The entire plant and its juices are toxic. Direct contact with the skin can lead to skin inflammation while the smoke from burning the plant is highly toxic. The leaves are poisonous when green or wilted.
Jasmine (Oleaceae)
Traits:
The aromatic flowers can be used to make tea, incense chips, and for extracting aromas.
Toxicity:
The roots are poisonous and can be used in anesthetics.
Thickfruit Millettia (Fabaceae)
Traits:
The perennial vine has pink flowers. The plant’s poisonous rotenone volume reduces with the altitude of where the plant is grown.
Toxicity:
The roots contain highly poisonous rotenone that can be used in pesticides.
Cerbera Manghas (Apocynaceae)
Alias:
haiboyina
Traits:
The tree has thick bark and will release white milky liquid if any part of it is damaged. Its white flowers are aromatic and bloom in June.
Toxicity:
The entire tree contains milky acidic liquid that is stimulating and can cause skin inflammation and blindness when it comes in contact with the eyes. Ingesting it can cause vomiting, diarrhea until exhaustion, respiratory difficulty, dilated pupils, cardiac arrest, and death.
Yellow Oleander (Apocynaceae)
Alias:
aborigine peach
Traits:
Evergreen shrub, yellow aromatic flowers, blooms from May to December.
Toxicity:
The entire plant is highly toxic and can cause stomach pain, dizziness, tremors, paralysis, respiratory difficulties, syncope, and death when ingested.
rinum Asiaticum (Amaryllidaceae)
Alias:
water banana
Traits:
Flowers bloom from May to August while fruits are produced from September to December. The plant has varieties with white or violet flowers.
Toxicity:
The bulbs contain lycorine, cymbidium, and other toxins; its role is similar to narcissus tazetta.
Common Nandina (Nandina)
Traits:
Fruits are formed in autumn and winter; they are spherical and as round as pearls while also being famously used in Chinese medicine.
Toxicity:
The bark contains water tiller and colorless nandina. The leaves contain hydrochloric acid that can lead to acute numbing of the senses and loss of senses such as pain or touch.
Bird-of-paradise (Paradisaeidae)
Alias:
bird-of-paradise flower
Traits:
The perennial herb’s stems extend from the leaves of the plexus and flowers at the top of the stem, similar to a head of a bird gazing upwards. The flowers are orange-red with blue stamens; they’re vivid and beautiful to look at.
Toxicity:
The seed pods are poisonous and ingesting them may lead to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.dd>
Ricinus (Euphorbiaceae)
Traits:
Raceme, with the upper genus being female while the bottom flowers being male. The seed pods are oval and bald with brown markings; it flowers from spring until autumn.
Toxicity:
The seed oil is a severe laxative, containing highly toxic gourdoleic acid. Usually, 2 seeds will lead to diarrhea, 3 seeds can cause gastroenteritis resulting in death.
Catharanthus Roseus (Apocynaceae)
Alias:
Madagascar periwinkle, rose periwinkle
Traits:
It flowers year-round, though less in the winter. Varieties include types with red and white flowers, white flowers red centers, and yellow flowers.
Toxicity:
Highly toxic similar to Digitalis purpurea and can result in gastrointestinal disorders and irregular heartbeat.
Manibot esculenta (Euphorbiaceae)
Alias:
tree potato
Toxicity:
Its underground roots contain hydrocyanic acid that can result in death if eaten raw but can be ingested if cooked thoroughly in water. It’s mostly cultivated in southern China as a primary food for mountain people; its starch is used as an industrial paste.
7-day Dizziness (Euphorbiaceae)
Alias:
red pearl, mountain root
Traits:
The deciduous shrub flowers and produces fruit year-round; its fruit are in season and ripen between August and October.
Toxicity:
The roots are highly toxic and it’s rumored that the poison can render victims unconscious for 7 days, hence the name. To counter the poison, prepare 300g of raw sweet potato, 30g of radish and cook in water with a bit of salt; the poison will be countered approximately 20 minutes after ingesting the cure.
Brunfelsia (Solanaceae)
Traits:
The evergreen shrub can grow up to 80~220 cm with soft branches that extend outward. Leaves grow alternately and the plant flowers between April and August. The aroma of its flowers is similar to jasmine and it’s mainly planted in gardens or pots.
Toxicity:
Ingesting too much of the stems and leaves will result in weakness in the limbs, drooling, arrhythmia, tremors, slow breathing, and other symptoms.
Caryota urens (Arecaceae)
Traits:
The small tree has a single stem with evident rings and grows to 4~8 meters. They often grow together in clumps with pinnate leaves that are thin and soft. It flowers in the spring and summer with spadix axillary. The fruit are spherical while seeds are long and slender. It’s mainly used as a garden tree.
Toxicity:
The fruit and juice are poisonous. Ingesting them can cause gastrointestinal inflammation while contact with the juice can cause skin irritation and inflammation.
Privet (Oleaceae)
Traits:
The evergreen shrub grows to 3-5 meters with slender but hard branches. The leaves are leathery with new leaves being yellow and old being brown. The bark, leaves, and fruit are poisonous.
Toxicity:
Ingesting the leaves and bark will lead to weakness in the limbs, dilated pupils, and death after 2-3 days. Ingesting the fruit will result in diarrhea and listlessness.
Polyscias guilfoylei (Araliaceae)
Traits:
The evergreen shrub can grow up to 1-3 meters with long slender side branches, alternating leaf growth, odd number of pinnate, serrated edges, and green leaves that often contain white spots. Its juices are poisonous.
Toxicity:
Contact with the juice can result in red rashes; when in contact with the mouth, it can result in swelling, pain, and inability to swallow.
Euphorbia milii (Euphorbiaceae)
Traits:
The evergreen shrub grows to 0.3-2 meters; the stem is fat and thick with ridges. It flowers year-round with summer and autumn being the best flowering periods. Its red flower petals are actually bracts; the entire plant is poisonous.
Toxicity:
Ingestion can lead to discomfort in the mouth and throat; severe cases can result in vomiting and diarrhea.
Rhododendron (Ericaceae)
Traits:
There are native and cross-bred species, resulting in a wide range of strains. They grow up to 1-3 meters, have differently shaped leaves, and bloom from spring until summer. The entire plant is poisonous.
Toxicity:
Ingestion can lead to nausea, vomiting, lowered blood pressure, coma, and diarrhea.
Codiaeum variegatum (Euphorbiaceae)
Traits:
The evergreen shrub can grow from 10 cm to several meters. The leaves grow alternately, are thick and smooth with bright colors. The liquid of the plant is poisonous.
Toxicity:
Ingesting the juices can lead to stomach pain, diarrhea, and other symptoms.
Wisteria (Fabaceae)
Traits:
The deciduous large vine has wooden stems that can wind, the leaves grow alternately, and it flowers from March to April. The flowers have a slight aroma and are often violet or white. The seeds are poisonous.
Toxicity:
Ingestion can lead to nausea, stomach pain, stomach bloat, nonstop vomiting, and diarrhea.
