For the month of October, the Garden is showcasing the spookier side of plant/human interactions. The exhibit is called “Wicked Wonders of the Plant World.” Just as in the Broadway musical “Wicked!” the message of this exhibit is that things are not always exactly as they seem. Some plants once thought to be deadly poisonous (for example tomato and eggplant) are now staple ingredients in the world’s favorite dishes! Their ill repute came in part because of their membership in the nightshade family, which includes the infamous belladonna and henbane plants. Some people are senstitive to the plants in this family, and do need to avoid eating them.

There are lots of plants out there that contain substances toxic to one degree or another. Some are allergens, which may or may not create an unpleasant reaction with an individual’s body chemistry. Aloe vera is a surprising example of this. Employed since antiquity as an aid to burn and wound healing, it causes really painful swelling and hives for some unlucky people.

Other plants have toxins in them which could cause serious harm to people and animals, yet accidental poisonings are very rare. Yew (Taxus) shrubs and the lovely groundcover lily-of-the-valley (photos) grace the foundations of many a home in northeast Ohio. Most people wouldn’t dream of munching on these useful yet poisonous landscape plants. Do keep a sharp eye on small children when the pretty berries of both species appear in late summer!

There are plenty of fascinating live examples and photos in the “Wicked Wonders” exhibit. There is even more good information online and in books like this one: The Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants.

What we learn is this: Don’t be fearful- get to know the plants in your environment. Every household should have the National Poison Control Center number handy already (1-800-222-122). Use good judgement and don’t swallow or wallow in a plant unless you’re sure you won’t have a bad reaction to it. Keep children and pets away from temptation. People have been co-existing peacefully with plants for millenia. The benefits have always outweighed the risks.

Published by Ann McCulloh

Exotic Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia, various species) gets its common name from the twelve-inch blossoms like flaring horns pointing down from the heavens. The plants are native to Central and South America where they are still used in healing and religious rituals. They have been cultivated for so long that all of the identified species are believed to be domesticated varieties rather than truly "wild."

A constituent of the plant’s biochemistry is the alkaloid scopolamine, used in minute quantities to combat motion sickness and in specialized medical applications. In larger amounts scopolamine, together with some of Brugmansia’s other alkaloids, hyoscyamine and atropine, causes terrible thirst, fever, delirium, tachycardia and even death. Accidental ingestion of the plant is rare because the smell and taste of all the plant’s parts is strong and unpleasant. Only the flowers have a sweet, fleeting fragrance after dusk, which helps attract moths to pollinate them.

The dramatic-looking flowers make Brugmansia a favorite in tropical landscapes from Florida to South America. The Brugmansia Growers International is a group formed just for afficionados of this spellbinding genus. 

In the month of October the Garden will present “Wicked Wonders of the Plant World,” an educational display highlighting some  familiar, beautiful plants with surpising powers both to harm and to heal. Online resources with info about common and potentially hazardous plants include databases assembled by North Carolina State University and the government of Canada.