Enormous trees, beautiful flowers, gorgeous butterflies, strange animals, amazing landscapes… Isn’t nature wonderful! And it has a unique way of preserving itself.
For example:
Nature relies on the energy sources that can be found freely like water, wind, soil. And it only uses the energy it needs. Nature also recycles all materials, so it has no wastes. How interesting that is! It is resistant to decaying, and instead of maximizing, nature is concerned of optimizing.
But most importantly, it does anything to survive.
In this blog you will be reading about some of the deadliest plants on Earth which you can easily encounter in nature.
Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata)
Cicuta, commonly known as water hemlock is one of the most toxic plants ever known. They grow up to 2.5 meters and have umbrella shaped, small, green or white flowers. Cicuta grows in wet meadows, quaggy areas and riverbanks. They can be found mainly in North America and Europe (Wikipedia, 2023).
This plant is highly poisonous to humans and has many effects such as nausea, vomiting, breathing with difficulty, sweating, light-headedness, reddening, fatigue and confusion. You usually won’t get a rash from touching it. Hemlock is mainly dangerous when eaten. But still, be careful when touching water hemlock.
Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna)
Nightshade is a toxic plant coming from the Solanaceae. They are mostly found in Europe and Western Asia, including Turkey (Wikipedia, 2023).
Every part of this plant is toxic when ingested. It leads to a variety of symptoms such as unclear vision, a skin rash, headaches, difficulty in speaking, hallucinating, seizures and ultimately, death.
Oleander (Nerium oleander)
This flower is a well-known toxic plant. Oleander is a small tree domesticated in temperate and subtropical areas. It can grow up to 2-6 meters and it is resistant to drought but has low tolerance for cold (Wikipedia, 2023).
Even though its toxic cases of poisoning are not common, and the general chance of people dying from it is low. But it should not be disregarded because it may have serious effects like disturbances in heart rhythm, nausea, diarrhea, hypertension, death and more.
Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)
Tobacco, probably the deadliest plant on Earth. This plant contains a highly addictive stimulant alkaloid called nicotine and is used for smoking mainly in cigarettes. Using this plant carries a significant danger of causing severe illnesses, particularly those that impact the heart, liver and lungs (Wikipedia, 2023).
Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius)
Rosary Pea is also recognized as jequirity pea. It originates from Asia and Australia. This plant is best known for its seeds, which are used in percussion instruments and the entire plant is toxic. (Wikipedia, 2023).
Some effects of the Rosary Pea are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach-ache.
In conclusion, there are many deadly plants in nature whether it be touched, consumed or even smelled. That’s why when you decide to have a trip to the wilds, I recommend you to be careful.