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Fatal Beauty: Garden Plants that Can Kill

© Carol Wallace

The glossy green holly, glowing with red berries, forms the backdrop to a glorious garden. Wisteria blooms drip down the pergola glimpsed in the distance, while rhododendrons erupt in glorious bloom. The apple trees in the orchard are in full blossom, the late daffodils still trumpeting their triumphal farewell to winter. The scent of daphne wafts through the air; a few white hellebores still hold their blossoms aloft. The hyacinth and lily of the valley romp through the grass with the crocus, enjoying the sun before the locust comes into full leaf. Two children sit by the oleander, picking buttercups and holding them up to their faces to see if they like butter.

Beautiful? Yes. And as deadly as Rappaccini's garden. Every one of the plants in this scene contains some form of poison.

Let those children decide to nibble on that buttercup, and if they can get beyond the acrid taste they are likely to find themselves very ill. Fortunately, because of that acrid taste, they are not likely to consume enough to do themselves much harm. But don't let them nibble one leaf of that oleander. One leaf is enough to kill an adult. One need not even eat it. Using the twigs as barbecue skewers or eating honey made from the pollen will do the trick. And a mere two seeds of wisteria can kill a child. Take this little tour to see more.

The apples on the tree are, as we know, not only good to eat but also good for us. But not the seeds. They, as well as the seeds of apricots and the pits of peaches contain cyanide. Swallowing one apple seed accidentally probably won't hurt you, but I wouldn't make a habit of it.

Ever wanted to try peach leaf tea? Don't. As for that pretty wild black cherry tree - just nibbling a few of its wilting leaves can kill a horse. The wilting of the leaf breaks down a protective substance within the leaf structure and releases the cyanide within.

As for rhododendrons - a leaf or two is all you need to end it all.

Why do you think it took Parmentier so long to get people to accept the potato as a diet staple? Almost everything but the tuber itself is poisonous, containing a substance called solanin which can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The tuber has it, too - but it would take about 100 of them to kill you, and few humans other than the legendary eater Diamond Jim Brady are capable of that. Eating green potatoes, especially if they have been damaged, can also have dire consequences.

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