There are close to 400,000 species of known plants on our planet, and without them nothing would be able to survive. They provide us with everything we need, from medicine to a cup of coffee, but sometimes nature throws one into the mix that becomes responsible for the deaths of countless people over the years. Here’s a list of the 10 deadliest plants known to man.
1) Tobacco
Instead of being some kind of highly poisonous berry or flower, the number one slot goes to the tobacco plant. Even though the plant itself doesn’t contain anything poisonous other than nicotine, that doesn’t stop it from being the reason behind millions of deaths.
Tobacco smoking in its many forms is very popular round the world and causes a whole range of horrible diseases and conditions, but also happens to be highly addictive. This plant is in-directly responsible for more deaths than every single other plant on earth combined.
2) Aconitum
A pretty purple flower that has many names such as monks hood, wolf’s bane, soldiers helmet, purple rocket and queen of poisons. There are few plants out there that contain poison as strong as Aconitum, but the reason this one beats all the others is due to how fast it acts.
The most poisonous part of the plant is the root and when concentrated it call kill within a few seconds. It got its name “wolf’s bane” from being the poison of choice people used to put on their arrows when hunting wolves, as a hit anywere on the body would cause it to die.
3) The Manchineel tree
This harmless looking tree grows through the Caribbean and in the northern regions of South America. It produces a small round fruit that looks similar to an apple, but though they may look tasty they also induce severe vomiting and diarrhoea to the point it can kill you.
The sap from the tree can cause intense burn like wounds and even brushing up against the leaves can cause an itchy rash. The tree is useless to people since its so dangerous, but in trying to get rid of them, people have discovered another problem. The smoke produced by burning Manchineel trees can cause severe breathing problems and if blown into someones eyes can temporarily blind them.
4) The Death Cap
A mushroom found through mid to northern Europe, the Amanita phalloides, or death cap as it more commonly known is responsibly for the vast majority of mushroom related deaths in Europe. There are some other very dangerous mushrooms out there, but the problem with this one is that the poison cannot be cured.
Normally a poison can be countered with an antidote, but apart from not having one for this type of mushroom, the poison gets into the blood and rapidly damages the liver. By the time someone starts to feel pain its already to late, with the only way to save them being multiple organ transplants combined with a full body blood filter, neither of which would be possible.
5)Castor bean
This plant is best known for being the source material behind Castor oil, but the plant itself is incredibly dangerous. The oil is produced from the seeds of the Ricinus communis plant which is a small shrub often planted in peoples gardens for its colourful flowers.
The beans of the plant contain a poison called Ricin which is strong enough to kill an adult with as little as 5 beans. Since they are very hard and don’t taste nice its unlikely anyone would accidentally eat five of them in the first place, and if swallowed whole they have a chance of passing through a persons system intact, leaving them unharmed.
6) Hemlock
The poison in Hemlock isn’t the strongest you can find in nature, but the problem with this plant is that when its in season it can be found just about anywhere. If you live in the UK then its unlikely you’ll have to walk for more than 10 minutes before finding some, though fortunately it doesn’t produce berries and most people don’t usually randomly eat flowers.
The poison can be concentrated and when strong enough can cause severe breathing problems and stomach pains. It was apparently used to kill the Greek philosopher Socrates by being made into a tea he drank.
7) Deadly nightshade
This plant consists of a vine that produces large berries that are very poisonous. The leaves and roots of the plant are also quite dangerous but the reason this one keeps popping up every now and then as the reason someone was poisoned is because of the berries and how damn tasty they look.
They look like a big shiny round blackberry full of juice, and since they are the same colour as berries people associate with being safe to eat they often mistakes this for something edible.
8) White Snake root
This plant can be found all across north America and is a herb similar in appearance to various useful ones. It is often confused as something else by the amateur forager and often affects livestock who graze on pastures containing it. Since its so common and grows like a weed, it is behind a large portion of animal poisonings throughout the US and grows quick enough to surprise even the most experienced farmer.
The whole plant contains a type of toxic alcohol called trematol which causes stomach pains, constipation and muscular weakness. If eaten in large enough quantities it can affect the heart and cause death, and was apparently the cause of the death of Abraham Lincolns mother, Nancy Hanks.
9) Cocaine
Even though the plant needs to be heavily processed, like tobacco its the end product that’s behind the deaths. Eating leaves from the plant can cause you to get a slight buzz, but when processed it becomes much stronger. The expensive nature of cocaine has led to this plant behind grown and processed into a drug that produces so much money that various factions are willing to go to war over it.
There are more people killed in Mexico everyday due to the drug war than in the entire middle east combined. Even though the plant itself isn’t deadly in its natural form, that doesn’t stop it being the source of the violence behind it.
10) poppies
Grown in gardens all around Europe and the symbol of remembrance for soldiers of the first world war, poppies are one of the most recognised flowers out there. With their colourful appearance flowers aside, the plant happens to be the source of various drugs including heroin, opium and morphine. It can be processed into various forms and is sold round the world as illegal drugs.
The money involved has been the cause of many gang wars, murders and suicides and was also the cash crop of the Taliban during the Afghan war. The plant on its own its dangerous at all, but because of what people have learned to do with it the poppy is now the source of several hundred thousand deaths a year globally.