Beauty is full of death.
At least in nature, the most colorful and striking creatures tend to be the most lethal.
We see it in the poison dart frog, the pitohui bird and several species of snakes.
Plants are no exception. They have developed their lethal capacity in response to their environments, either as a defensive feature or an offensive one as hunters.
The bottom line is survival, and they do it in subtle, fascinating and evil ways. In a world centered on survival, the law of the land is eat or be eaten.
Here are some of the deadliest plants in the world.
Giant Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes attenboroughii)
The giant, carnivorous pitcher plant, a native of the Philippines, attracts its prey by oozing a nectar-like substance and then traps it in a pool of enzymes and acid. Escape for insects and hapless rodents, its usual meals, is almost impossible.
Pitcher plants, of which there are about 600 different species, grow in nitrogen-deficient environments, and need to feed of decaying animals to supply themselves with the necessary nutrients.
Sir David Attenborough, a name usually associated with the celebration of life, now marks a creature of death.
In case you’re wondering, it is named after the celebrated nature broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
Castor Bean Plant (Ricinus communis)
“The dose makes the poison.”
Paracelsus
Although the plant produces the powerful poison ricin in its seeds, Castor-bean plants are common in gardens and easily available in most garden shops.
There’s little to worry about since the chances of people poisoning themselves are slim and the process to make it into some kind of weapon is difficult.
A killer in your garden; are you cultivating a weapon?
The plant itself is a good addition to any garden as it’s attractive, grows quickly and, thanks to its alkaloids, wards off pests.
Ricin has been used as a weapon by the USSR against dissidents, and the US considered using it as a weapon during WW I and II.
Western Water Hemlock (Cicuta douglasii)
The USDA has labeled it the most “violently toxic plant that grows in North America”, and it’s no wonder.
Water hemlock contains the toxin cicutoxin.
One drop of cicutoxin can spell an agonizing end.
First symptoms of cicutoxin poisoning include excessive salivation, frothing at the mouth, nervousness, and incoordination, then tremors, muscular weakness, seizures and respiratory failure, and lastly, death.
White snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosum)
Migration in the 19th century from the Eastern United States westward brought settlers into contact with White Snakeroot through cattle that had previously ingested the plant.
Even the mother of Abraham Lincoln wasn't spared from this plant's lethal legacy.
Thousands of unsuspecting settlers died after drinking milk or eating the meat from these animals, including Abraham Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks.
Every part of this perennial plant contains tremetol, an unsaturated alcohol that can cause muscle tremors in livestock before killing them.
Monkshood (Aconitum napellus)
One of the most dangerous plants commonly found in gardens and woods but which also has medicinal uses, especially in Chinese medicine and Ayurveda.
However, with poisoning symptoms may appear almost immediately, usually not later than one hour, and death is almost instantaneous with large doses.
Death usually occurs within two to six hours in fatal poisoning.
A double-edged sword—will it heal you or send you to an early grave?
First symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, followed by a sensation of burning, tingling, and numbness in the mouth and face, and of burning in the abdomen.
The main causes of death are ventricular arrhythmias and asystole, paralysis of the heart or of the respiratory center.
The only post-mortem signs are those of asphyxia.
Common Bladderwort (Utricularia macrorhiza)
The clever but deadly meat-eating Bladderwort is an aquatic plant that employs several submerged bladders to capture prey such as tadpoles and small crustaceans.
When an unsuspecting victim brushes against an external bristle-trigger, it springs open the bladders and traps it.
Its mechanism of death is not just capture but suffocation and starvation.
Once inside, the victim is suffocated or starved and then turned into a liquid meal that is sucked up by cells on the walls of the bladder.
Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
Albert Einstein
Venus flytraps are by far the most commonly recognized and cultivated carnivorous plant.
They are sold as houseplants and are often found at florists, hardware stores and supermarkets.
The Venus flytrap feeds mostly off insects and spiders when they step into the terminal portion of its leaves.
Its leaves snap shut in half a second, making every insect a potential meal—or a prisoner.
The leaves then clamp shut quickly, in half a second, to be exact.
Scientists are not quite sure how the mechanism works but the Botanical Society of America believes that when the plant is touched, the electrical potential of the leaf is altered, triggering a host of cellular-level events.
Angel Trumpet (Brugmansia)
The seemingly innocent-looking Angel Trumpet with its beautiful downwards- facing flowers and intense fragrance hides a sinister secret—it’s full of potent toxins containing atropine, hyoscyamine, and the truly frightening scopolamine.
This last component is also known as “Devil’s Breath,” a drug that destroys a persons will, wipes their memories and leaves them childlike, ready to do any person’s bidding, and all while entirely conscious.
A single whiff could rob you of your free will; beauty has never been this menacing.
Scopolamine can be absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes, allowing criminals to simply blow the powder in a person’s face and then taking advantage of their victim, either raping them, robbing them of everything, literally, or killing them.
Oleander (Nerium oleander)
One of the most poisonous of garden plants in the world, oleander can send you into cardiac arrest within minutes of ingesting it.
All parts of the plant contain cardiac glycosides that can cause quick cardiac arrest.
All of the plants parts are toxic; the leaves, flowers and fruit contain cardiac glycosides, which have therapeutic applications but are toxic if eaten in the right measure.
Surprisingly for such a poisonous plant, there have only been 3 deaths in the Unites States in the 20-year period from 1985-2005.
Don’t underestimate the flowerbed
The botanical world, where beauty and death waltz in a deadly tango of natural selection.
From the Venus flytrap’s snappy dinner service to the Angel Trumpet’s devilish breath, these plants have evolved to be the James Bonds of the flora universe—charming, lethal, and with a license to kill.
So, the next time you’re tempted to stop and smell the roses, remember: some of their neighbours might just be plotting your untimely demise.
Beware the killer instincts of Mother Nature!