Poisonous plants

Sweet but poisonous, these black berries can be deadly.

This pretty plant is highly poisonous. These toxic leaves poison the milk of cows that feed on them.

All parts of this plant are toxic, though the seeds contain the most poison.

A single seed contains enough poison to kill an adult human.

Many plants produce poisons to prevent them from being eaten. While some will cause only a stomachache, others can kill. You should never eat any part of a plant, unless an expert can confirm it is safe.

Throughout history, humans have known about the poisonous properties of certain plants and used them for deadly ends. Belladonna was used to make poison-tipped arrows, while hemlock is said to have been used to kill the great philosopher Socrates in ancient Greece. Wolfsbane was

These bitter, white berries look like the eyes of a doll.

The purple, helmet-shaped flowers of this plant give it its other name, “Devil’s Helmet.”

Poisonous plants

contain some of the most deadly substances

in the world.

The deadly sap of these leaves may cause a rash if touched.

rubbed on arrows for hunting wolves, and during Roman times, it was commonly used for murdering enemies. Ricin, extracted from the castor oil plant, remains one of the most deadly poisons known today. Although all the plants shown here are toxic to humans, some are harmless to animals. For example, birds can eat the berries of the white baneberry plant and yew without any ill effects. The birds then spread the seeds in their poo. Iguanas are known to feast on the fruit and leaves of the toxic manchineel.

The fruit contains a poisonous seed— eating it can kill a human in two days.

Poisonous plants

The poisonous leaves are very bitter.

These dangerous leaves can cause blisters if touched.

Each spiny capsule has three beans inside.

The toxic leaves of this plant can kill within hours if eaten.

Harmless red berries hide poisonous seeds.