Oleander
Another one that is bad but beautiful is the common oleander (Nerium oleander). Common because it is very popular as an ornamental bush in gardens all over the world, including the dry and southernmost parts of the United States. Originally from northern Africa and the Mediterranean, this flowering beauty has made its way into the hearts of gardeners and homeowners alike, but hopefully not literally as you’re about to find out why.
It’s strange that something so deadly should be so popular but many remain oblivious to just how toxic the oleander can be. It contains a whole cocktail of toxins that can be deadly to humans such as cardiac glycosides, oleandrin, oleondroside, neroside, and a few more toxins we know nothing about thrown in for good measure. It is so toxic that only a single leaf is required to kill an adult human.
If you ingest oleander you can look forward to a myriad of terrible symptoms. Starting with blurred vision, debilitating gastrointestinal distress, slowed or irregular heartbeats and serious brain issues. Almost all of the major organ systems of the body are directly affected by all the different toxin this plant contains. If you seek medical attention immediately you can hopefully survive but that largely depends on how much oleander you have consumed.
Unfortunately, because of how common an occupant the oleander is to many gardens and homes, many people are completely unaware of the toxicity of something so beautiful. Therefore, they are unaware that they have been poisoned and valuable time is lost. Sadly their lack of knowledge will cause them to die a horribly painful death.
1 thought on “8 Beautiful Plants That Just Want to Kill You!”
Thank you for this information I have small children around my yard often. Fortunatly I am aware of toxic plants in Fl. thanks to my garden club we hada speaker from UF to help us identify the dangerous plants . I don’t have any of the toxic ones in my yard.