{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"Sometimes, the biggest threat in the British countryside can feel like the downpour ready to ruin your picnic. What you may not know is that some of this nation\u2019s most beautiful plant life is out to get you \u2013 if you mess with them, first. Get clued up on the UK\u2019s most poisonous plants with this go-to guide.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPoison Hemlock\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe fatal flora responsible for the death of Socrates (who drank a beverage spiked with its toxins), you\u2019ll find Hemlock lurking everywhere from paddocks to playgrounds. Distinguished by its molecular-like cloud of fluffy white flower heads, all parts of the plant are poisonous \u2013 with even dead canes touting their toxins for up to three years.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShock story:\u003C/strong\u003E There are many reports of severe reactions to Hemlock, including paralysis, in those who have pulled the plant from the ground on a hot day, when the toxins are at their most brutal.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWolfsbane\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHow do you kill the deadly wolf? Folklore tells us there\u2019s only thing for the job: Wolfsbane, the purple buttercup with a history of slaying mighty beasts. Wolfsbane is even deadlier to us humble humans: while the roots are the most toxic part, consumption of any part of the plant can run the risk of vomiting, motor weakness and even death.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShock story: \u003C/strong\u003EThe last Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, was said by the Romans to have poisoned her youngest brother by lacing his food with Wolfsbane.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECuckoo Pint\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EEvery autumn, Cuckoo Pints found in the UK\u2019s wildest hedgerows suddenly ditch their hooded forms to sprout a flashy cluster of orange-red berries. And while the berries acrid taste, thankfully, tends to thwart any cases of severe poisoning, it still remains one of most common culprits of accidental plant poisoning based on A\u0026amp;E hospital admittance.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShock story: \u003C/strong\u003EThe plant\u2019s waxy leaves are said to be flecked with dark spots since the plant grew beneath the cross of Chris\u2019s crucifixion, where they were speckled with the saviour\u2019s blood.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFoxglove\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt may be pink and it may be pretty, but Foxglove is poisonous to its core. Digitalis glycosides or digoxin - an organic compound that directly affects cardiac function \u2013 can be found in particularly lethal concentrations in the green leaves that surround the stem. That doesn\u2019t mean the petals are safe, though \u2013 every part of the plant is known for its toxicity, with dogs, cats and other unsuspecting wildlife its biggest victims. \u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShock story: \u003C/strong\u003EIn 2015, a botanist with a keen knowledge of plants committed suicide by digesting two Foxglove leaves in Sheffield \u2013 with a fatal dose of digoxin showing in his post-mortem.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDeadly Nightshade\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe flowers, dull purple, are bell-shaped or spikey; the berries black as night. Whichever form you find it, Nightshade is a plant to be sidestepped at all costs. Ingesting just two to four berries can kill a child, while ten to twenty will stop an adult in their stride. The fault lies with two simple toxins, atropine and scopolamine, which are often used to regulate heartbeats in modern surgery.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShock story:\u003C/strong\u003E King Duncan I of Scotland passed around bottles filled with liquid nightshade to his enemies, the Danes, during a seemingly innocent celebration. They died without his forces even lifting a finger.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGiants Hogweed\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELike the delicate Hemlock, but bigger, mightier and all-together more treacherous, Giants Hogweed can be found beside many a British riverbank. Unfortunately for us, it\u2019s coated in silky, savage sap that burns and blisters upon even the lightest of touches from human skin, known to cause permanent scarring and even blindness.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShock story: \u003C/strong\u003EFor those heading to the World Scout Jamboree in the USA this year, watch out - a teenager was hospitalised in Virginia last summer with third degree burns after brushing against the plant whilst gardening.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERhododendron\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThough they may be a floral staple in public gardens across the UK, all is not innocent when it comes the surprisingly toxic Rhododendron. The honey produced by bees feeding on the flower\u2019s nectar is known as \u2018mad honey\u2019 for the delirium it causes, and has been used throughout history to fatal effect.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShock story:\u003C/strong\u003E In 65BCE, King Mithridates VI laid out honeycombs made from Rhododendron-feasting bees along the roadside to trap the Roman army led by Pomey the Great. Having scoffed the apparent gift, his soldiers fell in a poisoned stupor, ready for slaughter by Mithridates VI\u2019s waiting army.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYew Tree\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EEerily located in cemeteries across the country, the \u2018tree of the dead\u2019 can live up to thousands of years, with spikey needles and festive red berries that hide a deadly toxic seed within. All parts of the tree are poisonous; dizziness, dry mouths, dilated pupils and, worse case, death, all on the cards for those who get on the wrong side of the ancient yew.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShock story:\u003C/strong\u003E St Martin\u0027s churchyard beside Ullswater in the Lake District is the home of a giant yew tree thought to be a staggering 1300 years old, making it one of the world\u2019s oldest living things.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDaffodil \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe know what you\u2019re thinking \u2013 springtime daffodils are not high on your \u2018to-eat\u2019 list, which is fortunate, as these lovely blooms are toxic to the core. Daffodil bulbs bear a striking similarity to onions, except those chowing down on a Daffodil bulb will be greeted with a cocktail of toxins that have the power to cause severe stomach upset to those who mix-up the two.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShock story:\u003C/strong\u003E Did you know, Pluto \u2013 the ruler of the underworld in Greek mythology \u2013 kidnapped Persephone whilst she was distracted, picking daffodils. Since then, it\u2019s been a flower closely associated with deceit and death.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"24 February 2020","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":48494,"nodeName":"Guns n\u2019 roses: the plants that kill","title":"Guns n\u2019 roses: the plants that kill","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/5624/option1.jpeg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd070a50f0","caption":"Option1","type":"jpeg","size":2112365,"width":3000,"height":3000,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Guns n\u2019 roses: the plants that kill","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODQ5NCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2020/february/guns-n-roses-the-plants-that-kill/"}