Subject: pOISONOUS PLANTS LIST
From: [email-masked]
Date: 21 Feb 93 15:24:14 -0600
Newsgroups: rec.gardens

Plants poisonous to humans:
  the list is divided into those known to have caused fatalities in
 humans and those with significant quantities of poisonous substances

                  *****************************

Plants known to have caused human fatalities:  List includes only
North American natives and plants commonly grown in North America

                                                  Poisonous parts*
                         Scientific Name          (fls=flowers; frt=
                         (spp. = species          fruit; lvs=leaves;
Plant                    plural)                  rt=root)
----------------         ---------------          -------------------
                         
Angel's trumpet          Datura                   all, esp. seed, lvs
                         suaveolens

Azalea                   Rhododendron             lvs, fls
                         spp.

Baneberry                Actaea spp.              frt; rt

Belladonna               Atropa                   all, esp. frt, rt
                         belladonna

Black Cherry             Prunus serotina          bark, seed, lvs (frt
                                                  OK)

Black Locust             Robinia pseudo-          seed, lvs, inner
                         acacia                   bark

Black snakeroot          Zigadenus spp.           bulbs

Buckeye                  Aesculus spp.            seed, lv, stem, fls
                                                  and honey made from
                                                  nectar

Caladium                 Caladium spp.            all parts

Carolina jessamine       Gelsimium                all parts
                         sempervirens

Castor bean              Ricinus                  seed
                         communis

Chinaberry               Melia azdirach           frt, lvs

Daphne                   Daphne mexereum          all parts

Death camas              Zigadenus spp.           bulbs

Dieffenbachia            Dieffenbachia            all parts
                         spp.

Duranta                  Duranta repens           frt

English ivy              Hedera helix             frt, lvs

False hellebore          Veratrum spp.            all parts

Foxglove                 Digitalis                all parts
                         purpurea

Golden chain tree        Laburnum                 seed, fls
                         anagyroides

Horse chestnut           Aesculus spp.            seed, lv, stem, fls
                                                  including honey made
                                                  from nectar

Jequirty bean            Abrus                    seed
                         precatorius

Jimson weed              Datura                   all parts, esp seed
                         stramonium and
                         Datura spp.

Lantana                  Lantana camara           unripe frt

Lily of the valley       Convallaria              all parts
                         majalis

Lobelia                  Lobelia spp.             all parts

Mistletoe                Phoradendron             frt
                         spp.

Monkshood                Aconitum spp.            all parts

Mountain laurel          Kalmia                   lvs, stems, fls
                         latifolia

Moonseed                 Menispermum              frt
                         canadense

Ne'em                    Melia azdirach           frt, lvs

Nightshade               Solanum spp.             unripe frt

Oleander                 Nerium oleander          all parts

Poke                     Phytolacca               rt, mature stems
                         americana

Precatory bean           Abrus                    seed
                         precatorius

Rhododendron             Rhododendron             lvs, fls
                         sp.

Rhubarb                  Rheum                    leaf blades
                         rhaponticum

Rubber vine              Cryptostegia             all parts
                         grandiflora

Sandbox tree             Hura crepitans           milky sap and seed

Tabacco (incl. tree      Nicotiana spp            all parts, esp lvs
tobacco)

Tansy                    Tanacetum                lvs, fls
                         vulgare

Tung tree                Aleurites                all parts, esp seed
                         fordii

Water hemlock            Cicuta spp.              rt

White snakeroot          Eupatorium               all parts
                         rugosum

Yellow oleander          Thevetia                 all parts, esp frt
                         peruviana

Yew                      Taxus spp.               all parts but "berry
                                                  pulp"
         ____________________________________________________
                                   
      PLANTS WITH SIGNIFICANT QUANTITIES OF POISONOUS SUBSTANCES

Amaryllis                Amaryllis spp.           bulb

Autumn crocus            Colchicum                all parts
                         autumnale

Bittersweet              Celastrus                seed
                         scandens

Bleeding heart           Dicentra spp.            all parts

Bloodroot                Sanguinaria              all parts
                         canadensis

Blue cohosh              Caulophyllum             frt, lvs
                         thalictroides

Boxwood                  Buxus                    lvs
                         sempervirens

Buckthorn                Rhamnus spp.             frt

Bushman's poison         Acokanthera spp          all parts

Buttercup                Ranunculus spp.          all parts; toxicity
                                                  varies from species to
                                                  species; mostly
                                                  causes blistering

Buttonbush               Cephalanthus             lvs
                         occidentalis

Chincherinchee           Ornithagalum             all parts
                         thyrsoides

Colchicum                Colchicum                all parts
                         autumnale

Crown of thorns          Euphorbia                milky latex
                         splendens

Culver's root            Veronicastrum            root
                         virginianum

Daffodil                 Narcissus spp.           bulb

Delphinium               Delphinium spp.          young plants, seed

Desert marigold          Baileya radiata          all parts

Dutchman's breeches      Dicentra                 all parts
                         cucullaria

Fly poison               Amianthemum              lvs, rt
                         muscaetoxicum

Four o'clock             Mirabilis                seed, rt
                         jalapa

Gloriosa lily            Gloriosa spp.            all parts

Goldenseal               Hydrastis                rhizomes, lvs
                         canadensis

Holly                    Ilex spp.                frt

Hyacinth                 Hyacinthus spp.          bulb

Hydrangea                Hydrrangea spp.          buds, lvs

Jack in the Pulpit       Arisaema                 rt, lvs
                         triphyllum

Jessamine                Cestrum spp.             lvs, young stems

Jonquil                  Narcissus spp.           bulb

Karaka nut               Corynocarpus             seed
                         laevigata

Kentucky coffee tree     Gymnocladus              frt
                         dioica

Larkspur                 Delphinium spp.          young plants, seed

Lignum vitae             Guaiacum                 frt
                         officinale

Locoweed                 Astragalus and           various parts; more
                         Oxytropis spp.           of a livestock
                                                  poisoning problem

Lupine                   Lupinus spp.             various parts;
                                                  primarilly frt, seed

Mayapple                 Podophyllum              all parts but ripe
                         peltatum                 frt

Mescal bean              Sophora                  seed
                         secundiflora

Narcissus                Narcissus spp.           bulb

Ngaio                    Myoporum laetum          lvs

Opium poppy              Papaver                  unripe frt
                         somniferum

Philodendron             Philodendron             lvs, stems
                         spp.

Pittosporum              Pittosporum              frt, lvs, stems
                         spp.

Poinsettia               Euphorbia                milky latex
                         pulcherrima

Poison ivy               Toxicodendron            sap, lvs
                         radicans

Poison oak               Toxicodendron            sap, lvs
                         diversilobum

Poison sumac             Toxicodendron            sap, lvs
                         vernix

Prickly poppy            Argemone spp.            seed, lvs

Privet                   Ligustrum                seed, lvs
                         vulgare

Sneezeweed               Helenium spp.            all parts

Snow on the mountain     Euphorbia                milky latex
                         marginata

Squirrel corn            Dicentra                 all parts
                         canadensis

Star of Bethlehem        Ornithagalum             all parts
                         umbellatum

Sweet pea                Lathyrus spp.            seed

Kay Klier  Biology Dept  UNI   in%"[email-masked]"

Newsgroups: rec.gardens,misc.kids
From: kdblake@b24a..b24a.ingr.com (Katherine Blake)
Subject: Thanks for info on poison plants
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1993 21:04:50 GMT

I would like to thank everyone who posted responses to my query
about references for toxic plants.  I have gotten the information
I needed. Several people asked me to share the information I received, 
so I am going to give a quick synopsis here.

1) contact local county extension agency
2) contact local poison control center
3) AMA Handbook of Poisonous and Injurous Plants
4) Sunset book "Making Your Home Child-Safe"
5) Kay Klier recommended a book she believes the title to be
	"Daffodils are Poisonous"  (I'm going to look for this)
	She also recommended another book but believes it to be out
	of print.  This information was posted to rec.gardening.
6) A coworker sent a list from rec.cats when she saw my posting
	It's long but I will e-mail it to anyone who sends me an email
	request for it.

 

From [email-masked] Sun Aug 28 22:21:24 EDT 1994
Article: 79571 of sci.med
Newsgroups: sci.med
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From: [email-masked] (Frank Kolwicz)
Subject: Re: Poisonous mushrooms and berries
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Date: Sun, 28 Aug 1994 14:53:32 GMT
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Eric Smith ([email-masked]) wrote:
: Can you safely taste an unknown berry to find out whether it is
: edible?  That is, if it turns out to be poisonous, will your taste buds
: warn you away from it before you get a large enough dose to do any
: harm?

: What about poisonous mushrooms?  I've heard that some of them are very
: poisonous, such that one taste can be lethal.  Is that true?  I've also
: heard that some poisonous mushrooms taste the same as edible
: mushrooms.  If this is true, how do animals that eat mushrooms know
: which ones to avoid?

*** I used to be an active mycophile and a mycophagist. That's a mushroom 
lover and eater, so I'll just respond to the question about fungi.

Many of my colleagues were/are extrememly concerned about gathering
different varieties of mushrooms in the same basket with their known
edibles, some even claiming that a deposit of the spores of toxic species
would be dangerous. However, from what I've read and heard from
professionals studying some of those poisonous species, it would take a
substantial portion to affect and/or kill an adult, like if you made meal
of them. Children are a different story; since the toxins' effects are +/-
proportional to body weight, smaller amounts can do more damage to kids. 

Some years ago a group of Laotians collected a batch of poisonous 
mushrooms which resembled a good species of their homeland with very 
serious results. This is "as I recall": they claimed the mushrooms were 
very tasty and made a pleasant meal. I believe the mushrooms they ate 
were in the genus Amanita which contains some of the deadliest mushrooms 
and at least one top-of-the-line choice edible. The toxins from these 
mushrooms take 6 to 12 or more hours to have an effect, on the liver 
especially which is trying to eliminate them. 

The prime rule we mycophiles lived by was: "If you can't identify it 
POSITIVELY, don't eat it." There were other rules of thumb for different 
genera, but they required that you knew each particular genus pretty well.
A number of the rules required a small sample to be tasted, but just the 
tiniest bit that you could taste.

I am one of the few people I know who ate a bunch of mildly toxic
(non-hallucenogenic) mushrooms. This was way before I took an active
interest in identifying mushrooms and joined the Nutmeg Mycological
Society of eastern Connecticut. That was more than 20 years ago. I
distinctly remember being weak and having powerful heart palpitations and
sweats for a few hours that night after having the mushrooms for supper. I
think that the species was Boletus bicolor or something similar which can
be very common in eastern Ct. in the late summer/early fall. This is a
mushroom/complex that every book I know of warns you away from. 

I also once tasted a single berry that I took for a wild grape. All I did 
was put it in my mouth and bite it. The acrid taste made me spit it out 
immediately, but it still made me feel funny for a while afterward, as I 
walked down the road.

Know what you are eating in the wild, there are plenty of identification 
books around and good luck.

Frank