Three Deadly Plants within 150 paces of my Front Door

Florida is literally crawling with non-native species. In addition to the invasive animals and insects, which threaten our fragile ecosystems, a great many introduced plants have taken root in this favorable climate. Some, we find beneficial, some invasive, while others are downright deadly. The plants featured here are a little bit of all three. All are in my neighborhood as a result of their long relationship with humans. Each has been cultivated over centuries, and was brought here for it’s usefulness, ranging from landscape ornamental to source of oil, to cattle fodder, to herbal remedy, to jewelry. They have laid claim to a great deal of American soil, and there’s a good chance that you may find one of them near your home, too. Although I have not researched beyond the U.S., I am quite certain that this holds true to many other countries, as well.

My interest in deadly plants was sparked when I watched a video of a retired FBI agent who mentioned that the CIA uses an undetectable secret weapon, which mimics the symptoms of a heart attack and kills almost instantly. The interesting part was that this plant can be found almost anywhere and is a favorite of terrorists and rogue nations, as well as an alleged CIA assassination tool. Fascinated, I searched the internet for more information. Lo and behold, I instantly recognized this plant as one that I can see from my window! The bean of this plant is the source of both the infamous castor oil (known for it’s foul taste and curative properties) as well as the deadly toxin ricin.

My curiosity spurred, I searched further and turned up numerous toxic plants growing in my yard and the neighboring landscapes. For this article I will focus on the three most deadly, in no particular order.

1. THE CASTOR BEAN PLANT

Latin Name: Ricinus communis L.

Distance from my Door: 75 paces (151 feet)

Origin: Northeastern Africa and the Middle East.

USDA Plants Profile and Distribution Map

When Castor Beans are ingested, poisoning is caused by the powerful cytotoxin ricin, which gets inside a person’s cells and prevents them from making necessary proteins. When injected, a hemagglutinin called ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA) causes the red blood cells to burst.

Toxicity

The Center for Defense Information website states that “Ricin is the third most toxic substance known after plutonium and botulism”. It has been estimated that it would take 6,000 grams of cyanide or 12,000 grams of rattlesnake venom to equal one gram of ricin. A dose of ricin somewhere between the size of a grain of table salt and a pinhead is enough to kill a grown man. Eating one bean can kill a child, and as few as four beans can kill and adult. There is neither vaccine nor antidote for ricin or RCA poisoning. Victims are admitted to the hospital and treated for the symptoms. If you have not died within three to five days of exposure, you will probably survive.

Signs and symptoms of ricin exposure

A variety of symptoms may result, depending upon the dose received and the route of exposure. In severe cases many organs may be affected. Symptoms of inhalation typically occur within 8 hours and may include fever, cough, tightness in the chest and respiratory distress, followed by heavy sweating, fluid buildup in the lungs low blood pressure and respiratory failure.

Ingesting significant amounts of ricin can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, severe dehydration, low blood pressure and multiple organ failure.

Poisoning via injection causes lymph node failure followed by failure of the liver, kidneys and spleen. Next, the stomach and intestines hemorrhage, resulting in death from multiple organ failure.

Despite the dangerous nature of the Castor Bean, it is used in a variety of products. The infamous “Castor Oil” is known for its medicinal properties and foul taste. The beans are also used for livestock feed and explosives, just to name a few. Castor meal contains 40% protein and is made safe for animal consumption by removing the toxins via a process called “hot water extraction”.

Ricin Assassination

In a true event, straight out of a James Bond movie, Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian writer and BBC journalist, was assassinated in 1978 by a man yielding an umbrella. Markov, a dissident who broad casted scathing accounts of Communism in Bulgaria, had survived two previous assassination attempts when he was attacked at a bus stop by an unknown man who used a modified umbrella to shoot a ricin pellet into Markov’s leg. He soon developed a high fever; and after four days of agony, was dead.

Castor beans also bear a remarkable resemblance to pinto beans; and ricin is not generally tested for when symptoms present. So if you fear that someone has it out for you, you may want to skip their offer of a chili dinner.

2. THE ROSARY PEA OR JERIQUITY BEAN

Latin Name: Abrus precatorius Linnaeus

Distance from my Door: 145 paces (290 feet)

Origin: India

USDA Plants Profile and Distribution Map

Toxicity

Although, similar to ricin, the toxic agents in the rosary pea (abrin and abric acid) are said to be even more poisonous. If this is true it would trump ricin as the third most toxic substance known to man. Chewing one small rosary pea imparts enough abrin to kill an adult human. Since there is no known antidote for abrin, it is a good idea to avoid these little beauties altogether.

Signs and symptoms of abrin exposure

The symptoms of abrin poisoning are virtually the same as those of ricin. There is no antidote for this one, either; and only the symptoms can be treated.

The genus “Abrus” is derived from the Greek Habrus, meaning graceful, elegant or delicate. The species epithet precatorius is Latin for prayer. If you see this graceful plant on your property, you may pray that it doesn’t take over, because it is so invasive that little, short of divine intervention, can stop it. In one season, the vine is able to grow 20 feet, creating a twisted tangle over all plants that get in its way.

In India, the scarlet and black seed was called “retti” or “rati”. Uniform in size and weighing approximately 2.1875 grains, they were used to weigh gem stones. The brightly colored Rosary Peas get their name because they are strung for necklaces and rosaries. For this reason the plant has been introduced worldwide. Many teething toddlers have been poisoned by chewing on beads made from these deadly seeds.

3. THE OLEANDER

Latin Name: Nerium Oleander (Oleander), Thevetia peruviana (Yellow Oleander)

Distance from my Door: 36 paces (72 feet)

Origin: Africa, the eastern Mediterranean and southeast Asia

USDA Plants Profile and Distribution Map

This hardy evergreen shrub is cultivated as a landscape ornamental as well as on road medians and shoulders throughout the southern United States. Despite it’s drought tolerance and attractive appearance, Oleander is one of the most deadly plants around. So deadly, in fact, that it has long been favored as an agent of both murder and suicide.

Toxicity

Every part of this plant is poisonous, including the flowers, seeds, leaves, sap, pollen, bark and roots. The oleander contains a bevy of toxins including, oleandrin, nerin, digitoxigenen and olinerin. The bark also contains rosagenin (known for it’s strychnine-like effects).

Signs and symptoms of oleandrin exposure

Oleander poisoning can take place through any exposure, including skin contact, ingestion and inhaling smoke from burned plants. Symptoms of poisoning include skin irritation, loss of appetite, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, heartbeat irregularities, low blood pressure, headache, fainting, disorientation, dizziness and cardiac arrest.

Due to the widespread use of oleander as a suicide agent in Sri Lanka, a digoxin antidote has been developed for oleandrin poisoning. If treated in time, it is now possible to make a full recovery.

Despite its extreme toxicity, the oleander is considered very tasty to the Oleander Caterpillar Syntofeida epilais Walker. In a brilliant feat of adaptation, the Oleander Caterpillar is thought to have switched over to the introduced Oleander, when it’s original host plant Echites umbellata Jacq. all but disappeared. The appearance of the brilliant iridescent Polka Dot Wasp Moth is a good sign that an Oleander plant is nearby.