Page 32 - (DK) Danger! Open with Extreme Caution!
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POISONOUS PLANTS



                                  Step inside our little shop of horrors. While vegetation helps to
                                  sustain life on Earth, there are flowers, trees, shrubs, and even
                                  hedges out there that can kill. Some are dangerous to touch,
                                  while others are toxic if swallowed or inhaled. Nasty reactions
                                  range from irritation to death. Why are some plants poisonous?
                                  It’s simply their defense against being eaten. The stories
                                  of these green meanies will have you rooted to the spot.

























                                                                                   Nightshade 1
                         Manchineel tree  3                            Also known as belladonna or the devil’s
                                                                      cherry, the leaves and berries of this plant
                       This resembles an apple tree, but
                         the fruit are nicknamed “apples                   contain atropine—a deadly chemical
                         of death.” Eating the fruit causes            compound. A snack-size portion of berries
                                                                            causes slurred speech, blurred vision,
                         blistering in the mouth and throat,
                      and can be fatal. The tree leaks a milky       horrible headaches, breathing problems, and
                     white sap that can blister the skin, while          convulsions. That’s not berry nice.
                          smoke from a burning tree causes
                      blindness. This is one bad apple tree.












                             Castor bean 3

        These brutal beans contain the deadliest plant
          poison on Earth: ricin. Just a handful of beans
        contain enough of this poison to kill an adult within
         a few minutes. Even harvesting the plant can give
             a person nerve damage. Do not serve baked.

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