples to gather enough seeds to be deadly. Potatoes that have been exposed to light and have begun to turn a light green color may contain glycoalkaloid solanine. Cooking may get rid of the toxin, never eat green-colored potatoes raw. Also the leaves and pits of many common fruits, including cherries, peaches, plums and apricots are poisonous and shouldn't be consumed.

Poisonous Garden Plants

Who would imagine that several poisonous plants are standing tall right in your own backyard garden? Not only is it true but also these poisonous plants may be among some of your favorites. For example almost all varieties of lilies are poisonous and are especially harmful to cats. Oleander and Foxglove are two other common garden plants that are indeed poisonous. Privet and Delphinium contain substances that can prove fatal to humans if consumed. Yew and deadly nightshade contain toxic alkaloids while the castor oil plant, once the oil is removed, becomes a highly poisonous plant due to the protein, Ricin.

Poisonous Ornamental Plants

Probably the most common, and colorful, ornamental plant is the seasonal Poinsettia which has long suffered a shady reputation. Oddly enough, poinsettias aren't poisonous although eating enough of it may cause an upset stomach. Angel's Trumpet, with its innocent sounding name, is the dangerous one. The leaves and stems of this plant contain scopolamine and atropine, which in a large enough dose can cause delusions, paralysis or even death.

Poisonous Wild Plants

Wild poisonous plants seem to be the ones we known of more often. Poison ivy, oak and sumac are in this group so "leaves of three, let it be" or you may end up with a nasty itchy allergic reaction. Deadly nightshade and Black nightshade both carry poisonous substances in all parts of the plants. The pretty little white flowers of poison hemlock may look sweet but the Coniine they contain is a powerful neurotoxin that can cause death to humans and livestock.

While these poisonous plants may be all around us everyday, a little knowledge is all that is needed to avoid any devastating situations. Keep young children and pets away from poisonous plants or remove them from your immediate areas. With these simple precautions you should be able to enjoy the beauty of the plants without having anything to worry about.