A Gardener’s Miscellany
This week it’s:
Poisonous plants
We look at plants with the potential to poison
AS a gardener (and a human), you should always know what is growing in your garden. Many plants that are familiar to us – both attractive cultivated plants, and weeds and wildflowers – can be harmful.
Some plants, of course, are sharp and deadly in the wrong hands, while others can cause life-changing rashes and skin infections. And then there are those that have toxins which, if ingested, can cause us a great deal of discomfort, acute pain or even worse.
Let’s look at some plants from this last group, all with the potential to poison us – you could be surprised!
■ The most common source of the poison strychnine, a deciduous tree native to India and south-east Asia.
