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Poisonous Plant – Buckthorn , Cascara Sagrada rhamnaceae (Rhamnus cathartica, Rhamnus purshiana)
identification: small shrubs or trees, from 4'–20' tall, many branched, and densely foliated. Bark has gray-brown lenticels (spots) that turn gray-white as it ages. The leaves are 2" long, completely margined, elliptical to oblong, thin, blade-like, and hairy on the ribs. Numerous greenish-white blooms are borne on axillary cymes. Little white flowers with five petals cling to one another. Ripe fruit has two or three seeds and is red to purple-black in color. R. purshiana has leaves with 20–24 veins and reaches a height of 30'.
Habitat: R. purshiana is found in the foothills of Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia. R. cathartica, another little shrub-like plant, is seen growing all across Lake Michigan's dunelands.
Toxins: the fruit and bark contain hydroxyanthracene, emodin, and highly cathartic anthraquinones.
Symptoms include catharsis, vomiting, and nausea.Rehydrate; the situation is self-limiting.
First Aid: Keep a restroom close by.
Pregnant women should not take pharmaceutical preparations designed to accelerate bowel movements.
identification: small shrubs or trees, from 4'–20' tall, many branched, and densely foliated. Bark has gray-brown lenticels (spots) that turn gray-white as it ages. The leaves are 2" long, completely margined, elliptical to oblong, thin, blade-like, and hairy on the ribs. Numerous greenish-white blooms are borne on axillary cymes. Little white flowers with five petals cling to one another. Ripe fruit has two or three seeds and is red to purple-black in color. R. purshiana has leaves with 20–24 veins and reaches a height of 30'.
Habitat: R. purshiana is found in the foothills of Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia. R. cathartica, another little shrub-like plant, is seen growing all across Lake Michigan's dunelands.
Toxins: the fruit and bark contain hydroxyanthracene, emodin, and highly cathartic anthraquinones.
Symptoms include catharsis, vomiting, and nausea.Rehydrate; the situation is self-limiting.
First Aid: Keep a restroom close by.
Pregnant women should not take pharmaceutical preparations designed to accelerate bowel movements.
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Poisonous Plant – Buckeye , Horse Chest Nut
Aesculus hippocastanum, or Buckeye, is a member of the Hippocastanoidae family.
Identification: A tree of moderate size. Compound leaves consist of five leaflets with fine teeth. The fruit contains a bright brown seed covered in a thick, knobby, spined husk. Nut oil and dried leaves are used medicinally.
Habitat: Fields and woodland borders in the temperate zone that stretches from coast to coast, spanning the straits that separate Newfoundland from California, Ontario, and Quebec.
Toxins: rutin, isoquercitrin, quercitrin, and triterpene saponins are the active ingredients. Aescins are a class of saponins that are cytotoxic substances. Symptoms: Severe gastroenteritis is caused by nut or end twig consumption. First Aid: Drink plenty of tepid water, give electrolytes (Gatorade is a good option), and use demulcents like milk of magnesia, Mylanta, or Kaeopectate.
Aesculus hippocastanum, or Buckeye, is a member of the Hippocastanoidae family.
Identification: A tree of moderate size. Compound leaves consist of five leaflets with fine teeth. The fruit contains a bright brown seed covered in a thick, knobby, spined husk. Nut oil and dried leaves are used medicinally.
Habitat: Fields and woodland borders in the temperate zone that stretches from coast to coast, spanning the straits that separate Newfoundland from California, Ontario, and Quebec.
Toxins: rutin, isoquercitrin, quercitrin, and triterpene saponins are the active ingredients. Aescins are a class of saponins that are cytotoxic substances. Symptoms: Severe gastroenteritis is caused by nut or end twig consumption. First Aid: Drink plenty of tepid water, give electrolytes (Gatorade is a good option), and use demulcents like milk of magnesia, Mylanta, or Kaeopectate.
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Poisonous Plant – Blue Flag, Wild Iris iridaceae (Iris versicolor)
Identification features: 2'–3' long sword-like leaves; irregularly shaped, blue to violet blossom that resembles an orchid. Plants emerge from rhizomes that are shallow. The flat, bladed leaves are usually tinted gray-blue.
Habitat: Damp marshes, fens, bogs, along streams, and the shores of lakes are home to wetland plants. It is radiant when transplanted to the garden.
Toxins: Rootstocks of several species in this genus include the poisonous, caustic, resinous irritants irisin and iridin.
Symptoms: May cause vomiting and nausea.
Rehydration (replacement of fluids) is first aid. In an emergency, get help by air.
It should be noted that a different irisin molecule is being researched for weight loss. Wild iris can be mistaken for delicious cattail shoots before they blossom. Keep in mind that cattail stems are round or oval in shape rather than flat, and they lack the gray-blue tinge.
Identification features: 2'–3' long sword-like leaves; irregularly shaped, blue to violet blossom that resembles an orchid. Plants emerge from rhizomes that are shallow. The flat, bladed leaves are usually tinted gray-blue.
Habitat: Damp marshes, fens, bogs, along streams, and the shores of lakes are home to wetland plants. It is radiant when transplanted to the garden.
Toxins: Rootstocks of several species in this genus include the poisonous, caustic, resinous irritants irisin and iridin.
Symptoms: May cause vomiting and nausea.
Rehydration (replacement of fluids) is first aid. In an emergency, get help by air.
It should be noted that a different irisin molecule is being researched for weight loss. Wild iris can be mistaken for delicious cattail shoots before they blossom. Keep in mind that cattail stems are round or oval in shape rather than flat, and they lack the gray-blue tinge.
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Poisonous Plant - BitterSweet nightshade And Black nightshade
(Solanum nigrum, S. dulcamara, S. americanum) Solanaceae
identification: with over 1,700 species, this is a rather vast genus. Climbing vines called bittersweet nightshade can be seen clinging to plants in wetlands. They have purple rocket-shaped flowers and produce reddish-orange fruit. The leaves are alternating and lobed. Black nightshade (S. nigrum) is an upright, spreading plant that can reach a height of 5 feet (though it usually grows shorter). It has thornless stems and alternate leaves, and its white to light purple blooms with yellow centers that eventually give way to clusters of black berries.
The habitat is found in fields, waste ground, marshes, stream banks, and even as far west as the state of Washington in the eastern states. Black nightshade sometimes grows atop horse nettle and likes drier soil.
toxins: solanin, glycoalkaloids, and solasodine; the last is usually present in higher amounts in black nightshade berries that are still unripe, which makes them especially hazardous.
Symptoms: A scratchy, irritated throat appears several hours after intake, possibly accompanied by fever and diarrhea. Ingestion is more harmful in youngsters but seldom fatal in adults. The symptoms might not go away. visit a doctor. Maintain the victim's fluids.
First Aid: handle as a medical emergency; either flee the area or contact a medical professional.
Children have died as a result of consuming the unripe, green berries of the black nightshade plant. instruct your kids well! A traditional external treatment for inflammation and skin abrasions is bittersweet nightshade. The German Commission E (the commissioned scientific advisory group for herbal and folk medicine) has certified stems for use as an external treatment for persistent eczema.
(Solanum nigrum, S. dulcamara, S. americanum) Solanaceae
identification: with over 1,700 species, this is a rather vast genus. Climbing vines called bittersweet nightshade can be seen clinging to plants in wetlands. They have purple rocket-shaped flowers and produce reddish-orange fruit. The leaves are alternating and lobed. Black nightshade (S. nigrum) is an upright, spreading plant that can reach a height of 5 feet (though it usually grows shorter). It has thornless stems and alternate leaves, and its white to light purple blooms with yellow centers that eventually give way to clusters of black berries.
The habitat is found in fields, waste ground, marshes, stream banks, and even as far west as the state of Washington in the eastern states. Black nightshade sometimes grows atop horse nettle and likes drier soil.
toxins: solanin, glycoalkaloids, and solasodine; the last is usually present in higher amounts in black nightshade berries that are still unripe, which makes them especially hazardous.
Symptoms: A scratchy, irritated throat appears several hours after intake, possibly accompanied by fever and diarrhea. Ingestion is more harmful in youngsters but seldom fatal in adults. The symptoms might not go away. visit a doctor. Maintain the victim's fluids.
First Aid: handle as a medical emergency; either flee the area or contact a medical professional.
Children have died as a result of consuming the unripe, green berries of the black nightshade plant. instruct your kids well! A traditional external treatment for inflammation and skin abrasions is bittersweet nightshade. The German Commission E (the commissioned scientific advisory group for herbal and folk medicine) has certified stems for use as an external treatment for persistent eczema.
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Botanical Terms - Acoraceae
Acoraceae (order Acorales) is a monogeneric (Acorus) family of *monocot plants with 2-ranked leaves, *spikes-shaped inflorescences, and berry-like fruit that grows from rhizomes. Temperate wetlands in the northern hemisphere are home to two to four species.
Acoraceae (order Acorales) is a monogeneric (Acorus) family of *monocot plants with 2-ranked leaves, *spikes-shaped inflorescences, and berry-like fruit that grows from rhizomes. Temperate wetlands in the northern hemisphere are home to two to four species.
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Poisonous Plant - American Liverwort
Hepatica americana, or Ranunculaceae
Identification: One of the first blossoms of spring is a low-lying plant with liver-shaped leaves. Flowers with six to eight petals might be blue or white. The compound leaf has three lobes. Petioles and stems have silky white hairs covering them and are delicate. Plants in small colonies can reach a height of 6".
Habitat: Usually found east of the Sharp-leaved Hepatica in hardwood forests, close to tree bases. (Acutiloba hepatica). Prairie to the Gulf, north to Ontario, and east to the East Coast.
High doses of fresh plant are harmful. Ranunculin and its derivatives are toxic. The plant's harmful chemical is denatured by drying or boiling it.
Symptoms: Prolonged skin contact with fresh plants or their fluids might result in blisters that are difficult to cure and dermatitis. Internally, protoanemonin can irritate the urinary and digestive tracts and is caustic to mucosal membranes. Colic and diarrhea are symptoms.
First Aid: In professional medical treatment, the physician may irrigate with diluted anti-infective potassium permanganate and then apply emollients. Gentle cool-water irrigation is the first aid for external contact and blistering.
Rehydration, gastrointestinal lavage, and the administration of activated charcoal may be necessary in cases of ingestion.
Hepatica americana, or Ranunculaceae
Identification: One of the first blossoms of spring is a low-lying plant with liver-shaped leaves. Flowers with six to eight petals might be blue or white. The compound leaf has three lobes. Petioles and stems have silky white hairs covering them and are delicate. Plants in small colonies can reach a height of 6".
Habitat: Usually found east of the Sharp-leaved Hepatica in hardwood forests, close to tree bases. (Acutiloba hepatica). Prairie to the Gulf, north to Ontario, and east to the East Coast.
High doses of fresh plant are harmful. Ranunculin and its derivatives are toxic. The plant's harmful chemical is denatured by drying or boiling it.
Symptoms: Prolonged skin contact with fresh plants or their fluids might result in blisters that are difficult to cure and dermatitis. Internally, protoanemonin can irritate the urinary and digestive tracts and is caustic to mucosal membranes. Colic and diarrhea are symptoms.
First Aid: In professional medical treatment, the physician may irrigate with diluted anti-infective potassium permanganate and then apply emollients. Gentle cool-water irrigation is the first aid for external contact and blistering.
Rehydration, gastrointestinal lavage, and the administration of activated charcoal may be necessary in cases of ingestion.
