Deadly flowers...

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The 7 most beautiful but deadly flowers in the world.

Beautiful it may be, some flowers are more than it appears to be. Believe it or not, these harmless plants can ruin your vacation. Below, is a list of the world's most attractive but dangerous flowers:


1. Autumn Crocus.
An endangered plant, Autumn Crocus is probably the most poisonous. It contains colchicines; a deadly drug used effectively in the treatment for gout. Unlike other toxins found in flowers, colchicines is an arsenic-like poison with no antidote. Autumn Crocus poisoning leads to reduced blood pressure and cardiac arrest.




2. Oleander
Oleander is known as one of the most poisonous plant on Earth, often used in suicidal cases in Southern India. The numerous toxic compounds contained in the entire Oleander plant, including oleandrin and nerine, affects the nervous, digestive and cardiovascular systems. Oleander poisoning leads to drowsiness, tremors, seizures, coma and even death. The plant's sap causes skin irritation and severe eye inflammation.




3. Rhododendron
This popular evergreen shrub, featuring large beautiful blooms is known for its toxic since ancient times. Xenophon recorded the odd behaviour of a group of Greek soldiers who had eaten honey from Rhododendron flowers. Rhododendron contains Andromeda toxin that causes nausea, severe pains, paralysis and even death. Azaleas, members of the same plant-family as Rhododendron, are also poisonous.




4. Angels Trumpet
Despite its name, there's something evil about this plant. The toxins it contains can be fatal to humans and animals. Known as a powerful hallucinogen, Angels Trumpet should not be used for recreational purposes, since the risk of an overdose is high. Angels Trumpet contain a variable amount of tropane alkaloids, like atropine and scopolamine, and is used in shamanic rituals by indigenous tribes in western Amazonia.

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5. Belladonna
One of the most poisonous plants in the Western Hemisphere, the Belladonna contains lethal tropane alkaloids. The plant is harmful but its good-looking berries pose the most danger, especially to kids. The symptoms of Belladonna or Deadly Nightshade poisoning are dilated pupils, blurred vision, headaches, hallucinations, delirium and convulsions. Atropine, the toxin in Belladonna, can kill a person by disrupting the nervous systems ability to regulate breathing, sweating and heart rate.




6. Lily of the Valley
Lily of the Valley may look beautiful and harmless but it's poisonous. Eating one or two of the bell-shaped flowers won’t hurt if you're an adult but eaten in large quantities, may cause pain in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhoea. People with heart conditions should be most careful since the toxins cause the heartbeats to slow down or become irregular.




7. Daphne
Also known as Lady Laurel or Paradise Plant. Daphne, a 1 - 1.5 meters tall shrub, is grown for its scented flowers. All parts of the plant are poisonous but the greatest concentrations is the sap and berries. Daphne contains mezerine and daphnin, two powerful toxins that cause stomach aches, headaches, diarrhoea, delirium and convulsions. If Daphne berries are consumed, the victim might fall into a coma and die.

Note: These species are present in Malaysia :
Oleanders, Angels Trumpets (especially in highlands) and Rhododendrons (different species from the ones in the picture). Kindly take a close look before you start to buy any flowering plants.