According to American media reports, after millions of years of evolution, plants have mastered some ingenious "self-defense techniques" to resist hungry animals, including deadly neurotoxins, thorns that can pierce car tires and powerful digestive enzymes. Popular mechanics magazine interviewed Amy Stewart, an expert on poisonous plants, to learn about some of the most dangerous plants in the world. Stuart once wrote wicked plants: a book of botanical atrocities, and now lives in Eureka, California, USA. In a garden in Eureka, Stewart planted more than 30 different types of poisonous plants. The following are ten kinds of dangerous plants: 1. Nepenthes attenboroughii, a giant pitcher plant, was found at an altitude of 5,000 feet (about 1524 meters) in Victoria Mountain, Philippines. This carnivorous plant can secrete a substance similar to nectar to lure unsuspecting prey into a "pool of death" of enzymes and acids. A series of sticky drooping main veins make the idea that the prey falling into the trap can escape successfully dashed. The diameter of giant Nepenthes is 30 cm, which is enough to catch unlucky rodents, but usually, they still mainly feed on insects. There are about 600 different types of Nepenthes in the world, which usually live in nitrogen-deficient environment. For this reason, they need to obtain nutrients from rotting prey carcasses. 2. Ricinus communis, the scientific name of Ricinus ricini, can be bought in any flower shop, although they contain terrible ricin. As an expert on poisonous plants, Stewart was naturally curious about castor, so he planted several castor plants in his "poison garden". Stewart said that gardeners must carefully collect castor seeds containing deadly ricin to avoid accidental death. The process of extracting enough ricin to make a killing weapon is very complicated. In February 2008, the Las Vegas authorities found this toxin in a hotel room. It is reported that the KGB also used ricin to silence the enemy forever. 3. Oenanthe javanica The scientific name of Oenanthe javanica is "Cicuta douglasii", which is listed as "the most toxic plant in North America" by the US Department of Agriculture. Oenanthe javanica contains toxigenin, which can destroy the central nervous system, leading to seizures (symptoms include loss of consciousness and severe muscle contraction) and eventually death. Different from water hemlock, water hemlock, which is notorious for poisoning the philosopher Socrates, contains hemlock, which can paralyze the respiratory system of the poisoned person and eventually lead to death. The similarity between hemlock and water hemlock is that they are all members of carrot family. 4. White Ophiopogon japonicus The scientific name of white Ophiopogon japonicus is "Eupatorium rugosum". Drinking milk from cows that used to eat white snake grass can cause a fatal "milk disease", which killed Nancy Hicks, the mother of former US President Lincoln. Hedyotis diffusa is a perennial plant, and every part of it contains perrin (also known as "snake root toxin"). This is an unsaturated alcohol, which can cause muscle tremor and eventually death of livestock. Stuart said: "/kloc-in the 9th century, people tried their best to find the culprit who poisoned their livestock." It was not until the end of 19 and the beginning of the 20th century that people realized the truth of the matter. At that time, the US Department of Agriculture discovered the cause of death and immediately announced it. Now, we can still find the trace of Hedyotis diffusa in the wild, but in agricultural production areas, this poisonous plant is strictly controlled to avoid the tragedy caused by cattle eating by mistake. 5. Aconitum boat Aconitum boat Aconitum boat Aconitum boat Aconitum boat Aconitum "Aconitum napellus". Once, Stewart was asked what plants were the best choice for murdering dinner guests. After careful consideration, she gave the answer of aconite boat. She said: "You only need to chop up its roots and stew them, and you can get a killing weapon without resorting to a chemical plant." Aconitum naviculare has purple flowers and usually lives in the backyard garden. They contain toxic aconitine alkaloids, which can cause suffocation. Although it is a joke to "entertain" guests with stewed aconite, Stewart strongly advises people to wear gloves when pruning this plant in the garden to avoid poisoning tragedy. 6. Utricularia Utricularia is one of the most terrible killers in the plant world. This aquatic carnivorous plant relies on several submerged bladders to catch tadpoles, small crustaceans and other prey. Unsuspecting passers-by will touch an external bristle trigger, causing the capsule to open and eventually be caught. After being captured by the capsule, the prey will die of suffocation or hunger, and their corpses will become liquid after decomposition and be absorbed by the cells on the wall of the capsule. 7. Venus flytrap Venus flytrap Venus flytrap "Dionaea muscipula" is the most animal-like plant. This flytrap is extremely quick to respond and can complete the clamping process within half a second, giving people the impression that it seems to be suitable for survival in the animal kingdom. Insects need to touch the two "hairs" of Venus flytrap continuously to make it react, but scientists can't give an exact explanation for the specific mechanism of closing and catching prey. The American Botanical Society pointed out that the early theory thought that the sudden change of cell water pressure triggered this reaction, but this theory was finally thrown into the garbage bin. Scientists now believe that when touched by foreign objects, the potential of Venus flytrap leaves can change, eventually triggering a series of cell-level reactions. 8. "Angel's Horn" Angel's Horn The scientific name of "Angel's Horn" is "Brugmansia", which is the terrible guy who is most likely to turn people into zombies in the plant kingdom. This plant produces beautiful and drooping morning glory, which is native to South America and contains a series of powerful toxins, belladonna, hyoscyamine and scopolamine. As described in the 2007 VBS TV documentary "Colombian Devil's Breath", criminals in Colombia extracted scopolamine from "Angel's Horn" and made it into a powerful drug, which would make people have no idea what they were doing, even if they were fully conscious. Scopolamine can be absorbed by human body through skin and mucous membrane, which allows criminals to achieve their goals simply by blowing powder containing Scopolamine on the face of the target person. Breath of the Colombian Devil tells a series of horrible stories related to scopolamine. In one story, a man once moved all his property out of his apartment and handed it over to a criminal. Afterwards, he simply couldn't remember what he had done. 9. Nerium oleander, the scientific name of oleander, is a very common evergreen shrub, but it is also one of the most toxic plants in the world. Stuart said, "If I were a mother, I would cover all the power plugs in my house to protect my children. However, I planted an oleander in the garden, and I have to ask myself why. " The flowers, leaves and fruits of oleander all contain cardiac glycoside, which has therapeutic effect, but at the same time, it will also stop the heart of the eater. Stewart said that a California woman was sent to death row for trying to poison her husband with oleander. A few years ago, two little boys died because of eating oleander by mistake. "For this plant, people often relax their vigilance because they will produce very bright, beautiful and candy-colored flowers. But they are a very toxic plant that will stop your heart. " 10. The scientific name of "bad woman", "bad woman" and "bad woman" is Cnidoscolus angustidens, which is the most ideal natural home security system. Stewart pointed out that this plant is more about causing pain to contacts than poisoning them. "Bad women" are mainly distributed in southwest Mexico, and their bodies are covered with spikes, which can be used as temporary fishing hooks when necessary. The real horror of this plant is a corrosive milky liquid oozing out. Exudation of milky liquid is a common feature of many members of Euphorbia family, which can cause painful skin irritation and unsightly discoloration. Stewart said: "Some people told me that they accidentally put the liquid oozing from Euphorbia into their eyes. To their great surprise, this liquid actually caused long-term damage to their eyes." (Xiao Wen)