Please Don't Eat the Daisies! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Milk-sickness

The malady known as milk-sickness is caused by the plant known as white snakeroot. This small bush, which is native to North America, has white flowers full of small fluffy seeds. The plant contains the toxin known as tremetol, and is a favorite of cattle.

This toxin is absorbed into their milk and meat. When these products are eaten by humans they develop something known as milk-sickness, which is often fatal. The effects of ingesting this plant include severe vomiting, trembling, and acute intestinal pain. Eating this plant can easily kill both the cattle and the humans who own them.

Answer: Doll's eye

White Baneberry is a flowering plant native to the northern regions of North America. It has round white berries with a black spot that are responsible for the plants more common name of Doll's eye. Although the whole plant is toxic, the most poisonous part of the plant is the berries.

Unfortunately, these attractive berries are sweet and have claimed many human lives. This toxic plant contains a quick acting carcinogenic toxin. Consuming the berries of this plant can lead to cardiac arrest and death within 5 minutes of ingesting them.

Answer: Boiled as a tea

Angel's trumpets are native to the tropical regions of South America but have spread to both North America and Europe. These lovely small trees have beautiful trumpet shaped flowers which hang from the branches and come in a variety of colors. The plant is sometimes boiled into a type of tea.

The toxins it contains, such as scopolamine and atropine, have hallucinogenic properties. Because different parts of the plant contain different amounts of these toxins it is impossible to know how much has been ingested. Shortly after drinking the tea, the effects can be felt.

These can include confusion, migraine headaches, muscle paralysis, diarrhea, rapid heartbeat, followed by very strong visual and auditory hallucinations. Violent behavior is not unusual, and death is not uncommon.

Answer: Strychnine

The Quaker button tree is also known as the Strychnine tree. It is native to regions of southeast Asia and ingesting the fruit and/or the seeds of this plant can lead to a quick and painful death. The orange fruit of this plant contain seeds which contain high levels of both strychnine and brucine. Eating just a small amount of these seeds causes violent continuous convulsions which then lead to death due to over-stimulation of the nervous system.

Answer: True

The beautiful foxglove plant has spikes of flowers that range from deep purple to light lavender to white. All parts of the plant are toxic, with just small amounts being deadly. There have been recorded deaths from inhaling the pollen from this plant.

This plant has been used to treat cardiac problems for over 200 hundred years, often as an herbal remedy. In proper doses, the digitalis that the plant contains helps regulate the heart beat and helps the heart to beat more effectively. Digitalis toxicity is the term for an overdose of the plant and causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abnormal heartbeat, seizures, and death.

As lovely as this plant is, it is not one that you want to grow in your yard or garden.

Answer: South America

Found in large parts of the northern hemisphere, water hemlock is one of the deadliest plants on our planet. It has clusters of umbrella shaped flowers that are white or, sometimes, green. This plant contains a toxin known as cicutoxin which causes convulsions shortly after ingestion.

The most toxic part of the plant is the root, but all parts are poisonous. Some of the other nasty symptoms that show up quickly include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. These symptoms are accompanied by tremors, heart palpitations and mental confusion. Death occurs within a few hours of ingestion, usually caused by respiratory failure or ventricular fibrillation.

Answer: To poison hunting arrows

Wolfsbane is a lovely flowering plant that contains a poison known as alkaloid pseudacontine. Just brushing up against this plant can be deadly. Japanese peasants have used it to poison their hunting arrows for centuries. Ingestion of any part of this plant usually proves fatal. Symptoms present quickly, usually within a few minutes and death can occur within two hours.

Some cultures believed that this plant had the ability to repel or even kill werewolves. Steer clear of this plant if you see it in your yard and seek medical attention if you touch one accidentally.

Answer: Jewelry beads

The Rosary Pea is a climbing vine-type plant that twines itself around shrubs, trees, and hedges. This deadly plant is found in areas of southeastern Asia. It has beautiful red seeds with a single black spot. It has been used for centuries to make beads for jewelry.

This plant contains a toxin known as abrin which is so powerful that a dose of only three micrograms can kill a human. Typical symptoms are nausea, unproductive vomiting, liver failure, and long-lasting, repetitive convulsions. Death usually takes about 48 hours, and is often described as a very painful demise.

Answer: To dilate their eyes

Belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade Belladonna, grows wild in Europe, North Africa and parts of western Asia. One of the planet's most toxic plants, it contains deadly Tropane alkaloids. These toxins can be found in all parts of the plant including its sweet tasting berries. Eating ten of these berries can be deadly, and eating just one of the plants leaves will kill a healthy adult male. Symptoms occur quickly and include dry mouth, headache, breathing problems, convulsions, leading to death.

As dangerous as this plant is, it was used for centuries as a cosmetic. European women would use eye-drops which contained belladonna because it would make their pupils dilate which was thought to be attractive. The name of the plant, "belladonna", actually means 'beautiful woman' in Italian.

Answer: True

The castor plant contains a very dangerous toxin known as ricin. Inhalation of this toxin is deadly and it is for this reason it has been used in acts of terrorism. There is no cure for ricin poisoning and death usually takes a day or two. Ricin is found in all parts of the plant but is concentrated in the seeds.

This lovely ornamental plant causes burning sensations, abdominal pain, and violent projectile vomiting. Death is usually due to dehydration. Humans are more sensitive to this plant than most animals, for reasons which are unknown at this time. To top it off, many of us, when we were children, were force fed denatured castor oil as it was believed to cure almost anything including tummy aches, constipation, colds, and the flu.