Popular Mechanics magazine interviewed Amy Stewart, an expert on poisonous plants, and learned about some of the most dangerous plants in the world.
Stuart once wrote "Evil Plants: A Book on Plant Violence" and now lives in Eureka, California, USA.
In a garden in Eureka, Stewart planted more than 30 different types of poisonous plants.
There are ten kinds of dangerous plants here:
1. Nepenthes gigantea
The scientific name of giant Nepenthes is Nepenthesattenboroughii, which was found at an altitude of 5,000 feet (about 1.524 meters) in Victoria Mountain, Philippines.
This carnivorous plant can secrete a substance similar to nectar to lure unsuspecting prey into the "pool of death" of enzymes and acids.
A series of sticky and drooping main veins dashed the idea that the prey caught in the trap could escape successfully.
The diameter of giant pitcher plants is 30 cm, which is enough to catch unfortunate rodents, but usually they still mainly feed on insects.
There are about 600 different types of Nepenthes in the world, and they usually live in nitrogen-deficient environments. Therefore, they need to get nutrition from rotting prey carcasses.
2. castor
Ricinus communis, scientific name castor, can be bought in any flower shop, even though they contain terrible ricin.
As an expert on poisonous plants, Stuart was naturally curious about castor, so he planted several castor plants in his "poisonous garden".
Stewart said that gardeners must be careful to collect castor seeds containing deadly ricin to avoid accidental death.
The process of extracting ricin enough to make killing weapons is very complicated.
In February 2008, 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 water hyacinth "Cicutadouglasii" 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, lead to seizures (symptoms include loss of consciousness and severe muscle contraction) and eventually die.
Different from Oenanthe javanica, Oenanthe javanica, which is notorious for poisoning philosopher Socrates, contains Oenanthe javanica, which can paralyze the respiratory system of the poisoned person and eventually lead to death.
Hemlock and Hemlock are similar in that they are both members of the carrot family.
4. Hedyotis diffusa
The scientific name of Hedyotis diffusa is Eupatorium adenophorum.
Drinking milk from cows that used to eat white snake grass can lead to a fatal "milk disease", and Nancy Hicks, the mother of former US President Lincoln, died.
Hedyotis diffusa is a perennial plant, and every part of it contains Eupatorium odoratum (also known as "snake root toxin").
This is an unsaturated alcohol, which will cause muscle tremor and eventually lead to the death of livestock.
Stuart said: "In the19th 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. The US Department of Agriculture discovered the cause of death and immediately announced it to the public.
Now, we can still find traces 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 naviculare
The scientific name of Aconitum naviculare is Aconitum.
Once, Stewart was asked what plants were the best choice for murdering dinner guests. After careful consideration, she gave the answer to the aconite boat.
She said, "All you have to do is chop up its roots and stew them, and you can get a weapon to kill people 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 recommends that people wear gloves when pruning this plant in the garden to avoid poisoning tragedies.
6. Utricularia
Utricularia is one of the most terrible killers in the plant kingdom.
This aquatic carnivorous plant relies on several underwater bladders to catch tadpoles, small crustaceans and other prey.
Uninformed passers-by will trigger the external bristle trigger, which will cause the capsule to open and eventually be caught.
After being captured by the capsule, the prey will suffocate or starve to death, and their bodies will become liquid after decomposition and be absorbed by the cells on the capsule wall.
7. Flytrap
Venus flytrap, scientific name Dionaeamuscipula, is the most animal-like plant.
This kind of flytrap is very quick to react and can complete the clamping process in half a second, which gives people the feeling that it seems to be very suitable for survival in the animal kingdom.
Insects need to constantly touch the two "hairs" of Venus flytrap 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 exposed to foreign objects, the potential of the leaves of Venus flytrap will change, eventually triggering a series of cell-level reactions.
8. "Angel's Horn"
The scientific name of "Angel Horn" is "bruggeman West Asia", which is a terrible guy who is most likely to turn people into zombies in the plant kingdom.
This plant produces beautiful drooping morning glory, which is native to South America and contains a series of powerful toxins, such as belladonna, scopolamine and scopolamine.
As described in the 2007 VBS documentary "Colombia and Evil", criminals in Colombia extracted car scopolamine from "Angel Horn" and made it into a powerful drug, which will make people not know what they are doing, even if they are fully awake.
Scopolamine can be absorbed by human body through skin and mucous membrane, so that criminals can achieve their goals by blowing scopolamine-containing powder on the face of the target person.
Breath of the Colombian Devil tells the audience a series of horror stories related to scopolamine.
In a story, a man once moved all his property out of his apartment and gave it to a criminal.
Afterwards, he couldn't remember what he had done.
9.oleander
Neriumoleander is a very common evergreen shrub, but it is also one of the most poisonous 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 had to ask myself why I did it.
"
The flowers, leaves and fruits of oleander all contain cardiac glycosides, which have therapeutic effects, but at the same time, it will also stop the heart of consumers.
Stewart said that a California woman was sentenced to death for trying to poison her husband with oleander. A few years ago, two little boys died because they ate oleander by mistake.
"For this plant, people tend to relax their vigilance because they will produce very bright, beautiful and candy-colored flowers.
But they are very poisonous plants, which will make your heart stop beating.
"
10. "Bad woman"
The scientific name of "bad woman" is "Cnidoscolusangustidens", 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 that it oozes a corrosive milky liquid.
Exudation of milky white liquid is a common feature of many members of Euphorbia, which can cause painful skin irritation and ugly discoloration.
Stuart said: "Some people told me that they accidentally put the liquid oozing from Euphorbia into their eyes. To their great surprise, this liquid has caused long-term damage to their eyes.
"(Xiao Wen)