“There are poisons that blind you, and poisons that open your eyes.” - August Strindberg, The Ghost Sonata
As we are on the cusp of two annual seasonal events - the over-commercialised "spook-fest-turned-plastic-skeleton-tat-sales-device" Hallowe'en, and (far more engrossing pour moi) the Infomaniac Garden Photos Event 2021 (read all about it here), being hosted once again by the lovely Mr Inexplicable DeVice - I thought I'd combine the spirits of both into one.
A surprising number of common garden plants are potentially lethal - and we grow an awful lot of them, it seems, in the extensive gardens at Dolores Delargo Towers!
Here's the "Hall of Infamy"...
Daffodil poisoning doesn't lead to a fatal end, even in pets, but the reactions are unpleasant. Symptoms include vomiting, dehydration, drooling and stomach ache. In some cases, tremors, convulsions and heart irregularities can be observed.
Hyacinth bulbs are poisonous, causing nausea, vomiting, gasping, convulsions, and possibly death. Even handling the bulbs can cause skin irritation.
Seeds and roots of Aquilegia (Columbine) contain cardiogenic toxins which cause both severe gastroenteritis and heart palpitations if consumed. Native Americans used very small amounts of the root as an effective treatment for peptic ulcers. However, medical use of this plant is difficult due to its high toxicity; Columbine poisonings are easily fatal.
Digitalis (Foxglove) leaves, seeds, and flowers are deadly poisonous, containing cardiac or other steroid glycosides. Clinical symptoms include increased heart rate, nausea, vomiting, seizures. Antidotes may be needed in potential life-threatening cases, to deal with the toxin.
The lovely Lily-of-the Valley contains a toxin that can easily induce fatigue, diarrhoea and vomiting. Extreme poisoning after ingestion of the plant leads to irregular heart beat and mental confusion. Even a small dosage is enough to be fatal to pets and children.
All parts of the Bluebell plant contain toxic glycocides that are poisonous to humans, dogs, horses and cattle. If any part of the plant is eaten, it can cause serious stomach upset, and if consumed in large quantities, may be fatal. The bulbs are easily mistaken for spring onions or garlic.
Lobelia is considered to be potentially toxic. Symptoms of ingestion of large quantities include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, salivation, exhaustion and weakness, dilation of pupils, convulsions, and coma. The plant contains a number of toxic alkaloids including lobelamine and lobeline.
Ipomoea (Morning Glory) seeds contain chemicals similar to LSD. Ingestion may cause severe discomfort. Wear gloves and wash hands after handling.
Then there is the deadliest of the lot (and new for us this year; grown from seed), the Castor Oil Plant, Ricinus! Lab experiments with human cell cultures have shown that penetration of just a single molecule of ricin into the cytoplasm of a cell is lethal - and indeed, ricin was the poison notoriously despatched from the point of an umbrella to kill the Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov in 1978.
Even Nicotiana can be toxic to some people, apparently. Not to us, obviously, as nicotine makes up a substantial part of our DNA (alongside alcohol and caffeine)...
I need an appropriate song to finish off. What could it be? Britney? Alice Cooper? Naaaah.
This "one-hit-wonder" is my choice:
"You can look but you’d better not touch!"
Indeed.
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