Torrevieja Forum and Discussion Board

Can you name the plants from the following statements that should be handled with particular care ?

• 1. This distinctively-flavoured nut contains a rather hefty amount of cyanide.

• 2. Every part of this plant, prized for its delicate, scented flowers and often used in bridal bouquets, is highly poisonous.

• 3. The powerful toxin contained in the seeds of this common plant has been used as an agent of terrorism and chemical warfare.

• 4. This herb of the mint family was used in the past as an abortifacient, sometimes with tragic results.

• 5. Closely related to tomatoes and potatoes, this plant is one of the most poisonous in the Eastern Hemisphere.

• 6. These lovely yet deadly mauve flowers bloom in meadows at the end of summer.

• 7. In ancient times, this relative of celery and parsley was used to execute condemned prisoners.

• 8. The chemical compound in this bitter-tasting "biblical" plant can cause hallucinations and seizures.

• 9. The potentially deadly toxin of this plant with striking tubular flowers is used to treat heart failure.

• 10. Widely cultivated for ornamental purposes, this flowering shrub is so toxic that even its sap can give severe allergic reactions.

Answers will be provided next Thursday evening after 21:00.

1 Bitter Almond
6 Deadly nightshade

9 foxglove

ANSWERS

1. Bitter Almond
2. Lily of the Valley
3. Castor Oil Plant
4. Pennyroyal
5. Deadly Nightshade
6. Autumn Crocus
7. Hemlock
8. Wormwood
9. Foxglove
10. Oleander