Wilderness and Urban Survival Guide
Wilderness Arena > Dangers > Plants > Poisonous Plants
Poisonous Plants
Poisonous plants
Poisonous Plants
Successful use of plants in a survival situation depends on positive identification. Knowing poisonous plants is as important to you as knowing edible plants. Knowing the poisonous plants will help you avoid sustaining injuries from them. Plants Poisoning Plants generally poison by: Contact. This contact with a poisonous plant causes any type of skin irritation…
Castor bean, castor-oil plant, palma Christi
Castor bean, castor-oil plant, palma Christi Ricinus communis Spurge (Euphorbiaceae) Family Description: The castor bean is a semi-woody, flowering plant with large, alternate, star-like leaves that grows as a tree in tropical regions and as an annual in temperate regions. Its glossy leaves grow to 15-45 centimeters (6-18 inches long on long stalks with 5-12…
Chinaberry
Chinaberry Melia azedarach Mahogany (Meliaceae) Family Description: The poisonous Chinaberry tree (also known as bead-tree, Persian lilac, white cedar, Texas umbrella, pride of India, or Cape lilac) has a round, spreading crown and grows up to 14 meters (42 feet) tall. It has alternate, compound (odd-pinnate) leaves with toothed (serrated margins) leaflets that are dark…
Cowhage, cowage, cowitch
Cowhage, cowage, cowitch Mucuna pruritum (Mucuna pruriens) Leguminosae (Fabaceae) Family Description: Cowhage, also known as velvet bean or cowitch, is a vine-like plant that is known for its ability to cause extreme itchiness. The plant is a climbing shrub with oval leaflets in groups of three growing off of short 2-3 millimeter long stems. Often…
Death camas, death lily
Death camas, death lily All of the Zigadenus species Lily (Liliaceae) Family Description: The poisonous Death Camas (or Meadow Deathcamas) plant arises from a bulb and may be mistaken for an onion-like plant. Its leaves are long and grass-like. The bulbs are look like onions but do not smell like onions. Its small (quarter inch),…
Lantana
Lantana Lantana camara Vervain (Verbenaceae) Family Description: The poisonous Lantana plant, also known as Spanish Flag, Big Sage, Blacksage, Wild Sage, Prickly Lantana, or West Indian Lantana, is a low erect, shrub-like plant that may grow up to 45 centimeters (18 inches) high. It has opposite, round to oval shaped leaves about 1-5 inches long…
Manchineel
Manchineel Hippomane mancinella Spurge (Euphorbiaceae) Family Description: The deadly Manchineel tree (sometimes written “manchioneel”) is a flowering tree reaching up to 15 meters (45 feet) high with greyish or brown, scaly or fissured bark and alternate, shiny green leaves and spikes of small greenish flowers. The Manchineel tree’s glossy leaves are alternately arranged on the…
Oleander
Oleander Nerium oleander Dogbane (Apocynaceae) Family Description: The poisonous Oleander shrub (or small tree) grows to about 9 meters (27 feet), with alternate, very straight, thick, leathery, dark green, long (2-8 inches), narrow (1 inch), lance-shaped leaves. Leaves typically grow in pairs or whorls of three. Mature plants have grayish bark. Its flowers may be…
Pangi
Pangi or Keluak Pangium edule Pangi Family Description: The Pangi tree, also known as Keluak, Keluwak, or Keypayang, is a tall tree often reaching heights of 18 meters (54 feet). The tree has large, glossy heart-shaped leaves in spirals each typically with three lobes. Its large flowers grow in spikes, each with 5-6 petals, and…
Physic nut or Jatropha
Physic nut Jatropha curcas Spurge (Euphoriaceae) Family Description: The Physic nut, or Jatropha plant, is a shrub or small tree found in the American tropics. Also known as Barbados Nut, Purging Nut, Black Vomit Nut, Physic Nut, or JCL, the plant can reach a height of 6 meters (20 feet) with spreading branches, stubby twigs,…
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