Appendix I – Some Poison producing plants and fungi

Common Name	Genus and Species	Type of Poison Produced
Affecting the heart
Foxglove	Digitalis purpurea & D. lanata	digitalis, digitoxin, digoxin
Hellebore	Helleborus niger	helleborin, helleborcin
Lily of the Valley	Convallaria magalis	convallamarin
Oleander	Strophanthus or Acocanthera	ouabain
Upas Tree	Antiaris toxicaria	heart poisons
Yellow Oleander	Thevetia peruviana	cardiac glycosides
Alkaloids
Belladonna, or Deadly Night-shade	Atropa belladonna	atropine, hyoscyamine, and hyoscine
Bittersweet, or Woody Night-shade	Solanum dulcamara	solanine
Calabar or Ordeal bean	Physostigma venenosum	physostigmine
Castor bean	Ricinus communis	ricin – neurotoxin
Coca plant	Erxylon cocythroa	cocaine, CNS stimulant
Hemlock	Conium maculatum	coniine,sedative,antispasm
Henbane, Hyoscyamus	Hyoscyamus niger	hyoscyamine, hyoscine
Mandrake or Satan’s Apple	Mandragora officinarum	atropine,hyoscyamine and hyoscine
Meadow saffron	Colchicum autumnale	colchicine
Monkshood, Wolfs-bane or Aconite	Aconitum napellus	aconitine, deadly poison
Opium poppy	Papaver somniferum	opium, morphine, codeine etc.
Pareira	Chondrodendron tomentosum	curare, muscle relaxant
Poison Nut, or Nux Vomica	Strychnos nux vomica	strychnine, CNS stimulant
Red squill	Drimea maritime	scilliroside, neuro-& cardiotoxic
Thornapple, or Jimson Weed	Datura stramonium	hyoscine, and other alkaloids
Wormwood	Artemisia absinthium	thujone or absinthol
Yew	Taxa baccata	alkaloids, v. poisonous
Purgatives and Emetics
Akee, or Jamai-can fruit tree	Blighia sapida	hypoglycin A, emetic
Bitter apple, or Colocynth	Citrullus colcynthis	colocynthin, drastic purgative
Delphinium	Deliphinium consolida	delphinine-emetic, purgative
Laburnum	Cytisus laburnam	cytisine – highly poisonous
Lupin	Lupinus perennis	lupinine-emetic, purgative
Cyanide producers
Bitter Almond	Amygdalus communis	cyanide – in leaves & seeds
Cassava, Manioc	Manihot utilissima	cyanide – in the root
Cherry, Laurel	Prunus lauro-cerasus	cyanide – in leaves & seeds
Skin Irritants causing contact dermatitis
Giant Hogweed	Heracleum mantegazzianum	irritant, worse in sun
Poison Ivy	Rhus radicans	urushiol, in sap, highly irritant
Poison Oak	Rhus toxicodendron	urushiol, in sap, highly irritant
Rue	Ruta graveolens	irritant in sunlight
Spurges	Euphorbia species	irritant dermatitis in sunlight
Stinging Nettle	Urtica urens	formic acid, histamine,irritant
Insecticidal, etc
Chrysanthemum	C.cinerariaefolium	pyrethrum, insecticidal
Japanese Star Anise	Illicium religiosum	poisonous principle, sikimin
Peruvian Bark	Cinchona succirubra	alkaloid, quinine, anti-malarial
Ragwort, Common	Senecio jacobaea	hepatotoxic
Ragwort, Golden	Senecio aureus	hepatotoxic
Santonica	Artemisia maritima, A.cina	santonin, anthelmintic
Fungal Toxins
Deadly Webcap	Cortinarius speciosissimus	kidney toxins – lethal
Death-Cap	Amanita phalliodes	ama- & phallo-toxins – lethal
Ergot	Claviceps purpurea	ergot, ergotamine, egometrine
Fly Agaric	Amanita muscaria	amatoxins, poisonous, hallucinogenic
Fungal infection	Aspergillus flavus	aflatoxins, e.g. mouldy peanuts
Fungal infection	Aspergillus fumigatus	cause of aspergillosis, a lung disease