21 Poisonous Flowers Found Around The Globe You Should Be Cautious Of

Poisonous plants with toxic flowers have caused several deaths.

Poisonous flowers can be toxic to humans and animals, including horses, cats, and dogs. Poisonous plants may not only have toxic flowers but toxic stems or leaves.

Poisonous plants and flowers, like humans, have evolved over several decades, developing their own means to survive adversity. Deadly flowers usually have spines, thorns, barks, and toxins that protect them from their surroundings and predators.

Not only are flowers poisonous in toxic plants, but also their leaves and seeds. Most poisonous plants usually hold toxic components are non-toxic substances, which turn poisonous when the plant is hurt. Some of these poisons can be lethal or cause life-threatening conditions if eaten, whereas others can cause skin rashes upon contact.

Several mature plants have a bad smell, which is also an indicator of staying away from them. Read on to learn about all the toxic flowers out there.

Poisonous Parts of Flower

The poisonous part of a flower depends on the type of species. Every part of the daffodil flower is toxic, while only the morning glory seeds are poisonous.

The Castor oil plant is a toxic plant, also present in the Guinness Book of World Records. All parts of this plant, including its leaves, flowers, and seeds, are toxic to humans. Ingesting a small part can cause an allergic reaction like stomach pain, diarrhea, and severe nausea.

• Plants like hydrangeas have poisonous buds and leaves. Hydrangea flowers have cyanide which can be deadly to pets.
• Plants like poison hemlock or Conium maculatum contain toxins in all parts. It has small white flowers with five petals.
• Nerium oleander, or the Oleander plant, has red, pink, or white flowers containing toxins like oleandrin and oleandrigenin.
• Lamprocapnos spectabilis, or bleeding heart, is easily identified by pink heart-shaped flowers. It has isoquinoline alkaloids, which can lead to tremors at high doses.
• The yellow flowers of the Buttercup have glycoside ranunculin, which is highly poisonous to people and wildlife. It can cause red oral mucous, hypersalivation, and diarrhea if ingested.
• Peace lilies have a spadix display in a white and green spathe. It is mildly toxic, especially leaves with calcium oxalate crystals. It can cause burning of the throat, mouth, and tongue if ingested in large amounts.

List of Poisonous Flowers

Here is a list of some of the poisonous flowers around the world.

Aconitum

Aconitum has a number of names, like a blue rocket, devil's helmet, and monkshood. It is a genus of flowering plants with more than 250 species.

• Nearly all Aconitum species of the buttercup family are highly toxic. However, florists use some of these species.
• Aconitum is also a popular garden plant due to its hooded blue flowers.
• The plant's roots (A. ferox) have a deadly poison called alkaloid psuedaconitine.
• People have used Aconitum species as an arrow poison. The poison initially causes diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea, followed by numbness and burning in the face and mouth.
• In severe cases, the toxins can cause numbness and tingling in limbs, inducing motor weakness.
• Although rarely, some speculate that Aconitum species was used to execute Socrates instead of Conium maculatum or poison hemlock.

Dracula's Flower

Dracula's flower, or Dracunculus vulgaris, is a native species of the Mediterranean. Its flowers and all other parts of this plant are toxic.

• As the name suggests, the flower petals entwin the black spadix, similar to Dracula's cape. The spadix grows up to 4 ft or 1.2 m. The flower blossoms in the shade, and direct sunlight is bad for its growth.
• Dracula's flower is also called a stinky lily, as it produces a rotting meat smell when it blooms. This smell, however, is necessary to lure flies that pollinate other stinky lillies.
• If these are eaten, these flowers can cause allergic reactions or skin irritations.

Deadly Nightshade

Deadly nightshade, or Atropa belladonna, has purple, yellow, and green bell-shaped flowers.

• Deadly nightshade or Atropa belladonna contains tropane alkaloids in all its parts. Flowers consist of up to 0.6% of this toxin.
• If ingested, deadly nightshade can cause psychiatric disorders, gastrointestinal disorders (stomach upset), cardiovascular diseases, and complications in pregnancy.
• The flower's nectar that the bees transform into honey also has tropane alkaloids.

Angel's Trumpet

All parts of the angel's trumpet (Brugmansia) plant are toxic. However, its poisonous seeds and leaves are more dangerous.

• Tropane alkaloids like hyoscyamine and scopolamine can cause delirium and anticholinergic toxidrome.
• Toxins in this plant can cause poor coordination, confusion, hallucinations, headaches, and even death.
• Since an angel's trumpet is highly poisonous, contact with even flowers and leaves will transmit enough active principles.

Mountain Laurel

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia) is called lambkill due to grayanotoxins, which are particularly dangerous to sheep. It is also named sheep-poison, kill-kid, and sheep-laurel.

• Flowers of different specie of Kalmia are usually pink or white.
• Mountain laurel can also be harmful to animals like goats, cattle, and horses. It has diterpene toxins.
• If ingested, laurel flowers can cause seizures, muscle tremors, vomiting, excessive salivation, and heart irregularity.

Morning Glory

Morning glory, or Ipomea spp., has purple, magenta, blue or white flowers. The flowers are trumpet-shaped, and the leaves are heart-shaped.

• Morning glory seeds have ergoline alkaloids like ergine and psychedelic ergonovine.
• The lysergic alkaloids in the seeds can cause hallucinations, liver failure, or diarrhea if ingested. It is particularly harmful to pets and kids.
• Some famous varieties of morning glory are Kiola's Black Knight, Scarlett O'Hara, and Heavenly blue, all of which have different colored flowers.

Jersey Lily

Belladonna lily (Amaryllis belladonna) or naked-lady lily also has toxins in all its parts.

• Jersey lily has alkaloids like amaryllidine, pancracine, and Iycorine.
• In humans, the toxins can cause diarrhea and vomiting. They can cause lethargy, vomiting, drooling, and even renal or heart failure in wildlife.
• Pink funnel-shaped flowers grow on the naked or leafless stem of Amaryllis belladonna.

Foxglove

Foxglove (Digitalis) has purple and pink flowers. It is also a typical garden plant.

• Digitalis purpurea is a well-known species of foxglove. The plant is also known as witch's gloves or dead man's due to the presence of steroidal and cardiac glycosides in the plant.
• If ingested in a huge amounts, foxglove can cause cardiac arrhythmias, diarrhea, vomiting, severe headache, and nausea. It can even lead to yellow vision or jaundice, also called xanthopsia.
• Other symptoms of foxglove are collapse, drooling, dilated pupils, weakness, and even death.
• Foxgloves are dangerous to humans and animals like canines, felines, poultry, and livestock.

Tulips

Tulips (Tulipa) have large bright flowers, usually white, yellow, pink, or red. Flowers are hermaphrodite - both female and male features and actinomorphic.

• The poisonous bulbs of tulips look similar to onions, which is why animals unintentionally eat them.
• Tulipalin in tulips causes contact dermatitis through skin exposure. They can cause weakness, lethargy, diarrhea, hypersalivation, and vomiting if ingested.
• Tulip flowers, leaves, and stems have low concentrations of tulipalin, while its bulbs contain high amounts of this allergen.

Iris

Iris is a genus consisting of more than 300 species with flashy flowers. The inflorescences of Iris are fan-shaped with one or more six-lobed flowers.

• Iris species have toxins like irisine, iridin, and irisin. However, these toxins are not considered dangerous.
• The poison can cause skin irritation, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting if ingested.

Calla Lily

Calla lily, or Zantedeschia aethiopica, is a flowering plant of the Araceae family. It has tiny flowers in a spadix, usually in a spathe.

• Calla lilies appear in shades of red, purple, green, pink, white, and yellow. These flowers are highly poisonous and can be deadly to animals and humans.
• Calla lilies hold calcium oxalate crystals which results in mouth selling, diarrhea, stomach pain, and burning sensations.

Water Hemlock

Water hemlock or Cicuta genus of Apiaceae family with four highly toxic species. Plants have small white or green flowers in the form of an umbrella.

• Water hemlock flowers look identical to poison hemlock flowers. Cicuta species have cicutoxin which is highly toxic.
• Cicutoxin, if ingested, can cause hypoxia, convulsions, hypersalivation, sweating, gastrointestinal discomfort, and seizures. The onset of symptoms will occur 15 minutes after consumption.

White Snakeroot

White snakeroot or Ageratina altissima has white flowers, which bloom to release seeds with white tails into the air.

• White snakeroot has tremetol toxins. So, when cattle eat this plant, milk and meat are contaminated. When humans consume milk or meat, the poison passes on to them.
• In huge amounts, the toxins will result in tremetol poisoning. It is called milk sickness.

Desert Rose

Desert rose or Adenium obesum funnel-shaped red, white, or pink flower clusters. Its leathery leaves are arranged spirally.

• When any part of the desert is injured, it releases sap with cardiac glycosides, which is poisonous to an extent, particularly to animals.
• Ingestion of this toxin causes irritation in the throat and mouth, hypersalivation, vomiting, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal pain. If one comes in contact with the sap, toxins will cause redness and irritation.

Daffodils

Daffodils, or Narcissu, is a genus of the Amaryllidaceae family. Yellow and white flowers have six tepals with trumpet-shaped corona surmounting them.

• Daffodil bulbs have scillitoxin and lycorine alkaloids, and oxalates. These bulbs may be mistaken for leeks or onions.
• Consumption of daffodil bulbs will cause convulsions, drowsiness, diarrhea, irritation, and severe vomiting. Contact with its sap may result in eye and skin irritation.

Poinsettia

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is popular for its bright green and red foliage. Its leaves also look like a flower. Poinsettia is also used as floral displays during Christmas.

• If the sap of Poinsettia is ingested, it will cause diarrhea and vomiting. It results in itchy skin, skin redness, and irritation if one comes in contact.
• Other hues of Poinsettia flowers are orange, cream, pink, and white.
• Compared to other euphorbias, Poinsettia's milky sap is less toxic.

Rosary Pea

Rosary pea or Abrus precatorius looks like pea pods holding scarlet seeds with black tips that are highly poisonous.

• Rosary pea has abrin toxin, which is a milder version of ricin. If this toxin reaches human cells, it can stop protein synthesis.
• Symptoms of ingesting rosary peas are similar to that of ricin, like purging and burning of the mouth. However, abrin is way more poisonous than ricin.
• Other symptoms of abrin consumption are liver failure, nausea, and even death. It is also harmful to horses.

Rafflesia Arnoldii

The giant padma or corpse flower plant is famous for its large individual flower. It has the smell of rotting flesh.

• The giant corpse flower is red with polka dots, weighing 15 lb or 6.8 kg with 3 ft or 0.3 m petal-to-petal girth.
• Rafflesia Arnoldii is currently endangered. The flower lives on the root of a giant tree using its long tissues. The flower blooms for five days after feeding on its host for a long time.
• The unpleasant odor helps it attract flies for the plant to continue living.

Harmful Effects Of Poisonous Flowers

• Consumption or contact with poisonous plants and flowers can cause varying allergic reactions like throat swelling, stomach pain, muscle weakness, and jaundice. For example, the Castor oil plant can cause severe reactions like bloody diarrhea, purging, abdominal pain, and burning in the throat and mouth.
• The Lily of the valley has a high amount of poison in its stem, leaves, and flowers. The cardiac glycosides in the Lily of the valley impact the heart resulting in a slow heart rate, blurriness, illusion, and sometimes death.
• Some more harmful impacts of poisonous flowers are death, burning, mouth ulcer, and blindness. Not only are Oleander flowers toxic, but also the smoke from its burning wood is poisonous.
• Wisteria is poisonous to dogs and cats. If they ingest only a few seeds, it will result in diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and depression of the central nervous system.
• Rhododendron flowers have grayanotoxin. The plant has lavender flowers in clusters. Ingestion of the toxin can cause excessive salivation, weak heart rate, leg paralysis, loss of appetite, and vomiting.
• Peruvian lily has several flower colors: purple, red, yellow, white, rose, orange, and pink. Glycosides in flowers can cause poisoning and contact dermatitis in animals and humans.
• Peruvian lily can cause symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blisters, eye irritation, and skin irritation.