Fatal Beauty

Karmen Horvat and Antonija Zbiljski

Plants seduce us with their beauty and scents, we ornament gardens and spaces we live in with them, but sometimes they should be enjoyed from afar with visual perception because any intimate socialization might be fatal. Take a look at a preview of poisonous plants you can find in parks, as well as your own garden or plot.
Daffodil is a spring flower that originates from Europe, North Africa and Asia. Still, some experts claim the flower actually comes from China and that it arrived in Europe via traders who travelled the Silk Road.
Daffodil
There are several types of daffodils that bloom in the autumn. Daffodils include 26 wild and several hundreds of cultivated species. Daffodil petals can be white or yellow. The plant is popular and often decorates gardens because it is easily grown. Its truffle is poisonous; especially since it is not a rare occurrence for people to mistaken it for regular onions. Consuming the bulb, you will experience cramps, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea.

Oleander is one of the most poisonous plants around. It contains a large number of toxic chemical compounds that can be lethal for children, as well as adults. The plant is native to Mediterranean areas like evergreen shrubs, but is a common ornament of many gardens and plots due to the beauty of its flowers.
Oleander
Small dosages of oleander poison proved to be sufficient to have fatal consequences. The plant is famous for having poisonous compounds even after it is dried out. Figures from 2002 show 847 oleander poisonings in the USA. The plant is often used for suicide. Even accidental breathing in fumes of a burning oleander bush can be lethal. Most common symptoms of poisoning are changes in heart beat pace.

Lily of the valley is a beautiful white plant of intense scent, often planted in gardens as an ornament, while it is native to lighter deciduous forests. Lily of the valley’s flowers are poisonous because they contain heterozoids, which effect heart beat.

Lily of the valley

The poison causes nausea, dizziness, vomiting, pain in the mouth, stomach-ache, diarrhoea and cramps. Lily of the valley has red fruits that mature in September and are also poisonous. If you have this flower of stunning scent in your garden, make sure small children are not poisoned by it and it is necessary to wash hands after touching its flower, stem or root.

Hydrangea is a genus that includes 75 types of shrubbery plants and is native to south and East Asia, as well as North and South America. These shrubs are most often planted next to house walls or lawns. Even though hydrangea flowers look like large sweets, they are poisonous and cause stomach-ache, sweating, weakness and vomiting. Cases of hydrangea poisoning with people ending in a coma have been recorded.

Chrysanthemum is a genus or about 30 species native to Asia. It was first cultivated by the Chinese in the 15th ct B.C. and the flowers were introduced to Japan in the 8th century A.D. when the emperor took them as his official seal. There is a “Festival of Happiness” in Japan that celebrates the flower.

Chrysanthemum

It arrived in Europe in the 17th century. A garden that contains chrysanthemums will not be visited by rabbits, but they can cause rash and swelling.