The plant emits a strong aroma and flowers year-round; they come in colors such as white, pink, red, yellow, and orange. Its fruit is egg-shaped and becomes dark violet when ripe.
Toxicity:
flowers carry the substance Lantadene A that can cause chronic poisoning; there have been cases of children ingesting it, resulting in death.
Australian Silver Oak (Proteaceae)
Traits:
reach up to 20 meters. Its flowers are orange, seeds look like upside down eggs, has wings, and flowers in May.
Toxicity:
Extremely poisonous, contains prussic acid.
Euphorbia Tirucalli (Euphorbiaceae)
Traits:
Perennially shrub-like with branches that are easily broken or damaged and releases white juices. Lately, scientists studying the plant have discovered it has value in producing gasoline.
Toxicity:
The entire plant is poisoning; ingesting it may lead to diarrhea and contact with the skin can lead to redness and boils. It is poisonous to fish.
Jatropha Padogrica (Euphorbiaceae)
Alias:
bottleplant shrub
Traits:
The perennial plant is a succulent with a fat, meaty stem. The lower half is shaped like a gourd with red flowers that contain 5 petals. Its pedicel branches like coral.
Toxicity:
The whole plant is poisonous when ingested.
Brugmansia Suaveolens (Solanaceae)
Alias:
white angel trumpet
Traits:
The flowers are white, shaped like trumpets, and flower irregularly; they are more likely to flower during the spring and summer.
Toxicity:
The whole plant contains neurotoxins that when ingested can cause euphoria, later numbing the central nervous system resulting in coma.
Breynia Disticha
Alias:
9-striped rainbow leaf
Toxicity:
The roots are poisonous, similar to Formosan Breynia.
Ancient Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae)
Alias:
king’s whip, fire alley, fire seedlings
Traits:
The perennial shrub has straight roots; the meat is white and contains white juices, flowering from March to April.
Toxicity:
The whole plant is poisonous; if the white juice comes in contact with skin, it results in inflammation or boils.
Red Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae)
Traits:
They can reach heights of 10 meters; its leaves are brownish red and it can defoliate or hibernate during winter.
Toxicity:
The entire tree contains milky liquid that can cause redness, irritation, and boils when in contact with people that have sensitive skin. The leaves sometimes contain white powder on their surface that can cause eyes to become red and swollen if blown into them by the wind.
Erythrina Variegata (Fabaceae)
Traits:
The crown of the flower is bright red while its fruits are bead-like in thick pods. The seeds are dark red and it flowers in March.
Toxicity:
The seeds contain slightly toxic alkaloids when unripe. The leaves and bark contain toxic alkaloids that can affect the nervous system; the stems, roots, fruits, and leaves all contain highly toxic hydrocyanic acid.
Oleander Allamanda (Apocynacea)
Alias:
hard yellow cicadas
Traits:
The perennial evergreen shrub releases milky liquid when cut; the flowers are yellow and funnel-shaped.
Toxicity:
The whole plant can stimulate the heart of humans and livestock, affecting the respiratory system and can lead to miscarriage.
Peacock Flower (Caesalpinioideae)
Alias:
Butterfly flower, golden phoenix, peacock flower; flowered plants with red flowers are called red butterflies, those with yellow are called yellow butterflies.
Traits:
The tree is highly similar to a mini royal poiciana; the small leaves look like feathers while the stamens are long, thin, and look like butterfly wings. Its flowers can be seen from early summer to early winter.
Toxicity:
The leaves can cause diarrhea and miscarriage; the roots are spicy and toxic.
Golden Trumpet (Apocynaceae)
Traits:
The vines can reach 4 meters and release a milky liquid when cut; the flowers are lemon yellow and bloom in the summer and fall.
Toxicity:
The bark, leaves, seeds, flowers, and juice are all poisonous and can lead to stomach pains and diarrhea.
Cactus (Euphorbiaceae)
Alias:
triangular king’s vine
Traits:
The perennial evergreen succulent shrub contains white milky liquid; it flowers in the spring and summer, is aesthetically bizarre and beautiful.
Toxicity:
The entire plant is poisonous; contact with the milky liquid can lead to inflammation or boils, ingestion is poisonous.
Euphorbia Tithymaloides (Euphorbiaceae)
Alias:
green dragon, coral branch
Traits:
Vertical shaped shrub, the whole plant contains white milky liquid.
Toxicity:
The whole plant contains weak poison that can lead to numbing of the mouth, sharp pain, stomach pain, dizziness, nausea, and respiratory difficulty when ingested.
Poinsettia (pink, yellow, white)
Alias:
red spurge
Traits:
The clean stems release milky liquid when cut. Flowers grow at the top of the plant, the involucral is light green with serrated edges. It flowers during November to January.
Toxicity:
The whole plant is poisonous, the milky liquid can cause skin irritation and ingestion can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and delirium.
Taiwan Wild Grape
Alias:
Wild Grape
Traits:
The deciduous woody vine wood flowers in the spring, its fruit ripening in autumn. The fruits are spherical, transforming into green and white then light violet, and finally becoming azure blue with spots on the surface.
Toxicity:
The fruit are poisonous.
Rohdea Japonica Evergreen (Araceae)
Traits:
The stem is approximately 1 meter tall and the lower half mainly lies on the ground while the flowers are buddha flame colored and spadix; it flowers from the end of spring to the beginning of summer .
Toxicity:
This acute poison causes severe burns to the mouth, throat, and stomach when ingested; once, a child mistakenly ingested the plant causing needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate in the vocal cords resulting in permanent physical damage and loss of voice.
Alocasia odora (Araceae)
Alias:
mountain taro, wild taro
Traits:
The flowers have a pale green spathe and boat-shaped bracts. It’s yellow-green with red fruit pulp and flowers at the end of spring and beginning of summer.
Toxicity:
Contains calcium oxalate, hydrocyanic acid, and konjac alkaloids that can lead to numbing and swelling of the tongue and central nervous system poisoning when ingested; when in contact with skin, can lead to marked numbness and rash.
Dianella Ensifolia (Liliaceae)
Alias:
mountain cabbage, blue bamboo
Traits:
The grass reaches heights of 80~100 cm while the creeping stem is smooth with single leaves growing alternately. The leaves are pointed and glossy smooth on both sides; the flowers are mostly sparsely arranged panicles. dd>
Toxicity:
The whole plant is poisonous and can kill domestic pets; rice dipped in its juices then dried can be used to poison rats.
Belladonna (Solanaceae)
Alias:
deadly nightshade
Traits:
The fruit are spherical with a diameter of 2.5~4 cm and turn red when ripe; its flowering period is from summer until winter.
