Pretty DEADLY

Don't let these 15 dangerous but enchanting plants bewitch you!

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Iceland poppy, larkspur, lily of the valley and daphne: all so pretty, but along with dozens of other plants found in our gardens, all toxic to both people and animals. Eating daphne can cause anything from drooling, vomiting, inflamed kidneys through to arrhythmia, seizures, coma and even death. As with daphne, all parts of the Iceland poppy are toxic, tragically for two local horses who died after eating a rather large portion last century.

Sometimes it's just part of a plant that's toxic, often it's all. Some toxins must be eaten to have effect, others are contained within the sap or the thorn and only released on contact.

The National Poisons Centre, based in Dunedin, released the following list of plants most enquired about by parents over 10 years in the early 2000s. The appearance and position of a plant on the list reflects its prevalence and reputation rather than its toxicity.

1 Topping the list was black nightshade, often confused with deadly nightshade. While the latter lives up to its name, it's extremely rare in New Zealand. On the other hand, black nightshade is common and only moderately toxic. Its berries when ripe and black are not toxic at all. Other poisonous members of this solanum family include poroporo, whose berries are to be avoided when green or yellow but are fine when fully ripe, and potatoes. While the potato tuber itself contains glycoalkaloids, the highest concentrations of the toxins are in the leaves, flowers, eyes, sprouts and greened skin. Numerous cases of mass poisonings and death around the globe over the years have been traced back to eating green potatoes.