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One of the best ways to kill a character in a book is by poisoning. Especially when your trying for an air of mystery. Who poisoned them? Was it the antagonist? Or was it a close friend? That guy we met two chapters was pretty sketchy.
Poison isn't as obvious as an epic sword fight, or a clear stab wound, or a bullet. It's usually a silent killer. Poison isn't exactly easy to trace back to one suspect, especially when it's taken as a drink or ingested. Anything the person ate or drank that day, or even days ago, could have been laced with poison. Their death also could have resulted from unknowingly eating something they were allergic to, or an unknown allergic reaction altogether.
Sometimes though, the state the person was in before they died can point to some clues. Take aconitum, one of the deadliest plants in the world, for example. While pretty in it's purple, flowery appearance, accidental ingestion can result in muscle, heart, and lung paralysis.
Other poisonous plants are slow-killers. Take White Snakeroot. When cattle eat it, it poisons their milk and meat. When humans in turn consume the milk or meat, they get milk sickness, which takes about 2-10 weeks to die from. However, a person can die in a matter of days, or they can survive the initial sickness, but suffer a relapse years later.
Whatever your reason for wanting to learn about deadly plants, whether it be because you're planning to kill off a character in your book, you're writing about a magical school where poisons class replaces chemistry, or you just need something to inspire you, the list below contains all the information you'll need on some of the most poisonous plants in the world. Just don't go poisoning your neighbors or anything....
1. ARBUS PRECATORIUS
First up on our list, a plant with a hard-to-pronounce name and peapod-shaped shells that look like they're filled with tiny, red eyeballs ー Arbus Precatorius
Scientific name: Abrus precatorius
Family: Fabaceae Order: Fabales
A plant of many names, including cock's eyes, rosary peas, and Jamaica wild licorice, arbus precatorius is native to many tropical areas, and has invaded the Caribbean Islands, Belize, Hawaii, Polynesia, and Florida.
Arbus Precatorius known as a climbing plant, intertwining up trees, shrubs, and bushes, and it is very invasive and hard to get rid of.
The poison part comes in with seeds. A single seed of Arbus Precatorius, ingested, can kill a full grown adult.
Death usually takes 36-72 hours after exposure.
2. ADONIS VERNALIS
Next up, the most poisonous member of the buttercup family
Scientific name: Adonis Vernalis
Family: Ranuncalaceae
Order: Ranunculales
Adonis Vernalis, a plant of various names such as pheasant's eye and false hellebore, may look like pleasant, little flower people would plant in their gardens, but in reality, these flowers from the buttercup family can be fatal.
The flowers grow mostly in the dry meadows and steppes in Eurasia, and appears mostly in the Spring.
The flower contains cardiac stimulant compounds (cardiac stimulants stimulate the heart, making it accelerate. Some examples are found in drugs like cocaine and meth, which have been proven to be fatal), which can affect several parts of the body including the brain, the lungs, the heart, and even the skin.
One of the most painful ways to die from it is by a stroke or by a heart infraction.
Extractions of the flower are also used in some medicines.
3. ANTHRIUM
It's no mystery if you've seen these glossy, red heart leaves before in homes, or on the fake flower aisle in Hobby Lobby. Anthrium plants are often used as decoration.But aside from being beautiful, these flowers can do some serious damage.
Scientific name: Anthrium
Family: Arum
Order: Alismatales
Anthrium is a perennial flower, and is native to the Americas, but is now asscoiated more with the Hawaiian islands.
Anthrium, sometimes called the flamingo flower, is a genus of about 1000 species of flowering plants—the largest genus of the arum family.
In the past, anthrium has been used as a method of torture. Prisoners or captives would be fed different parts of the plant in order to prevent them from talking, as when ingested, the plant can cause swelling of the tongue.
All parts of the plant are poisonous. If the stem is snapped open, it oozes a milky sap that causes skin irritation. The sap contains a chemical called calcium oxalate crystals (a calcium salt), which is in the form of little crystals.
When bitten into, irritation of the mouth, tongue, and throat occurs,making it hard to breath. The tongue and stomach swells.
Cases have been reported of dogs, cats, and other pets biting into the common house plant and having some of the same reactions.
It is possible to survive the poisoning with First Aid.
A good choice for characters who are mortal enemies.
5. ARGEMONE MEXICANA
Arguably one of the most dangerous flowers on this list, this pretty, little yellow flower is actually from the poppy family
Scientific name: Argemone Mexicana
Family: Papaveraceae
Order: Ranunculales
Argemone Mexicana, also known as the Mexican Prickly Poppy, is a species of poppy found in Mexico. It is know to withstand intense droughts and poor soil.
The toxicity comes into play with the seeds and oils.
The oil of Argemone Mexicana is pale yellow and almost tasteless. It contains toxic alkaloids (any kind of organic compound produced by plants that has effects on human). The oil is sometimes used in medical products (for example, it is used in Myanmar to treat jaundice) . In Mexico, it is sometimes even considered an antidote to snake venom.
When the oil of Argemone Mexicana is consumed, it cause a lot of terrible things: blindness, enlargement of the liver, indents in the legs, swelling, fever, and even death.
The seeds cause some of the same symptoms, because they contain the oil.
Mexicana seeds are sometimes accidentally mixed in mustard oil because they look so much like mustard seeds. According to some sources, an easy way to tell the difference is to lightly smash the seed. If it makes a noise, it is a mexicana seed, but if it collapses silently, it is a mustard seed.
Argemone Mexicana is definitely a potent flower,but victims of the poison usually don't die without noticing some painful, treatable symptoms over a period of days or weeks.
But if one of your characters is looking for an easy-to-disguise poison for one of their enemies, this flower would be a go-to.
6. ATROPA BELLADONNA (NIGHTSHADE)
You've probably seen nightshade used by writers before, as it is one of the most popular (and most deadly) poisons in the world.
Scientific name: Atropa belladonna
Family: Solanaceae
Order: Solanales
You may have heard of this deadly European perennial before.
Nightshade is probably the most popular and deadliest of any poisonous plant. Oddly enough, it is in the same family as tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes. Don't worry, though. Atropa Belladonna (deadly nightshdae) contains a toxin known as solanine, which can be toxic in high concentrations. Luckily though, tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, and potatoes only hold trace amounts of this chemical.
However, experts have said that the leafy stalks of potatoes are in fact toxic when ingested, and there have been reports of solanine poisoning from eating raw, green potatoes.
Nightshade contains toxins like atropine, scopolamine, hyoscyamine, which is known to cause delirium(confusion) and hallucinations, but mostly, it has unpredictable effects.
Antidotes for nightshade poisoning include physostigmine and pilocarpine, but both can (in certain cases) have extreme side effects including dry mouth, dry eyes, dizziness, nausea, stomach cramps, bleary vision, frequent urination, excessive vomiting, and chest tightness. Neither is really prescribed for nightshade toxicity, and there are other antidotes available.
. The berry is thought to be the most poisonous part of the plant, however the entire plant is toxic. Juice from nightshade berries is clear and dark purple like grapes. Most experts agree that the roots are the deadliest part of the plant.
A single leaf of belladonna is enough to kill a full-grown adult within a couple of minutes to a couple of hours, and even ingesting half of a berry has been known to kill a child.
Interestingly, in 1910, Edgar Cayce, a self-acclaimed "psychic" who would diagnose patients while in a sleep-like trance, prescribed an infant nightshade to cure it's epiplectic fits. The doctors and parents of the baby were shocked, but the usually-deadly plant did end up helping the baby.
There are a lot of interesting stories about nightshade, and it has a deep, rich, and very dark history. It's definitely a plant to read up on!
7. CASCABELA THEVETIA
This tropical plant, growing mainly throughout Mexico and Central America, is used widely for decoration, but this pretty perennial also has a darker side.
Scientific name: Cascabela Thevetia
Family: Apocynaceae
Order: Gentianales
For one, every part of the plant is poisonous.
The shrub is drought and high temperature resistant and grows dark red fruit as well as grass and flowers.
The toxins it contains can not be burned or cooked out, so it is not used for any medical, or edible reasons.
Treatments do exist for the poison, but for many countries, the antidotes are prohibited.
Casabela is so deadly and immediate, that it is a method of killing and hunting South India and Sri Lanka.
It's definitely a good choice if one of your characters wants to kill someone undetected, or use something that doesn't have an easily-accessible antidote.
8. CERBERA ODOLLAM
Who knew a plant with a name like "pong-pong" could be so deadly?
Scientific name: Cerbera Odollam
Family: Apocynaceae
Order: Gentianales
Known as the suicide tree, murder tree, and the pong-pong , the Cerbera Odollam is a fruit-bearing, flowering plant that mostly grows in coastal swamps and marshy areas.
It is native to India and Asia and very similar to the oleander , another highly toxic plant of the same family.
The kernels of the fruit Cerbera bears contains a digoxin(heart medication)-type cardenolide(a steroid) and cardiac glycoside (an organic substance that increases the output force of the heart). The toxins block calcium ion channels, causing disturbances in the victim's heart, most often resulting in death. The poison is also known to cause nausea, vomiting, and chest tightness.
The kernels taste bitter, and all it takes is one digested kernel to kill a full-grown adult.
There were over 500 reported cases of Cerbera poisoning between 1989 and 1999.
Cerbera is definitely an interesting choice for characters that want to inflict pain upon their victims in a minimal way.
9. HEMLOCK WATER DROPWORT
This poofy, white flower holds a sinister side—literally.
Scientific name:Oenanthe Aquatica
Order:Apiales
Family:Apiaceae
Oenanthe Aquatica, more commonly known as Water Dropwort, is known famously for causing muscle spasms in the facial muscles, leaving victims with a grin on their face after death known as the sardonic grin.
Water Dropwort is most common in Asia, Italy, and India, where the leaves may be eaten safely by livestock. However, the toxins come into play with the stems, and especially the carbohydrate-rich roots. One root is enough to kill a full-grown cow.
The active toxin in Water Dropwort is oenanthotoxin, which is found in other plants from the genus oenanthe .
Human poisoning, while rare, are known to have happened because of the plant's similarities with other edible plants.
Definitely a more demonic and sinister choice of poison for the charismatic antagonist.
10. COLCHICUM AUTUMNALE
These gentle-looking, purple actually have some harsh effects
Scientific name: Colchicum Autumnale
Order: Liliales
Family: Colchicaceae
Common names for the Colchium Atumnale include the autumn crocuses and naked ladies.The flowering plant blooms in autumn and is referred to as "the naked lady" because the flower emerges long before the leaves of the plant do. The purple flowers have often been confused for wild garlic, which they closely resemble.
Colchicum grows in Great Britain and Ireland, and is best known for its medical and decorative uses, but most of all, the Colchicum is known for its deadly, incurable poison.
Colchicum plants are fatally toxic due to their high colchicine content. Colchicine is known to affect cell mitosis (the process of cell division and growth).
In the colchicum autumnale, the colchicine and other alkaloids bind to tubulin protein and prevent the microtubular dependent cell's function, therefore blocking mitosis in multiple areas of the body.
Colchium plants and colchicine are lethal to both humans and animals.
The beginning symptoms of colchicine poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
If a victim of colchicum waits longer to be diagnosed or treated, symptoms could include seizures, cardiac dysrhythmias (abnormal heartbeat), hypotension (low blood pressure), shock,coagulopathy , pancytopenia and respiratory failure, renal failure, chronic liver failure, and organ failure (lots of failure!), and eventually, death.
It takes 0.8 mg per kilogram of body weight of colchicine in order for the dosage to be lethal.
Death most often occurs in one of two points : either within 48 hours of consumption, or three to seven days after consumption.
There is another plant that contains colchicine and other alkaloids just like the Autumnale, and it is called the Gloriosa Superba (or the Glory Lily). It contains up to 0.36% colchicine in its tubers .
In colchicum autumnale, the flowers and fruit contain the highest levels of toxins, but the entire plant is known to be poisonous.
The worst part? There is no cure for colchicine poisoning.
Autumnale is a good choice of poison for a character who is looking for an extremely harmful poison with no cure.
In the end just remember that.....
Death scenes come in many different shapes, styles, and fashions for all different shapes, styles, and fashions of stories. The death of a character in your book can be a very pivotal moment in the plot. It can happen by a fight with deadly weapons, by magic in a magic duel, by fire, by making it look like an accident. There are countless ways to kill off a character. In the end, it comes down to your story, your characters, and your imagination.
Poisoning is just one of the many possible ways a character can die in your story. And the plants on this list are just a few of the natural poisons in the world, so if you are hoping to use poison in your book, I'd recommend doing your own, individual research.
This article is protected under the Fair Use for Education Law
All of the facts, descriptions, and resources in this article are meant to be used for educational purposes only.
SOURCES
https://.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=276151&isprofile=0&
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