Poisonous Plants

"This richly illustrated book provides an in-depth natural history of the most poisonous plants on earth, covering everything from the lethal effects of hemlock and deadly nightshade to the uses of such plants in medicine, ritual, and chemical warfare"--Dust jacket.

If people knew how many poisonous plants are commonly found in homes and gardens, they'd be shocked. Plants as common as monkshood, castorbean, and oleander are not just dangerous, they're deadly. The North American Guide to Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms is a comprehensive, easy-to-use handbook. The book is split into four main categories: mushrooms, wild plants, ornamental and crop plants, and houseplants. Each plant entry includes a clear photograph to aid the task of identification, a description of the plant, notes on where they commonly occur, and a description of their toxic properties. Plants are listed by common name to assist the non-specialist.

"The majority covered here originate in temperate zones, and the text comprehensively identifies potentially dangerous plants, their distribution, level of toxicity, symptoms of poisoning and suggested treatment. Illustrations range from actual size colour and black/white photos to enlarged representations of microscopically recognizable features in fruits and leaves." --Cover.

This third edition of the Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants is designed to assist the clinician in the initial response to the needs of a child or adult exposed to a poisonous or injurious plant. It highlights common and important plants that lead to the adverse effects upon exposure, and it describes the mechanisms of action of the implicated toxin, clinical manifestations, and specific therapeutics, as available, for each. This truly comprehensive resource is botanically rigorous with insights from both the pharmacognosy and medical literature. At the same time, it is also for those who are interested in growing and enjoying the plants in their environment, filling in a not-often-discussed botanical and horticultural niche that goes beyond their beautiful physical appearance. Plants contain many useful chemicals that humans have used for millennia as botanical curatives. This book will help the reader understand the fine balance between a medication and a poison, why plants contain these natural substances, and their impact on the human body. With its thorough references and full-color photos of hundreds of potentially toxic and injurious plants inside and outside the home, this book is useful for identifying and addressing concerns about cultivated species and those found in the wild. This book will be of interest to botanists, horticulturists, clinicians, and naturalists as well as hikers, gardeners, and all those who simply enjoy the wonders of nature and the great outdoors.

Effects of Poisonous Plants on Livestock documents the proceedings of a U.S.-Australian symposium on the effects of poisonous plants on domestic livestock. The symposium was held at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, on 19-24 June 1977. The volume is organized into eight parts. Part I discusses poisonous plant problems in the United States and Australia. Part II contains papers on general topics such as inorganic toxicants and poisonous plants; the hazard of plant toxicities to the human population; and selenium in plants as a cause of livestock poisoning. Part III examines the effects of simple phytotoxins such as selenium and oxalate on livestock. Part IV focuses on the effects of plant hepatotoxins, including pyrrolizidine alkaloids, Artemisia nova, and Tetradymia spp. Part V deals with plant cardio/pulmonary toxins such as Myoporum spp. and Pimelea spp. Part VI tales up plant neurotoxins while Part VII discusses plant teratogens and toxins affecting reproduction. Part VII presents studies on other toxic substances. It includes studies on oak poisoning and pine needle abortion in cattle.

Knowledge of plant toxicity has always been important, but the information has not always been reliable. Now, increasing international trade is drawing attention to the inadequacy of regional information and highlighting the geographical fragmentation and notorious discrepancies of thinly documented information. The international community of safety regulators, toxicologists, and poison control personnel requires a single reference compiled of verifiable, primary source reports of common poisonous plants. Intended for just that purpose, International Poisonous Plant Checklist: An Evidence-Based Reference successfully addresses the deficiencies and gaps in the current literature. Using accepted botanic names, the book defines the known set of toxic vascular plants. The use of botanic names satisfies the need for an international standard of identity to support worldwide communication and commerce. Also, taxonomy based on common ancestry and genetic connections provides a rational basis for studying and using plant relationships. The author supports toxicity information with references to the primary literature. Each entry includes referenced citations supporting the toxicity of the plant, symptoms and circumstances of toxic exposure, dosage and potency, chemical analysis, botany, pharmacology, mechanism and metabolism, and control. Finally, the book cross-references selected synonyms and common names. The checklist is organized alphabetically with two types of entries. The main entry documents the toxic plants themselves and a secondary entry lists selected synonyms and common names cross-referenced to the main entries. Including virtually all common animal feed plants, human food plants, and many plants that are sources of herbal products and dietary supplements, tonics, and therapeutic agents, this timely checklist compiles and verifies the known data on toxic vascular plants from around the world.

The botanical history of Britain and North West Europe has a dark and a light side. Plants have been used as weapons to harm people, taken deliberately as addictive drugs and also employed as tools in witchcraft and used as magical amulets. Yet many of these same plants have been medicinally vital to numerous European communities; as the author notes, frequently the only difference between a benevolent medicine and a poison is dosage. In this book, which is richly illustrated with modern colour photographs and illustrations from herbals, Robert Bevan-Jones brings together a wealth of documentary and archaeo-botanical sources to discuss the cultural, social (and anti-social) role of the fifty most significant species of poisonous plants and fungi found in Britain, either as natives or as introductions. An introductory essay puts into context the development of British society's knowledge of toxic plants: the 'cultural botany' applied in Britain today has evolved over thousands of years, absorbing information from European texts and importing useful plants from Europe, such as the mandrake. The book's central A to Z section - from aconite to yew - then informs the reader about the history and uses of 43 species of poisonous plants, especially those that have a documented history of medicinal usage. Four important fungi species - death cap, liberty cap, fly agaric and ergot - also have separate essays. As well as the plants' histories and appearance, their chemical constituents receive coverage; these give them powerful and diverse properties, which demand our admiration and respect. The book aims to add to the knowledge offered by field identification guides, and help reduce the risk associated with accidental ingestion. Case histories are given in as much detail as possible and the information will hopefully help the reader understand the properties of plants they may encounter, either in an archaeological, botanical or horticultural context. Most of these plants can yet be found growing in woodlands, parks, botanical gardens, roadsides, waterways, churchyards and abbey sites. This is an essential book not only for botanists and historical ecologists, but also for anyone interested in the toxic plant traditions of Britain and Europe.

"This accessible guidebook is the result of a longstanding collaboration between the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Medical Toxicology Information Services at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital, London. Helpful descriptions and more than 230 photographs will assist you in identifying 132 of the most poisonous plants and plant groups likely to be encountered as pot plants, in flower beds and vegetable plots, and in more natural environments"--Page 4 of cover.