Dangerous plants in your garden

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There may be dangerous plants in your garden that you don't know about at all, and it may kill your child, or pet. There is 20 000 different kinds of plants in South African gardens, and 300 of those are poisonous. The well known Nerium oleander, is one of the most dangerous plants. The goverment had a law a while ago for people to kill all growing Nerium oleander plants in their gardens. A plant called the "varkblom" in Afrikaans, has poisonous juice that can cause suffocation when swallowed.

Plants like the cycad, the most precious and beautiful plant for me, has fruit that is very poisonous. Most gardens in South Africa grow these plants, and not many people know how dangerous the fruit of this plant is.

Plants most commonly recorded poisoning people in South Africa


Datura stramonium (Stinkblaar) - seed

Ricinus communis (Castor Oil Plant) - seed

Adenia digitata (Wild Granadilla) - fruit

Aleurites fordii (Tung Nut) - kernels

Encephalartos spp. (cycads) - kernels

Jatropha curcas (Physic or Purging Nut) - kernels

Melia azedarach (Syringa) - fruit

Colocasia esculenta (Elephant's Ear) - leaves

Nerium oleander (Oleander) - leaves

Cucumis spp. (wild cucumbers) - fruit

Solanum spp. - fruits

Found in the Gauteng area

Alocasia macrorrhiza (Elephant's Ear) - leaves

Colocasia esculenta (Elephant's Ear) - leaves

Melia azedarach (Syringa) - fruit

Datura stramonium (Stinkblaar) - seed

Dieffenbachia spp. (Dumb Cane) - leaves

Solanum spp. - fruits

Nerium oleander (Oleander) - leaves